Half Iron. Half man.

First 70.3 down. Many more to go.

This was an amazing day and race. Perfect weather, a well run event, and I put in a solid performance. I had some trouble finding the location in the morning but I got there in time and it worked out.

The swim -
In principle, it was cold, but it turned out to be not so bad. The first few minutes were tough and I wondered why I had decided to do such a long race. I got into a groove though, draft for a while and felt fast. I foolishly abandoned the draft to move up to the next group. I swim with a nose plug, because, well, just because I do. I will try not to from now on, because I ran into someone from behind and knocked it off and then I had to swim without a convenience that I'm used to. Lesson, either wear a nose clip with a cord, or learn to do without. Nonetheless, I muddled through and it was ok. Out of the water in maybe 45-50 minutes, I'm not sure. I think without the nose plug, probably 35? Anyhow, Next time will be better.

The bike -
Earlier I've mentioned not feeling great about my tri bike, but it is fast. Really fast. I consistently was able to pass a lot of people just gliding downhill, and I actually passed a lot of people on the bike while rarely being passed. Awesome feeling. Aero helmet was comfy, and had the bonus of shading the back of my neck from the sun. As an aside, I used SPF 45, and it generally worked. I forgot to put on my hrm strap so I didn't know how hard I was working, but apparently a lot of pros don't use an hrm while racing because it psychs them out. So I went on perceived effort and pushed harder than I thought I should perhaps push. It was a gamble, but it worked. I was thrilled with the effort, it was a great ride with some good hills and was well supported.

The run -
I was unsure how my legs would work after the bike, having thought that I maybe pushed to hard. The course began with a hill and I took it in stride. I think initially I was around the eight minute mile mark, sometimes under eight, which built some confidence. I slowed down as time went on, but I again kept passing people and felt great. No knee pain, no hamstring pain or tightness, just good running, and good running for I think. Training has really paid off. I finished in a bit under two hours for the run, which is about at my marathon pace, so I'm not unhappy, but I think I could go faster. I sprinted to the finish, but accidentally didn't take the exit ramp to the finish chute, so I ran past, heard the announcer say I missed the finish, sprinted back, and then sprinted down the chute.

Nutrition -
I nailed my nutrition I think. It was probably the best part of my race actually. I wore a camelback on the bike, which I think I may not do again, but it worked because I could drink a lot of water early on while staying aero. I don't really like the aero drink bottles, so this was a better option for me I think. I had a gel before the bike and then a few sips from a gel flask soon after starting the bike. I waited until about 30 minutes in to eat the first of two cliff bars, the second came after about 40 miles/two hours. The big leg was well supported with bottles of HEED- a drink I'd never had but it was pretty good. After finishing the bike, I had another gel before the run and then every half hour until the last 40 minutes or so, when I went to every 20 minutes. Lots of water and HEED on the course as well, some of which I dumped on my head when it felt a bit hot. All in all, I was well hydrated and fed through the entire race.

This was a great experience and I can't wait to do another - possibly in only two weeks in New Jersey.