Ironman Maryland 2014

I hope my race day breakfast isn't an indication of how the day will proceed.

The swim was tougher then I expected.  The boat ramp narrowed as it went into the water and it was difficult to break free of the crowd to start swimming.  The first turn buoy was pretty close to the boat ramp and that made for lots of physical contact with the other swimmers.  I stopped once to clear my goggles and after the sun came out the goggles were fine.  The water wasn't as choppy as it was on Friday during practice but there was a little bit of current pushing me around.  I can swim a straight line in open water but I kept running into other swimmers that couldn't swim straight.

No issues with T1

The HR monitor showed really low numbers when I started out on the bike course.  I tried messing with the strap while I was riding but gave up until I stopped for a bathroom break.  Once I had the HR strap situated properly it worked well.  Later I noticed the HR numbers were dropping but my speed and cadence were holding steady.  I felt fine and I couldn't figure out what to do to fix the issue while riding.  I thought the battery might be low on power but the battery wasn't that old.  I just went by speed, cadence and gut feeling.

I received my first penalty out on the bike course at mile 90.  I was riding on the shoulder of a road that had rumble stripes along the edge of the road to “wake up” drivers that drift off the road.  Bike riders had to time their pass so they cut through the gaps in the rumble stripes.  I was just about to pass a rider when I was passed.  I pulled out behind that rider and passed the rider ahead of me.  I moved right after passing the rider but I was still behind the guy that had passed me.  That is when the official showed up on the motorcycle and said I was receiving a penalty for drafting.

T2, I was almost under the arch at transition when I realized I had run past the penalty tent.  I ran back to wait out my 4 minutes.  I didn't have any issues with this transition.

This photo was taken at the start of the run.  

My goal was to complete the run before dark and to be fast enough that I didn’t receive a glow stick.  I was tired when I left transition and I tried different foods and drinks but nothing restored my energy.  I walked and ran off and on during my 26.2 mile run.  I tried to hook up with other runners but when I said "let's run to that sign" they would resume walking when we got to the sign.  Around mile 18 I started drinking coke and water at every aid station and eventually I felt energized.  I finally found my legs and ran more then I walked.  I was planning to slowly cross the finish line but someone was gaining on me so I sprinted to the finish line.

I felt better about my race in Maryland than I did in Lake Placid.  In Maryland I was 20th in my age group but I would have to knock off 2 hours to win my age group.

My second Ironman triathlon is in the books.