This was a good swim. Water was clean and pretty smooth. I was able to swim alone for much of the swim portion. Had a few issues sighting the buoys on the way back in for whatever reason. Water temp was really nice. Just a pleasant way to open the day

nothing - this was a distance PR by about a minute on waaaay less training - very happy

REV3 has nice bike racks that prevent real estate hogs from taking over transition (although I had a MR BUCKET man on one side of me who tried to make it complicated). I was able to get changed in a normal time. One small issue is I was the opposite corner from the bike/in out. Hard to run in cleats.

nothing

I knew I probably wasnt going to match last years pace (20.2). I also dont have the services of a bike computer anymore so I was going on feel which is fine with me. I hit 20 miles at 58 minutes and was feeling good. Some patches of rough earth around mile 15(40) for a few miles. Ate a Cliff bar and a whole bottle of chocolate soy milk for nutitrion which had me feeling fine (about 750 calories). I hit 40 miles at 2hrs and was feeling good. The last 16 miles were tough. I was starting to slow down (I was riding one gear up from normal). I couldnt tell exactly where the wind was coming from but I was pretty sure it wasnt behind me. I just tried to stay low and keep on trucking. I felt like the whole M40-49 age group passed me during the ride it was weird. I only saw one person in my age group pass me which I thought was really weird. (I started the ride 19/74 and ended up 33/74 so they did pass me, I guees I didnt notice). The last 5 miles of Cedar point road seem to take a reaaallly long time. It was fun to ride into the crowd waiting outside of transiton.

I was way down on bike volume this year. I had multiple frequent 45-60 minute rides but nothing really long. I had two 3hr+ rides in the two weeks prior to the race but you cant cheat cycling endurance. I am pleased with the time given the training and I did hit my goal for the race coming in (19.5)

Long run back to the corner of transition in cleats. This should have been faster. I was just kinda screwing around I guess. I wasnt quite in the game seeing as I forgot to grab my race belt. I was breaking the law since I did the run without my number. I am a rebel without a brain.

Not spend so long to simply change shoes.

all right - I had set the table - Swim PR , good bike just off last years pace. I started my run knowing if I just did slightly better than last years crap fest I would beat my PR. I was shooting for 8:20 pace (equivalent to a 1:49 HM pace) which would put me in at about 5:22. I went out slow and even , although I was feeling really good. I was carrying a honey/water mix in a 8oz handbottle for nutition. I hit mile 4 at 32 mile (8:00 pace). I was feeling great. There was an aid station about a quarter mile after the mile marker. I thought " hey walk it, you are killing it , get some ice and think about the butt you are kicking ". So I walked the aid station, even though I was cruising and didnt need it. My pace from mile 4 to 5 increased to 9:15. I thought , must have been a slow walk , lets giddyup. Miles six and seven were no better. I was slowing rapidly. Miles 7-9 were bad mentally. I walked several times for no reason and I was frustrated about once what was going so well just evaporated. I saw my PR chance slip slip slip away. I broke through the wall at mile 9 and at least starting running again. Mile 11 and beyond was my body making me walk several times due to cramps. Like everyone else I was covered in salt from the nice cool wind all day. I was disappointed again as I had to walk several times on the causeway a mere 2 miles from the end. I started the run at 32/74 and ended up 35/74. I saw the three guys jump me during the causeway. I caught up to one of them in the parking lot as he started to walk. I started encouraging him as I came up on him and told him to get going. About 10 seconds after I passed him he passed me and said " thanks , I needed some help " and proceeded to beat me by 15 seconds. Well, at least I heped someone.

I dunno. I am frustrated in that I had way more training in the run this year. However , in looking at my training is consisted primarily of <40 minute runs. I crammed three 2hr runs into the two weeks prior to the race. Much like my bike thread , you cant cheat running endurance. Just very irritating that I ran just 10 seconds faster than last year. An 8:50 pace would have helped me match my overall PR from last year. So close to an easy PR and I screwed the pooch (first mentally then physically). I wonder how my performance would have been if I had just kept running instead of stopping at the the mile 4 aid station.

just walking around - waiting for other people that I knew to finish


I need to have more longer bike/run sessions prior to a race of this distance (and not just the 2 weeks before the race). Next time dont have baby #4 in December - it doesnt help get more time to train. Overall , considering the fact I didnt want mywife to stab me while I slept, I got as much endurance training in as family time would allow. I accept that - mostly :)


Perfect day - nice autumn day in the high sixties,low seventies - a breeze - a perfect glass lake. Nice swag ( goggles are much better than another shirt). Probably the heaviest medal I have ever got at a race. Everything from check in , set up , race day , race end went smooth. Disappointed I didnt do a little better but it was a great race environment with the HIM distance selling out. If I do this next year I should probably look into signing up earlier