IronMan Race report (Part 1)

For the past couple of days, I have not been sure how to right a race report or think if I even could.

How do you describe when a IronMan race plan pretty much works to perfection, but I will surely try.

As the 3:30 wake up call rang throughout the hotel room, I was pretty loose and calm and hoping for a great day. The weather projected to be pretty much ideal for biking 112 miles, the water looked to be calm, and the afternoon weather was cool enough to maybe have a good marathon.

After being body marked, I did my final bike check, kissed the wife, kissed the kid. Then headed down towards the swim start. This year I planned to position myself closer to the starting line, but still against the shoreline. There I could still stand without trying to waste energy treading water.

With 5 minutes until the start, it truly becomes a frenzy, people trying to just get in the water, people trying to get the best starting position possible. Controlled chaos best describes it.

Then bang the cannon goes off!!! YES, it was a miniature cannon, I know, because I was pretty close to it when it went off. I need to remind myself not to do that again, it scared the crap out of me.

So with 2000+ people swimming, It felt much like being inside a washing machine for the 1st half of the loop. Getting kicked, slapped, and people hitting my feet. Okay, I probably did some of that myself. But people were kicking so dang hard, sounded like a turbo engine and getting hit by that was not a fun feeling. So the plan was to swim on the outside on most of the first half loop, then swim inside after the first turn, but trying to sight less, I did zigzag a lot out there. But I felt awesome out there, relaxed and thinking about everything and nothing for 2.4 miles.

Then a decision had to be made. I must say, I peed in my wetsuit about 3 times while waiting for the start of the race. I know it's gross, but yes, a lot of TRIathletes do it. So I felt the urge while swimming. Maybe I could save a minute or so in T1 if I do it now, so I slowed down and let it rip, that was a first time for me I must say. So I had to share.

So onward I went, I completed the 1st loop and then started the second. Many thoughts of trying to PR the swim went through my head the entire time, but I tried hard to stay focused at the task at hand.

So in 1 hour 33 minutes 56 seconds I was done, a PR, WooHoo.

Hmmm, kind of interesting as well, because I did not work on my swimming much at all this year. I just tried to do more open water swimming and stay more relaxed. I guess it worked.

T1

So after getting "stripped" from my wetsuit, I ran up the spiral helix, felt great, and saw my fellow TRIclub members cheering us on. Last year I walked in, this year I ran in all the way. What a feeling!!! Once in, I organized myself and got dressed as quick as I could, did a quick stop at the sun tan lotion greasers and picked up my bike for the long bike ride ahead.