First Half Ironman

Unofficial Time
Swim: 00:45:53
T1: 00:04:20
Bike: 03:26:23
T2: 00:05:02
Run: 02:30:19
Total: 06:51:58

Today was an interesting day to say the least. I beat my goal time of 06:55, but how I got there was a bigger accomplishment in my opinion. The swim was good once I got going. The first half a lap was exactly as you said, little bit of anxiety and a combination of every stroke in the book. After I made the first turn, I put my face in the water and started swimming. Considering it took me over 13 minutes to make it to the first turn, I was pleased with my overall time. Thanks for letting me use your wetsuit, it worked great.

T1 was good, I wasn't in a huge hurry. I had allotted 5 minutes to get through the first transition and I accomplished that. I should have used the bathroom before heading out on the bike though. Ten minutes into the bike the problems began. I did as you said and didn't drink anything on the bike for the first ten minutes. It didn't take long before my stomach started cramping. I can't really explain it because I haven't experienced anything like it. I had cramps running up both of my sides. The only thing I can think of is that I swallowed too much lake water. Regardless of the cause, the cramps stayed with me the entire bike ride. At times, they were so bad it was difficult riding in the aero position. My nutrition plan was abandoned because I was afraid to take in anything. For the entire bike, I drank 32 oz of Gatorade (200 calories), 2 gels (240 calories) and about 8 oz of water. I wasn't able to push myself on the bike because of the cramps, most of the ride was in Z1.

I finally made it back into the state park and was ready to get off the bike. I tried to go to the bathroom thinking that might help with the cramps. After changing, I walked up the hill. As I got to the top of the hill, I realized I forgot to take off my cycling shorts. I had slipped them on over my tri shorts before heading out on the bike. I took them off and hung them on a sign.

I didn't really know how my stomach was going to react running. I drank some water at the first aid station and grabbed a couple of pieces of orange wedge candy. My legs were tired, but I was able to slowly run. Anytime my HR got up towards Z2, I started getting cramps. I decided my run was going to consist of a slow Z1 jog and some walking. The first couple of laps were pretty tough, mainly because my legs were hurting. My stomach slowly because to feel better. I took in a couple of gels on the run and my cramps subsided a little bit. I took in water at each aid station and sipped on Gatorade in between. During the last lap I was watching my time because I knew I wanted to beat 7 hours. I pushed myself during the last 3 miles to make sure I accomplished my goal.

At this point I don't really know what caused my stomach problems. I'm assuming it was the lake water because I hadn't really taken any nutrition before it started. I had a lot left in the reserve in terms of cardiovascular, but my stomach wasn't cooperating. I am pleased that I was able to push through and still accomplish my time goal. I do think that I would have crushed it if everything would have worked out.

I think I am going to start experimenting with different nutrition. I have heard a lot of good things about Perpetuam and the other Hammer products, so I am going to start experimenting with those.