Did I bite off more than I can chew?

Well here it is, officially the end of March is around the corner and the beginning of Spring is here though the weather outside and the forecast would have you thinking it was still deep in February.

Does that look like Spring to you?

I haven't been myself lately and I can list off a million and one excuses why. I pushed too hard at the Ft. Lauderdale Half Marathon and I had to take 2 weeks off to recover, then I had my trip to NYC with my daughter coming up and then I got a head cold right before leaving for NYC ...  in any case, my training schedule was basically non-existent and definitely very little consistency if any!  Not to mention this winter and the Polar Vortex!

And then it sort of hit me - did I bite off too much this year?  Is shifting from end of year Ironman to a mid-season Ironman not giving my body (and mind) enough distance from Ironman training?  Did I really think I could sandwich an Ironman in between the Boston and the NYC Marathons?  How in the heck did I get here anyway??????

But I am here - and I've got entry to and paid for both Boston and NYC - both of which I may never get the opportunity to run again.  Then there is Ironman Lake Placid - my "validation" Ironman.  What's a validation Ironman you ask?  As you know I have done two Ironmans - Ironman Florida 2012 and Ironman Cozumel 2013.  Both of these course are flat and considered "easy".  Well, let's just be clear - there is no such thing an an easy way to propel your body 140.6 miles.  If you take a look at this guy's number crunching you will see that Cozumel is ranked just under Lake Placid, Florida however is a lot further down.

http://www.runtri.com/2010/07/runtri-benchmarks-easiest-ironman.html

In any case, in my head, I was pretty sure I needed to do a "real" Ironman - like Placid, or Penticton, or Whistler, Or Coeur d'Alene or Mont Tremblant, to quell the thought that I only picked the easy Ironmans.  Now of course people have made comments to this effect but honestly this all stems from my own head.  So last July I signed up for Placid.  Yes, at that time I knew I was running Boston and NYC marathons.  Yes, I think I was crazy.

But here I am, 4 weeks out from Boston Marathon and 17 weeks out from Ironman Lake Placid.  It is what it is and I'm doing both, I've just had to shift my goals a little bit.  I always wanted to run my BQ time at Boston but that is just going to have to wait for another lifetime.  I will have to take it easy in Boston because I will not have weeks to recover.  In fact, I won't have any time to recover because I will be 3 weeks into my official training for Placid.  I will be pushing my biking legs to the max.

And, I've decided to take a lot of pressure off myself for IMLP.  When I got into this crazy sport I promised it was for fun.  Then I sort of got fast.  And then the talk and dreams of qualifying for Kona filled my head. And then it didn't seem fun any more.  And then it seemed that I was going to disappoint those closest to me.

And then my husband - the greatest sherpa, my biggest fan, and most amazing sport photographer, Barry sent me the most beautiful email.  I won't share it in it's entirety but one of the many paragraphs that hit home I will:

Go forward bravely and boldly.

You have become a powerhouse of endurance and you have trained brilliantly, religiously and so incredibly for 3 years now!

You are amazing!!

Fear not, as you battle on.

Fear not.

Rest assured that all will be good, no matter what the outcome.

Good, bad or neutral, life will go on and more races will come.

 So I might have bit off more than I can chew but I'm not going to back down from this challenge.  So I'm back on the training program, focusing on IM training with a little marathon training in the background.  I'm running the Around the Bay 30k next Sunday as my longest training run for Boston.  And then I'm going to run Boston, enjoying every moment of it and not once regretting that I'm not running fast enough.  And as for Lake Placid - I can only train, like I have trained in the past - I will push myself to my limits over and over in training and then on race day, I will push myself over my limits as I have done in the Ironmans before.  And at the end will be the next question - Which Ironman next?

Ft. Lauderdale Half Marathon Race Report

Ok, well it's been awhile since I last hit the blog and I guess I owe myself a race report on the Fort Lauderdale half marathon since it's been over 2 weeks. 

This race came about because I had a 20k training run on my Boston marathon training schedule and I was going to be in south Florida anyway so why not. Well. Short answer is if I ran it as a training run then all good, but if I raced it for a major PR having not trained for a half marathon it could be down right stupid. I'll save the suspense... I was down right stupid.

We arrived in South Florida on Friday night. Dropped the kids with the grandparents and headed to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. The weather was perfect and I spent the afternoon drinking beers and getting sun by the cruddy hotel pool. We had a nice dinner out and retired to the cruddy hotel room for a pretty decent sleep. Given the 6am start time and the bus ride to the start line, I was up at 4 am. Had my normal hotel breakfast of coffee and cereal and headed out. 

cold but not nervous like I was the previous year

It was quite "chilly" especially since I was in my little running shorts and tank top. I knew as soon as we got moving I would be perfectly dressed.  This race is run amazingly well as we made it to the start line with ample time. Found a spot next to a generator to stay warm in the exhaust and waited for the start. 

Race was great. I started near the front and was just so happy to start running to get warm. Settled into a nice 4:35/km pace and ran happily. The sun was just coming up as we crossed e bridge over the inter-coastal and hit A1A. It was pretty spectacular.  I ran a consistent race, staying with a good group of people.

the views are down right stunning

There isn't much more to say than this is a beautiful, flat and fast course. Aid stations are well staffed and efficient.  Great support and a fun race to run. The last 5 km my legs were feeling the stress of the run since I was running basically faster than I normally would for this distance. I pushed through and hit the finish line in 1:37:15. A huge PB for me by about 5 minutes. 

Barry's signature shot

I was completely wasted when I finished.  It was like I say at the end of a hard track interval- if you don't feel like puking you didn't go fast enough. I felt like puking.  It is a fabulous finish line but I couldn't find Barry and that is always stressful for me. At the end of a race I have this unnerving need to find him and when I can't I get super irritated and annoyed. 

This was me when Barry found me

Finally we found each other and at this time I was freezing cold. They don't have Mylar blankets at these southern races so I was just ready to get back to the cruddy hotel and get out of my wet running cloths and into something warm. I wanted to go back and see the official results because I thought I might have made the podium. But of course we went back and I was hit with yet another 7 th place (6 th and 7th seem to be my sweet spot). But I ran it as fast as I could and at the time I was happy with the PR and breaking 1:40.

Sadly, racing this race was a mistake as it trashed my legs. Specifically my right hamstring. Exactly what happened last year after racing the Toronto Yonge Street 10k ....  So I've had to pay the price by missing out of running long while in Florida and having to curtail my training for a couple of weeks. 

So I returned to frigid Toronto without running a nice 30k run while in warm Florida. This of course threw me into a seriously depressed tailspin but that's for another post. 

Lesson learned though, if Ironman Lake Placid is my "A" race, my expectations and plan for Boston Marathon have to be tweaked!  While I had grand hopes for running close to 3:30 at Boston, I am now thinking just breaking 4 hours at Boston will be respectable.  I'm back to running now and my hamstring seems to be ok so only the next few weeks of training will tell!

And if you ever want a great destination race - I have now raced both the full (read the report here) and the half and I would do them again!  The expo is amazing for such a small race, the logistics are well run, the course is amazing and the finish-line has more food and freebees than any race I have ever been at!  So next time the Polar Vortex has you down escape to Ft. Lauderdale in mid-February for a destination race!

It's 2014 Already?

Happy New Year!  I think that will be the last time I say those words.  I just recently celebrated had my 41st birthday and have decided that in my life as a triathlete I will only celebrate my birthday every 5 years ... so here's looking at turning 45 in 4 years.

So, what have I been up to?  I started training for the Boston Marathon - fun times training for a marathon in the middle of the worst winter I have ever seen in Toronto.  Couple that with the fact that we remained in Canada over the holidays removing my  2 weeks of outdoor running in Florida at the beginning of this training cycle and that means in door training has consumed my life.  One thing you should know about me is I do not like the cold (hey I'm a Florida girl remember?) and the other thing is that if there is even just one little patch of ice, I will find it and I will slip.  Guaranteed.  So you can basically assume that until we are having an incredibly freakish warm spell and all the ice is gone, I will be doing my runs at the indoor track and on the treadmill.

Speaking of track - I love it!  I started last week training with the Toronto Triathlon Club at the beautiful Monarch Park indoor track.  Tuesday night track party as I like to call it!  Running track alone is dreadful.  Running  with a group and a coach is delightful!  If you get the chance to join a track group I high recommend it!

Another thing I have been up to is making great use of my Christmas present!

2.5hp motor!  LOVE my Vitamix!

Besides now having the smoothest smoothies in town, Ive ventured into making lovely frozen deserts and great soups.  I think the over all verdict is this blender is totally worth the hefty price-tag!  If you want to make a super yummy soup - this is my new all time favourite!
http://www.againstallgrain.com/2013/01/30/leftover-roast-chicken-soup-with-roasted-vegetables/

I've also ventured back to the yoga mat - believe it of not I went 3 consecutive days this week.  After my long run on the weekend I was feeling some sciatic hamstring pain in my left leg.  I quickly remembered my struggle with this in my right leg last year and decided I had to fix it asap.  After a plank-knee-swivel went horribly wrong on Sunday I sent a plea to my massage therapist and was lucky to get in to see her on Monday.  We are sure it is the Gluteus Medius and the Piriformis and Jen was able to work out the trigger points.  I decided right then and there that I was going to put yoga into my schedule to take care of these issues before they took over my training.  I am fortunate to have one of my Ironman mentors as a yoga instructor at my gym and he has helped me a lot with these issues.

Next up is the Ft. Lauderdale Half Marathon in February along with 10 glorious warm days in Florida!  Until then, I'll be wishing for warmer temps and no more ice or snow!

Musings post Ironman Cozumel

1.  I have to get faster in the swim.  If I want to be more competitive I cannot give up 10 - 15 minutes on the swim. That's it. I need those minutes.  I need to get to the pool and get it done!

2.  I have to train harder on the bike this winter to develop my riding muscles.  I am new to cycling (3 years on the road) and I know there is untapped potential in my legs. I need to figure out / find / hire someone to help me reach this potential.  I need to learn more about using power and I need to push myself harder here.

3. I have to figure out the mental aspect of the run.  I lost the mental game at Cozumel (read about that here: Ironman Cozumel) on the run.  Just because I couldn't get a gel in me, I basically surrendered to hitting the wall HOURS before it could even happen - I actually remember at 14km, 1/3 into the run, that I was "not going to make it if I couldn't keep nutrition in me"..  I didn't even think I could do it drinking pepsi every 10 minutes!  Why did my brain not let me entertain the idea of just running the marathon on gatorade and pepsi?  I'm sure it could be done.  I thought there would be more variety of food on the run but the aid stations were sparse.

I'm not sure I'll be ready for Lake Placid in 2014, but I'm setting my sights on a race in 2015 which will be all out try for a Kona slot.

2013 Ironman Cozumel Race Report

It's been over a week since I raced Ironman Cozumel.  I thought of many titles of this blog that day - Ironman Cozumel: the s#*tshow was a big favourite.  Getting there via Cancun-Playa del Carman to Cozumel, to the unorganized registration and packet pick up, to the misinformation as to where we had to check out T2 bags ... it was what I guess you would expect in Mexico ... a bit of a s#itshow.

BUT, our hotel was great and the locals were great.  We stayed at the Intercontinental which ended up being the swim start for the race, so we can't complain there.

The days leading up to the race were windy - incredibly windy and the seas were rough.  The day before the race, as we ate breakfast, we noticed a bunch of officials talking for a long time and I started a rumour that our swim would be made a shorter, point-to-point swim starting at our hotel.  By 4pm that afternoon that rumour was confirmed by a race official.  That's right - hang with me before an Ironman because I'm in the know! (or follow me on twitter)....

Race Directors and Triathlon Mexico Officials

So race morning was like most race mornings though a bit light on nutrition now that I think about it.  I had brought my gluten free bagels, a toaster and some peanut butter but the bagels were too stale and I only got down a few bites.  I had a 200 calorie bottle of CarboPro+Nuun before heading to the T1 and took another bottle to sip on.  I caught the first bus from the hotel to T1, made very quick work of putting my nutrition on the bike, borrowing a pump and pumping my tires and lubing the chain.  I got on the first bus back to my hotel which was key as there were over 2,000 athletes, some of which had no idea the swim start had been changed, that needed to be bused from T1 to the swim start.

I was so lucky to be staying at that hotel!  I went back to the room and heading down to the swim start just before the pros were to go off.  I found my buddy Duncan and like always it's so calming to have a friend to chat with!

talking about something....

The pros went off and in went the age groupers.  Even though officials were saying we had 15 minutes - you know us triathletes - so the fast swimmers got to the start line and started drifting with the current - oh did I mention the new swim course was point-to-point with the current the entire way?  So by the time the gun went off, which no one even claims they heard, the lead swimmers were probably 50-75 meters past the start line (including my buddy Hector who was the 2nd age grouper out of the water, first out of T1 and led the first 50k on the bike!).  Oh well.  There was a loud cheer and we were off swimming.

Typical Ironman mass start swim.  Most violent swim I have ever experienced.  I was pushed into a buoy line and got rope burn on my left leg, I nearly sliced my left hand completely open on a coral head and felt lucky that I only caught a chunk of my right hand on it (which I am still nursing back to health) and I took a whip kick to my left eye that knocked my goggles off and left me seeing stars. It was a short (3.1km) and fast swim (52 minutes).  Getting to the stairs and pulling myself out of the water was a complete disaster too...

yes, we had to tread  water waiting to get up the stairs!

As always I was happy to get out of the swim.  They were handing out the bags of water so I grabbed 2 - one to drink and wash my face and the other to rinse my feet in the change tent - brilliant move if I say so myself!  I made quick work in T1 with a time of 4:58 but there was a long, crowded run-up (that's right people RUN -it's a race) and a crazy bike transition area.

I was happy to get out on the road until I realised that I hadn't secured the top correctly on my new aerobottle (I left mine at home) and I lost half a bottle of Carbopro-Nuun before I pulled over and fixed it.  Deep breaths, long race ahead, put that behind me.

the wind sucked but the scenery was beautiful

The first loop of the bike course was super fast.  The winds hadn't picked up too much and I was riding strong. I had passed quite a few and was only being passed by a few men until I got caught by the first big peleton of the day.  I was about half way through the windy side of the island when I was over taken and sucked in by the largest peleton I have ever seen in a triathlon!  They were 5-6 wide and when I looked over my shoulder they went on as far as I could see.  I'm sure I benefited from this pack passing me.  When we made the turn to head West across the island the pack broke up.  And as I was catching up to a large group of riders, and actively passing on the left (and eating a gel) I heard an official shout out - I turned and saw a guy, on a scooter with his phone, calling out numbers.  In hindsight I think he was warning me to drop back or pass faster - but I assumed it was a penalty.

So we came into town, I saw Barry and Carole and they had a sign that said "22nd out of the swim".  I knew I had passed quite a few and had not been passed by any woman that I knew of so I felt good.  I shouted "Penalty" and road on.  I stopped at the penalty tent and had a frustrating conversation with the official.  Since no card was shown to me I presumably didn't have one.  Ugh - wasted time and energy there.

different bottles on the back, further along

Back on my bike I continued to drink my nutrition, take a gel every 40 mins as well as some gel blasts to switch it up.  I peed 3 times on the bike which I thought at the time was great - must not be getting dehydrated.  I supplemented my Carbopro+Nuun with gatorade and felt like I had done a good job with my nutrition on the bike.  The second loop was tougher, the peletons had mostly broken up and the winds were picking up.

I should mention it rained twice on the bike.  Though my exact memory of when escapes me.

The third loop was mental!  The winds had picked up substantially on the Eastern Side of the island and my speed and power dropped substantially.  It was disheartening when I realized not only was I not going to hit my bike goal for this race, I wasn't even going to beat my bike time from IMFL last year.  We made the last turn to cross the island and the crosswinds had picked up too so there was little reprieve there.  I was ready to get off my bike.  I successfully held back my tears of frustration as I shouted to Barry "That Sucked".  Official bike results: 5:56:40, 12th off the bike.

happy to be off the bike, not happy with the bike

I made quick work in T2 - had a volunteer sunscreen my back, got my socks and shoes on and was out in 3:15 and off on the run.

Let's do this!

My legs were shakier than normal but at this time I felt pretty good.  I was running 5:15/km when I was running.  I stopped at the first aid station and grabbed a bag of water and took my first gel.  Here's how it went... open gel, squeeze in mouth, big gulp of water, step, step, step, yack.  Gel and water on the ground.  Ok, well that is sub-optimal.  Keep running and walking the aid stations.  Take Pepsi and gatorade.  Make it work....

First loop the sun was out and it was hot.  I was taking gatorade, pepsi and water and  whenever I could get a hold of it, ice too.  It was hot but that wasn't a bother, the fact I didn't keep my gel down was.  Made it to the 7km turn and felt ok.  Thought I would try another gel ... same results.  Remember joking that it would be nice for a bit of rain.  I don't like to leave much out of these race reports, and since this is sort of nutritionally relevant, I wanted to mention that I peed a lot on the run.  A lot, a lot.  Like every time I stopped running and walked, I had to pee.  And I did. And my runners are no longer useful due to the smell.  That's all I'm going to say about that right now. I'll dissect this more in depth with my tri friends, but I'll just leave it at that for this blog.

still sunny and hot

Made it back to town, 2 down, 4 to go, I told myself (three 14 km loops or 6 x 7km).  It was nice to see Barry and Carole at the turn.

still dry, 7km in

At this point I was averaging 5:30/km but knew if I couldn't get nutrition into me, the next 28km were going to be slower ... much slower.  I took pepsi and gatorade  at every aid station.  Then the rain came.  First it was a nice gentle mist, then it would come in buckets.  The roads flooded, the aid stations became self-serve as the volunteers disappeared as did the spectators and it was a pretty grim time in my head.  This is where I again failed miserable in the mental race.  I would walk the aid stations and would struggle to start running again.  Nothing really hurt, I just didn't have the energy.  I knew at this point Kona was out of the question, and pretty much breaking a 4 hour run and an 11 hour race were history (though with hindsight the 4 hour marathon and 11 hour race were still in reach ... it's so mental!).  Not a good space in my head.

I pushed on.  As I came to the end of the second lap I had dealt with the demons in my head telling me to quit.  I actually had the conversation and almost convinced myself I could quit.  But I pulled it together.  As I made the turn to go out for my last lap, in the pouring rain, I remember saying to Carole "I'm going to finish this thing.  It won't be soon, but I'm going to finish".  I left them with my sunglasses and pushed on, tears in my eyes.  Disappointed in myself. 

14km to go

The last lap, the last 7km out, were mentally tough.  I drew strength from athletes that I knew were on their first or second lap.  I thought back to all those miles spent on the bike, on the run.  I reminded myself of why I do this crazy thing and I told myself this was supposed to be fun.  I will not lie, it was not fun.  It was pouring, there were puddles calf deep, and my body was pretty much revolting on me.  But I pushed on.  I got to the top and made the turn and said to the guys recording bib numbers at the turn "gentlemen, I will not be seeing you again today".  7km left.

It was pouring.  There was little aid station support and little spectator support.  The puddles were massive.  But it was only 7km.  Then 6km.  Then 5.... ok no more walking, I can do this and slowly I sped up, I pushed, I smiled, I grimaced.  I was ready to finish this thing.

I ran the 41st. Km at 5:29/km pace and the 42nd km at 5:16/km.  I finished strong, in the pouring rain, with a smile on my face.

And I gathered all the energy I could muster to jump across that finish line.

Run time: 4:13:59. Official Time 11:10:57: 7th  in my age group, 50th female, 431st overall.

I cried after I finished.  I was disappointed in my run.  I was sad that my body didn't produce what I had thought I had train to produce.  Don't get me wrong, I know that just finishing this race is a feat in itself. And the journey to the race is more important than the race itself.  And deep down, I was not ready, I was not able to endure to make it in the top 3.  I was not World Championship material.  Not yet.

nice photo bomb, that's Carole comforting me as I broke down.

But in the end, I finished strong.  I went from 25th in my age group last year in Florida to 7th.  That's pretty good.

So that's it for Cozumel - would I race it again , yes I think I would. Will I race it next year, nope.  So what's next I'm always asked.  Well I've got Boston Marathon in April, Lake Placid Ironman in July and NYC Marathon in November.  Plus a few local races along the way.  And as for the off season, I'll be working on my swim, bike and run as I've got a long way to go before I'm Kona bound!  Dream big, and never stop dreaming!

two days post race with my bestie and a pina colada!

Countdown to Cozumel

Here I sit in Toronto where the snow litters the ground and temperatures won't hit -5*c (23*f) today and of course all I can think of is Ironman Cozumel in exactly one week.  My "A" race and the end of my 2013 season!  In four short days I'll be out of this cold and ready to race!

When you train for something as big as an Ironman, it becomes a little surreal when you get the end of the plan.  Taper sets in and training time diminishes quickly.  You focus on eating well, maintaining your race weight and getting enough sleep and rest to allow your body to respond to the past 16 weeks of training.  You stretch and foam roll your muscles and get so excited that it doesn't hurt.

My plan: I have carried this with me for the past 16 weeks

I've made it through this training season injury and accident free.  I nailed all my major training session and I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life.  My race weight is perfect and I feel strong, fast and confident.  This is only my second full Ironman distance and I often have to remind myself to respect the distance - but at this point in time I'm ready to race this race and race it hard!

My biggest fan, best supporter and financier has listed out his goals for me - so I'm going to humour him and put them out for the world to see...

First goal is a PB, that is 12:09 or lower.
Next goal is sub 12 hours.
Next goal is a IM marathon PB, sub 4:50
Next is two fast transitions
Then a PB in non wetsuit swims.
After that it gets tricky because it depends on the relative performance of others.
If something goes wrong I will already have enlightened everyone on Facebook etc before you even finish the race, so don't worry if there is bad luck or whatever.
Alternatively, I think you should be reminded that a top 10 would be truly amazing and sensational achievement.
Focus here first. 
If we get to the marathon on track for something special we will unleash the Chrissie Wellington inside of Linda Kay.
If we get to 10k in the marathon with any chance of Kona will step up the pace.
If we get to 20k and things are good we will start to get excited.
Then balls to the wall after 30k if we are close.

Of course the real first goal is getting to the start line and the second is getting to the finish line but that goes without saying.  

So there you have it ... if you ask me, my goal is to go under 11 hours.  If I have the perfect race, then that's a very achievable goal.  To break it down this is what I'm thinking:

Swim: 1:15 (depending on the currents and conditions)

Bike: 5:40 

Run: 3:55 or less
T1+T2 <8 mins

That puts me in sub 11 hours and in last year's field that would get me a spot to Kona - of course, that means nothing as it's a new year and a new field.  Kona depends not solely on how I perform but who shows up to compete that day.  

in my spare time during taper I made some shirts!

But for now I will focus on diet and sleep and staying injury free (avoiding most outside activity in this icy/cold weather!).  I have to thank all the people making it possible for me to leave my kids for a week!  Kathryn, Alice, Anna and Don, and Sarah - thanks for stepping up and helping out!  I couldn't do this with out you!

The next few days will fly by and then it's off to Cozumel on Thursday!

2013 Miami 70.3 Race Report

My "Perfect" Race...

5:08:00
swim: 38:56
T1: 3:03
bike: 2:41:57
T2: 1:53
run: 1:42:11

Miami 70.3 turned out to be a perfect race day for me. Everything came together and I raced the fastest ever in my IM career.  Even though I forgot to Vaseline my underarms, and my power meter was wonky, those little inconvenience didn't effect the day at all. I smashed my expectations and finished in 5:08 with nearly breaking my open half marathon PB to boot!  I was 6/118 in my age group, 56/686 woman and 443/3133 overall!

Since this race was a tune-up for the upcoming Ironman Cozumel, my goals were more training related.  I had four goals for this race:
1. Get a feel for a non-wetsuit, salt water swim
2. Quick T times with no mistakes
3. Hold 140 watts on bike
4. Run 5 min/k

Race morning with Erin

THE SWIM
The male pros started the race at 7:25 and I was in the 8th wave starting at 7:51.  I was excited and nervous to jump in the water with 117 other woman and get the day started. Water was calm, winds were calm and humidity wasn't too bad. It was going to be a great day to race!

standing out in the crowd

It was a good swim. I kept on someone's hip most of the way. About half way through I got caught up in a large and heavy seaweed patch which caused me some concern and for sure slowed me down. I had to do head up front crawl to get through it. Besides that, the swim was good, there was contact for sure but not too bad.  Definitely a positive experience knowing I have to do (and totally can do) twice the distance at Cozumel!

taken from the hotel's 29th floor lounge

The last 50-75m was pretty aggressive as we all sprinted for the exit - with multiple waves caught up together. I pulled myself up the stairs gracefully and was happy to see 38min on my watch. In line with what I expected, but clearly not as fast as I would like. I felt great and ran up the very long run up to transition. It was my fastest half iron swim I think.  

My watch recorded the swim as 2,010m instead of 1,900m so in the end my swim definitely reflected my training.

T1
My T1 time was just over 3 minutes but given the long run up it was a good T time. I was on grass and that caused me a bit of concern getting my shoes on with grass on my feet but turn out it was no bother. It's nice not having a wet suit, and I was out of my swimskin in no time.   Transition was very crowded (however, I should mention the ladies on either side of me did not show up so I had tons of personal space) - but running with the bike through transition was a little dicey.  I was happy to get to the mount line and get on with my ride.

BIKE
My goal was to hold 140w. Unfortunately I think I messed up my power meter calibration because the power data was completely contrary to perceived exertion, heart rate and cadence. In addition, after my long training ride in Florida this past week, 140w is a little aggressive for me.  I think I have a long way to go in understanding and using power.  About 40km in I decided to stop looking at power and focus on the feel.  The bike course was OK. A little tricky getting out of down-town with lots of turns and poor pavement. Once you got out on the open road the conditions were good but the scenery is boring and its just a long, straight, flat road.  The wind was there for sure but I didn't think it was too bad. Some people agreed with me, but some thought it was windy then ever.  There was some blatant drafting going on - both in pairs and in peleton. So super frustrating to see it go on and after looking at the data, for sure one of my age groupers passed me in a peleton on the back half of the ride.  I was super pleased with my bike split just under 2:42 (avg 21.7mph, almost 34kmh!) And even better I felt like I could have done that for another 3 hours.  I nailed my nutrition drinking nearly all of my 3 bottles of carbopro/nuun and taking 3 gels.  At this point in the race I knew I was doing well and was on track for a great run.

Always Smiling!

heading into T2

T2
My 1:52 T2 probably could have been a bit faster but again, you come into a very crowded and tight transition and running with the bike and bike shoes on is not easy. I struggled a bit getting my socks on but that's just going to happen. No mistakes and I was out the run as fast as I could. 

always nice to see empty racks when you return from the bike

RUN
This is where things got ugly but I'll start with good. I ran a 1:42:11 half marathon!  1:41:53 is the fasted half marathon I have ever ran!  According to the official stats that's averaging 4:50/km.  According to my Garmin however, I only ran 20.2km and averaged 5:03/km.  Either way I'll take it as a great run!

Heading out for the run - I was surprised B made it from Transition to see me here!

I'm well on my way to mastering the mental run. I keep my heart rate and respiratory rate under control and I felt like I could run forever.  Also, the actual route itself is not bad. Don't get me wrong, the bridge is a huge challenge right smack dab in the middle of this run... twice... , but given the flatness of the bike, it's nice to have a challenging run. 

coming in from first loop - feeling strong

Also, being the out and back you get to see your friends racing too.  It was uplifting every time Hector called out my name!  Hector looked great when I saw him the first time, I barely got a good look at him if at all the other times!  I saw Erin as I was coming in from my first look and I was happy to see she made it out of the swim, and by my calculations she seemed to be running a solid race. 

"It's all mental from here" heading out for the 2nd loop feeling good!

I ran past Barry twice as I came in and out onto the second loop. I knew at this point it was all mental. Hold down the pace on the flats and get over the last 2 climbs and it will be a perfect race. It was warm and sunny but not too humid and very manageable with water on the head and ice down the top.

It's the best feeling when you hit the turn around point and you are the only one heading straight to the finish!  I was so pleased with my race, grinning ear to ear and ran as fast as I could to the finish!

Running towards finish!

The final stretch

FINISHED! 5:08:00, 6th in my Age Group

So while I killed it on the run .... The run course sucked!  I don't even know where to start so I'm just going to lay it out there because that's why I write these race reports!

1. The course is too narrow.  Out and back traffic on a narrow path in English flow (out on the left, back on the right) made for lots of dodging and even a couple games of chicken, especially on the second loop when most of the racers were on the run course. There were no dividers between the outbound and inbound traffic and due to the English flow, folks didn't know to pass on the right or the left or where to walk!  I'm surprised there were not a lot of head on collisions on this run course!  Crossing the bridge was the worst!
2. The aid stations were under manned, under managed and chaotic.  In the beginning of my run it wasn't too bad but by the second loop it was a disaster.  Most of the stations I would run into yelling for water and they would be pouring it or just not have it ready.  And a few times, the volunteers would have the water in their hands, but have their backs to the runners chit-chatting with their friends.  Now don't get me wrong, I very much appreciate volunteers.  And if there was some sort of management or oversight of the kids things might have been better.  But there were quite a few aid stations that appeared to be completely staffed with high school kids and they were totally overwhelmed with the amount of runners!  I would definitely recommend the race director taking a look at their aid station plans and revamp the way they are staffed.
3. Course marshals were missing at key turns and pedestrian cross-walks   I actually witnessed a lady run right pass the turnaround on the other side of the bridge - lucky for her there were 3 of us yelling at her that she missed it!  Additionally, there were no barricades or marshals at cross-walks and spectators were pretty oblivious to the runners on the course.  
4. Very little spectator support except at the finish line turnaround.  I understand it was difficult for spectators to get out on the course, but it would have been nice to have some cheering section on the bridge!
5. Finish line - oh that poor finish line!  I understand we were in the middle of a metropolitan city and I understand there is space constraints but the fact that there wasn't even a piece of fruit at the finish line was awful!  Basically you finish and then a shuttled out into this small space that the finish chute circles.   There were massage tents and some open space and a Muscle Milk tent (gross).  I was handed a small bottle of water at the finish line but that was it.  I walked around, a bit in a daze, looking for the food.  I asked several athletes and spectators and was told that there was no food there!  I was amazed and distraught.  Finally I saw a sign that said Athlete Food with an arrow so I followed.   First I had to cross the finisher's chute (about 50m from the finish!) and then I had to walk around the huge fountain and then I had to cross the course AGAIN - this time right where the finisher's chute merged with the exit from Transition on to the run course (the food tent was in the Ironman Village)!  Finally, I reached the food tent, proceeded to grab a piece of watermelon and inhaled it.  I have to say I was happy with the post race food - it was rice, black beans and chicken!  I would suggest to the race director to put the fruit at the finish line and put the hot food in a food tent in the Ironman village. 

NOW, back to the good stuff!

Since I finished 6th in my age group there was a small chance I might get a spot for the 70.3 World Championship begin held in Mt. Tremblant next September.  So after going back to the room and having a ice bath and a beer, we retuned to the stage for awards and roll down.  Both spots for my age group were claimed by #1 and #2 so I didn't get a roll down spot.  Both the 30-34 and 35-39 got extra spots AND the 35-39 group went to something crazy like the 20th spot .. but no such luck for me and probably good as I didn't really have room in my schedule for that race next year!

I also got to chit chat with the pros!

with Helle, the woman's winner

Me and Terenzo, the male winner (he's cute and nice)

Leanda, an Ironman World Champ and super nice person!

Leanda asked about my race - nothing like chit-chatting post race!

All in all it was a super awesome race for me.  Would I do it again?  Probably not, unless I decided to get competitive on the 70.3 circuit and was looking for a World Championship spot!  Then again, an excuse to go to Florida at the end of October ... never say never!

Next up in exactly 4 weeks from today - Ironman Cozumel and I'm feeling pretty darn good about it!