Life has been busy since finishing Ironman Canada. Great things like vacationing with my family and regular stuff like trying to get caught up at work.
The race went well given my training. I'll write up more once I have the focus but it was 13:44:22 which is about an hour longer than Vineman. I was 10 lbs heavier and course is tougher so I feel pretty good.
Highlights - loved the challenge of a mass swim start. Nothing like a bunch of contact to keep one alert for 1:24 of swimming. Cramps in the legs at the second buoy but no real problems after that.
Love the bike course. It is tough but has a great mix of climbs, turns, views, and really fast downhills. Great aid stations and can't say enough about how beautiful the area was from the bike. My legs felt great, neck felt great, and bike worked its magic.
Run - I loved the course and the support. Didn't like that my HR kept climbing and so I had to run walk. 26.2 miles of running about 1/4 mile and then walking 100 feet and repeating can be a bit tedious but it worked out.
Biggest disappointment of the day. They were out of pizza at the finish line. Now that just isn't too big of a deal given all the things that went so well during the day.
The finish was relief and excitement about seeing my family. The emotional part of the day was finishing the bike. I wasn't worried about anything else other than how I would feel after the bike and that accomplishment was a huge deal. I thought about my past year, the challenges and good stuff, let out a sigh and then started running.
I think I'm at the same point now, I've finished a race, took a vacation, and started training again. I'm running and swimming and will bike tomorrow. It feels good to keep moving and not have the pressure of the race on my shoulders.
