Race Reports for 5/19, 20 and Encouragement/Kudos!

[westcliffemom]

Dave, that's a great race report! Your DD's are so cute, and what an accomplishment! Loved the pics!

 

[HMHunters]

Scott - Too bad they screwed up the distance, but congrats on keeping up a great pace!
Jen - Can't wait for details!
Dave - What a fun race report! Congrats to you and the . Do they know that they're internationally famous thanks to the DISboards? Tell them congrats from NC!

 

[scoolover]

Dave.
Great report. That is what it's all about. Running with the family. BTW, Cool aunt has a little Ellen Degenres going on there.
Scott

 

[nucpharm29]

Scott--WTG on your race!

Dave--Love reading the report and LOVED the pictures! You have such beautiful DDs!! Give them lots of congrats from me!

Jen--can't wait to see pics and hear more of your race. Congrats! How cruddy the team couldn't even come out for a high five! Geez!

 

[thndrmatt]

I finished the Ironman Florida 70.3

Will edit this post with a report later. But I'm alive!

 

[Kristi1357]

Dave - great report! Love the pics of all of you, esp. your beautiful s!

 

[Big Vic]

Jen - Congrats!!

Dave and DDs - That was the bestest race report ever. Great job!

 

[Jen117]

OK, here it is. We got to Green Bay on Friday around dinner time. We decided to stay overnight since the kids races were the next morning, even tho we live 1.5 hours away. The Hotel was cruddy and the staff were rude. DH and I turned to each other and said "it ain't Disney!". BUT, a good friend of my dads is a manager at one of the top 10 hotels from this chain and he was appalled and filing a report for us.

I woke up Friday with either a head cold or allergies. Couldn't tell, but I felt miserable. I thought I could get rid of it before the race on Sunday, but that didn't happen.

Saturday morning... WPS Kids race. This was an excellant kids race. It was well staffed, all the kids got a t-shirt (which were cut huge so they look like dresses on my girls), a goody bag that included a water bottle, and a medal. Also, there were tons of snacks... milk, bagels, rice krispy treats, yogurt, water, gatoraid and Popsicles. It was unbelievable. I only paid $7 for the kids to run.

Here are the girls before the races. Emma was crabby, which can be a normal thing lately!!

They divided the kids into age groups, so that was nice. Emma, who is 6 1/2 ran with the 6 year olds. I was able to run with her and then scoot back for Kate, who is 4. We ran into someone who is in daycare with Kate, so she played with her for awhile. Her dad was the organizer for the 5 miler I did in April. I have ran with him at other races, tho he is a little faster than me. Side note, he also owns a massage place and does the BEST massages EVER!!

Here is Emma finishing her race. She is in blue.

While Emma and I were near the finish, there was a girl crying hysterically and her mom (who did not run with her) was yelling at her to stop crying and keep going. I felt so bad for the girl that I ran back and told Emma to keep going. I grabbed the girls hand and took her with me. Once we rounded the final corner she could see the finish line and was feeling better. The mom never came up to me to thank me for helping her daughter, I thought that was pretty poor!!

So after Emma's run, I ran to find DH and Kate. Remember he has the knee injury. Well, when I finally found them they had just blown the horn for the start. So I dodged a whole bunch of little kids and grabbed Kate from him. She only had to do 1/4 of a mile, so that was good because she has asthma. I told her to take it slow, but she said "Mom I can run fast, watch me"... and she took off.

Here is a picture of us finishing.

So that was over, we played in the pool and ate some dinner that night. The beds in our room were broken, so sleeping was rotten. We had to be up at 4:30 the next morning because the hotel said that all Marathon guests will not be allowed a check out after 11:00 am. That was mighty skunky of them since I wanted a Noon checkout, which later I find out is acceptable. So we are up early and checked out. Because the race started at Lambeau Field (Home of the Green Bay Packers) and 1/2 of the parking lot was race stuff, there wasn't much parking available to runners. They said about 1800-2000 cars. Some hotels had shuttles tho. So we did get a parking spot, which was great. It was SOOOO COLD and overcast and windy. I had on my WISH shirt and Long Sleeve WISH shirt and I was still freezing. Everyone went into the atrium or stayed in their cars until the start of the race. I don't think the cold would have been so bad, except for the wind. The temp was about 40 degrees with gusts of 10-25 mile/hour winds.

Here is me at the start.

I was worried because all weekend my foot had a dull ache from my PF. I taped my foot and wore my orthotics just in case. I felt strong for the first 5 miles. Then the wind gradually picked up. By mile 7-8 I teamed up with a person that I was playing tag with for a bit. This was her first 1/2 marathon and she didn't think she could do it in under 3 hours. By mile 10 I told her we could. But by then the wind was horrible and we were both getting tired. When I crossed the street and into the Lambeau parking lot I realized we COULD make it in under 3 hours, which is what I wanted also. I turned around and yelled to her that we could do it. At this point I didn't feel very strong. They ran out of GU at the water stop, so I was fading with no energy. She was the one that kept me going for the last mile. She pulled me thought the tunnel to Lambeau and we ran around the edge of the field. My DH and girls were in the stands screaming at me. I ran by and jumped to slap hands. That was so cool. Then I ran out and did a thumbs up for the photogs. I did that every time I saw them. I really was happy during this race.

Here is me running through Lambeau.

Here are my girls freezing in Lambeau.

Out the tunnel again, which really is long. And through the parking lot to the finish.... MY TIME WAS 2:59. WHOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!! This was great considering my lack of training because of PF, my head cold which made breathing difficult, and the nasty cold and wind! Also, this was 16 minutes faster than my WDW 1/2 time. I really did bad in January!

After wards there was beer, brats and root beer. Here is a pic of me and girls freezing and ready to go home!!!

The medal was cool this year. They had a separate medal for the men and women. They had the top local finisher engraved on the medal for the men and women. I thought that was neat.

 

[HMHunters]

Jen - great report! Congrats for finishing in tough conditions under 3 hours. Good job!

 

[skfulkers]

Jen--congrats on the finish time and great report! Way to go!

Dave--what an awesome race report! Tell your DDs that Krista and I said congratulations! You must be so proud of them.

Steve

 

[nucpharm29]

Jen--great report and great pics--makes me a little sentimental seeing the pics of Green Bay--but not sentimental enough to forget about the 4 awful winters we endured! Oh, and what hotel did you stay at?? We stayed overnight at the Ramada Inn right off of 41 and 172 once, and it was awful! Highly reccommend the Tundra Lodge, though!

 

[Jen117]

Stephanie - It was the AmericInn. My dad's friend was at their house when I went to pick our dog up. He is the one that manages the one close to here. He was appalled at what I said and contacted the hotel. Apparently there were other complaints and he was told to have me file a complaint also. There is a chance I may get my money back. I so filed a complaint this morning in writing.

 

[wtpclc]

Scott - WTG!!! My run on Saturday is anything from 5.08 to 5.8, deprending on ewhat you read. I believe it's really ckloser r to 4.8, though. I'd trather eb shorter than longer, though!

DAve - Way to go!!!! Tel teh great job!!!!! Thanks for the awesome report! Oh, and wher ewas your skirt?

Matt - IronMan makes tme thinkik alive is amazing!!! Way to go!!!!

Jen - Great reports!!! I can't believe that mom! Grrr..... The mom may not have said anythign, but you made a difference to that little girl! Great job on teh run!!! Hope the PF clams down soon!

 

[sk8ingmom]

My Very First Race Report Ever!

I've never been in a swimming, biking OR running race, so I figured I'd get them all over with at once! Sunday I ran the Gold Nugget Women's Triathlon in Anchorage, Alaska. 500 yd swim, 10 mile bike, 4.1 mile run.

It was a beautiful Alaskan spring day - 60 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The swim was at an indoor HS pool - circle swim 3 people per lane. I think I was too hyped up and by lap 3, I thought I was going to die! This was very concerning since the swim is my best leg. I recovered by lap 4 and the rest of the swim went quickly. The volunteer counter/timer was awesome - cheering me by name at each turn.

I got through the transition in about 3:30 and hopped on my bike. I had a brief 'what to wear' dilemma. I had planned to wear my lightest polypro long underwear shirt under my WISH tank because I figured with the wind factor on the bike I might want the arm coverage, but at the last minute decided not to. This ended up being a good decision. The bike was the best part of the race. Days like yesterday in Alaska are the reason why people who live here can put up with the winters! Just amazing weather and scenery. This is from the run part, but you get the idea:

The part of the bike course paralleled an Army post & in one section there is a short but steep hill leading to the giant flag pole on post. At one point I decided that if I didn't make it up the hill the terrorist would win!

Off for the "run" - in quotes, because I can't really call what I do "running". It is more of a walk-jog hybrid. about 3 miles of the run was on a dirt & gravel tank trail - I had trained on asphalt, so it was different. Note to self: rubbery legs and gravel do not mix. This is a women's tri with more than 1/3 of the 1200 participants running their first tri, so there were lots of walkers. I jogged a bit and set the goal of passing every walker that I could see at any point on the course (& in some places I could see FAR). I did it! I passed all the walkers, a few joggers & finished my first ever race - tri or otherwise. Times aren’t posted yet, but I was a little over 2 hours.

No medal - but I got a 'finisher' t-shirt! I think I’m hooked!

AND I now have a cool-girl WISH race photo for my sig!

Congrats to all who competed this weekend! I am in awe of your distances and accomplishments!

 

[thndrmatt]

Seventy point three miles.
Seventy point three MILES.
SEVENTY POINT THREE MILES?!?!?!

Can an average joe really go from being solely a runner to covering that distance in 2 months? Well, they can at least "tri"...

Friday had us arriving late at night at our favorite resort (probably because we were marreid there) SoG. I was up and antsy around 9am the next day so we decided to head over to bike registration that morning. They had us park in the Magic Kingdom lots and load our bikes and ourselves onto buses to be carted the mile or so over to Fort Wilderness since parking was limited there. Made sense to me, although there was various amounts of complaining by participants. Some chose to ride their bikes over, but I didn't want to expend any unneeded energy. I'd been "tapering" by doing nothing for about 10 days due to sickness, but was finally feeling squared away by the time we got down there. Registration seemed pretty complicated, but I got my magical sparkly wristband with my race number and my packet'o'junk pretty easily. Then it was off to the transition area where I noticed that the bike racks weren't labeled other than by bib number in sets of 100 or so at each end, so it was first come first serve on rack position. Everyone had basically been filling from one end, cramming themselves together trying to get as close to that end as possible. Well surveying the area I realized the distance traveled to the completely opposite end of the rack would be nearly as short based on the location of the entrance/exit to the area, and you'd still have that extra room from being on the end. So I claimed that end and watched as about eight people followed suit on other racks realizing the same thing. Trendsetter is me! We wandered around "Downtown Ironman" with all the booths and whatnot, and DW found some things to buy as I stocked up on last minute things like a race number belt and BodyGlide. On a whim we decided to rent one of the little motorboats for $25 for a half hour, so we could check out the swim course via a faster method than hand propulsion. Better yet they let you run them all the way over to the Seven Seas lagoon, so we also checked out the MK, Grand Floridian, wedding chapel, and Polynesion as we zoomed along. Going upwind was fun, nothing like mad spray to the face while trying to videotape! We then took off and headed to World of Disney so she could raid that store too. Later that night we carb loaded at Mangino's at SoG, where I had this great Tortelli walnut sauce thingy that was simply fab. Also believe it or not just happened to run into the only other WISHer doing the race! She had delusions that we might see each other during the race, but I knew given how much sooner her wave start was and how slow a swimmer I am that wasn't possible. Wished her luck and eventually got some shuteye.

Sunday morning I initially awoke at 2:30am, but managed to get back to sleep until my alarm sounded at 4:30. We were out the door by 5:00, and parking a few minutes later thanks to SoG's proximity. Line for the buses in the morning wasn't too bad, and I was in transition shortly after that to set up my pile'o'stuff. To my surprise when I got to my rack, I was no longer on the end. Someone had completely moved my bike so that theirs could be on the end, and was presently sitting right next to it eyeing me as I walked up. Instinct was to tell him off, but I decided to be the better man. I realized based on the look of his bike and equipment that he probably had thousands of dollars involved, and clearly needed every .2 second advantage he could get. I on the other hand being the worst swimmer ever would have no problem finding my bike when I got back. I didn't totally let it slide though, making a loud comment to the rider on the other side about how you can be on the end the day before but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be on the end the day of the race. The culprit ignored me not surprisingly and shortly thereafter walked off.

Transition setup is really an art form. Everyone has their little tidbits about the way they like things to be arranged to expedite their change between the sports. Then I play the game of "what'd I forget" which I always win, but unfortunately sometimes not until during the race when I go to put something on and it isn't there. Finally decided I was as set as I was going to be and went down to get body marked. 2210 in big numbers on both arms and a big 26 on the left calf and I was ready to go. Unfortunately I had a long time to wait. Count em, SEVENTEEN waves of athletes, and I was waaaay back in wave 15. This was actually fine with me, as I knew that meant less people would be running me over. Even better, my wave had the most flaming pink you've ever seen for a swim cap color, so I knew DW would have no trouble spotting me. Pros went off at 6:20am and mine wasn't until 7:15, so I got to see both their start, and their first transition. Pretty amazing how fast those guys are in and out. Eventually it was time to don said cap and goggles, flap my arms around a bit to warm up, and await the almighty airhorn. One more look out across the water at the seemingly miles and miles of buoys, one more sense of total and complete panic, and then with the blast of the airhorn, it starts.

Wait, the post was this long and I haven't even gotten to the race yet?!? Crazy!

 

[wtpclc]

Woo hoo Sk8ingmom!!!! SOund slike we'll be seing a lot more of you! I cannot fathom doing a tri, let alone having it be my first race. Way to go!!!!

Matt - Great report so far! Do we get in teh water soon? Can't believe you ran into Lunne. Too cool!

 

[thndrmatt]

Waving to the camera, I plunged into the water. Well relatively speaking, basically I walked until everyone else was far enough out of the way and then started my trademark flapping of the arms. I'm not even really sure why I'm such a horrible swimmer. I think my lower half is so much heavier, I'm in more of a diagonal body position instead of horizontal, so I have more drag. My kick isn't even above water at all it tends to be below. I settled into my "happy pace" however, and just started eyeballing each buoy every 8 strokes. Within about five minutes I started getting fondled from behind by various other swimmers in the following wave which only left three minutes behind, but it wasn't anything like the "human washing machine" or "clobbering session" I've heard so much about. Maybe because it wasn't an open water mass start? A few minutes after than and still well before the first left turn I was passed by most of the final wave that started six minutes behind me. This was expected though, as it generally takes me about an hour to go the distance (based on the one or twice I've actually swam that far in preceding weeks) and I knew some of these people could cover it in half that time. Eventually things thinned out, and I was quite excited to see the first turn buoy, which was just short of the halfway point on the large U shaped course. After the turn the easiest way to sight the far turn was the right side of the Contemporary tower which worked out well. I guess my left arm got more tired first because I started veering right on a regular basis. I tried to keep myself entertained, talking to the kayaker's with an "are we there yet" every breath about 5 breaths in a row which got a laugh. I did manage freestyle about 90% of the time or more which was promising, generally I have to take breaststroke breaks more often. Then came the final left turn back toward shore, although shore seemed REALLY far away at that point. I tried to consistently scan behind as well as in front, so I could at least see how I was making progress away from the previous buoy even if the next one was seemingly not getting any closer. There were very few of us still out there, so I basically had the lake to myself. No real wind to speak of, so it was really about as pleasurable as you can get for that leg of the race. Weird thing happened during this portion, I felt something pass over my arm, and held it up out of the water. Somehow my arm had stabbed right through the center of one of those glowing necklaces they pass out at the theme parks?!? Not sure how one of those ends up in the middle of the lake... Tossing it to the side I got some puzzled looks from the lifeguards floating on kayaks and boats nearby, and explaining what happened I said "I swam right through that hoop, I deserve a fish or something!" That got some more giggles and then it was back to flapping. Finally the black arch that's used for the Ironmans that said "SWIM FINISH" got bigger, and I started seeing the water bottom. I rose and started trying to run and wave to DW, made it about 5 feet, went into a ditch, and had a nice faceplant. Recovering (although it's all on video) I managed to get my goggles off in time for the ASI cameraman, we'll see how that turns out. Was still wearing the hot pink of course...

Swim Leg 1.2 miles: 1:02:58 , 3:09/100m pace, Overall 1979/2043, Age Group 132/134

Note: Over 2500 entered the race, so I'm not sure whether that means 450+ no shows, or a combination of DNFs during the swim (before crossing any of the timing mats) and no shows. I did hear about a lot of people who came in on boats instead of under their own power though, so guessing the latter. Needless to say when I got into transition, 2000 of the bikes were gone already, and it was easy to find mine within those left. Found out I'd left my socks inside out so that took some extra time, and "borrowed" the towel of the guy who had stole my spot since I didn't have one to clean off my dirty feet. Oh, did I mention the run from the swim exit to transition of four hundred yards? Not fun barefoot... His towel was already dirty from his feet, so I bet he didn't notice the difference. Eventually got all my stuff together and started running out of there with my bike in tow. Spotted DW who had a prime filming spot thanks to the lack of spectators now in this portion, a consistent theme throughout the day for her. I'm never in much of a hurry in transition, and my times tend to reflect that.

T1: 6:25

Then it was off on the bike leg. I felt pretty good at this point, and decided to monitor my heart rate, making sure to keep it under 165 and stay "aerobic" as they say, instead of forcing my body into anaerobic states which would probably make me pay later in this long a race. Most fun part for me was the portion that went past the start of the marathon course and around Epcot. They had totally SHUT DOWN that whole road for the race, so it was just me and five lanes or so of empty road, the same place were thousands upon thousands were jammed just a few months ago. We turned on that oh so famous clover leaf and headed South down to Osceola, then out West several miles. Things went really smoothly and I was passing people consistently. Initially forgot about nutrition, but caught back up with my gel/water or gatorade alternating combo. It actually worked out well, I would grab a water and gel from each aid station every 15 miles or so, and down them, and by the time I was ready for another one I'd hit another station. I was carrying two powerades and gels as backup, but only used them much later in the ride when fatigue started to set in. The wind was out of the Northeast, so the turn back to the North was where it started getting more challenging. That and the terrain went from flat to "rolling" which meant a series of not impossible but just fatiguing hills which into the wind began to stack up after a while. The turn to the east about 30 miles in didn't help much either since it was still a partial headwind. There were also several sections where it would bend directly Northeast which were particularly killer. Found myself in one of the easiest gears on a perfectly flat section on multiple occasions. Still managed to pass riders consistently, but got passed by some as well. Saw a bunch on the side with flat tires or taking breaks. Kept looking forward to the turn to the South, and although this brought some relief, soon after it almost seemed like the wind shifted and it was again a partial headwind. At about the 40 mile point I was starting to get some chafing issues on my tri shorts (had done my only previous long ride of this length in more padded cycling shorts) and my neck and back were really starting to get sore. My mini-goal had been to do the whole ride without stopping, but that was really becoming a challenge for my mind to overcome. Although I was in the aero position 95% of the time, I kept having to lift out of the saddle to give my butt a break, basically stand and lean to the rear towards the sky for my back, and stretch my neck looking down at my shoes on a regular basis. I probably just need more "saddle time" in training to overcome the uncomfortability. Finally we made the turn back onto Disney property and I knew we only had a few miles to go. Then came the welcome to Fort Wilderness sign on the east side of that resort, and I was sure I was almost there. Well it turns out from that sign to the lake is another 2 or 3 miles of winding roads. But lo and behold eventually there was DW with the camera, and I was at the dismount line. Tried to jog but could really with my road cleats on, so just sorted of hobbled towards transition with my bike.

Bike leg 56 miles: 3:11:58, 17.5mph, OA 1689/2033, AG 117/134

Clearly the wind affected me, as I'd averaged 18+ during my 66.6 mile metric century ride a few weeks previously. Apparently another dozen people or so dropped out during the bike leg given the reduction in the overall number. Based on the "live tracking" stats it showed me as having passed 150 people (in terms of chip time) during the bike leg, not bad! (although 15 of those passed me back on the run) The second transition was uneventful, other than me trying to take as long as possible and thus avoiding the run until absolutely necessary. I knew I was being filmed though, so I had to get moving!

T2: 4:40

So, all I had left to do was run a half marathon. On a basically desolate 3 loop course. About 2/3 of which was on grassy dirt trails. With two out and back portions, one over a mile in length round trip. Now I've done several half marathons, including on back to back days, but nothing like this. During the first lap, I started thinking I was on some sort of battlefield. There were cups, gel wrappers, banana peels, you name it, it was on the ground EVERYWHERE. Thousands of them, and all flattened by thousands of feet. Given it was about a 4.33 mile loop that had to be repeated three times, people who were eight miles ahead of me were still on the course and passing me at the same time that I was starting. It was a bizarre concoction of athletes. People running, people walking, people shuffling, and still more that had just stopped on the side in some kind of daze. I heard "MEDIC!" being yelled more times than ever in my life, especially during my second and third loops as there were fewer and fewer people trying to finish. I could tell right away that there was going to be a lot of walking involved. I was just tired. It wasn't like when I try to PR a 10k or even a half marathon running to fast heart rate too high tired, it was just a full body been working out for too many hours straight tired. A sort of lethargy, if that's a word. I was still wearing my HRM, so I decided whenever I hit 165 and got the heart rate too high warning alert I'd walk until it went back down to 135 or so. This worked for a while, but the walking sections started lengthening as my heart rate was having trouble getting back down as quickly. I eventually also started walking every time I got to an aid station. Then I started walking every time I hit a mile marker. As you can see I had a lot of excuses to walk. Spectator support was pretty much nil outside the aid stations, as the course was somewhat remote and they weren't really letting people go out on it much. First loop went by in about an hour, and so did the second. My miles were anywhere between 12:30 and 14:30 depending on how much I was walking. I soon realized I'd make the cutoff for both starting the last loop and the finish of the race without a problem barring an unforseen calamity. It then became an exercise in the motto from the latest Meet the Robinsons movie: "Keep Moving Forward." I'm proud to say that other than one port-o-pottie stop at the beginning of the race, not once did I stop to take a break. Sure I walked plenty, but I was always moving forward. About half the athletes disappeared when I started the second loop, and when I went out on the third loop there was only one of us every 50 or 100 yards or so. We had our "pick of the litter" so to speak at the aid stations, with water, gatorade, coke, gels, power bars, bananas, ice cold sponges, and even cookies among the fare. The ice sponges were good for a cheap thrill, those things were COLD if you dumped them on yourself. About halfway through the last lap with about two miles to go my calves really started cramping up, but I think that was partially my mind realizing I was almost done and beginning to shut down. I did a lot of mental math to keep myself busy, but since I'd kept a running total of both the bike and run legs, I was only able to estimate what my finishing time would be. It appeared like it would be real close to an hour per loop for 3 hours total. Little did I know how close I was to dipping under that number.

Run leg 13.1 miles: 3:00:26, 13:47/mi pace, OA 1828/1997, AG 124/134

At long last, I came to the fork where it said next loop to the right, and finish to the left. Upon making the left turn I let out a trademark woohoo to let everyone far and wide (and hopefully DW with the camera) know I was coming. Given the lack of faithful spectators remaining to cheer on those continuing to struggle, she did get a perfect vantage point. Through the Ironman logo tunnel I went, and suddenly there it was. The finish line, and only twenty yards separating me. What followed I can only describe from the video as some combination of fist pumping, dancing, shuffling, and cramping as I cross that short distance. They said my name and hometown loud and proud, and I threw a pair of #1's to the sky to signify it was my first ever Ironman 70.3 finish. I bent down painfully to allow the young lady to put the medal around my neck, and it was only when I looked down and saw "Finisher" emblazoned across the bottom that I allowed myself to relax.

70.3 Miles Total: 7:26:25, OA 1848/1997, AG 128/134

And to answer the question everyone always asks: "So when are you going to do the FULL Ironman?" Not for a long time. But I'll never say never.

 

[wtpclc]

Wow. Great job MAtt! Unbeleiveable! Thanks for your full report! I think I'l stick to just runinng,t huogh. Did I mention, wow?

 

[gatorphipps]

WOW Matt great report! I checked on you btwn church and Sunday School on DH computer...As I was looking...your bike time popped up. SO I knew you were starting the run...I said a little prayer for you. Congrats! Great report!

Jen - WTG on your race! Love the pics!

sk8ingmom - WOW doing a tri for your 1st ever race! Congrats!

Dave what a wonderful time with your DDs!

Already posted my little 5k results on the other thread but will do it here too. 24.02 was my time and I placed in my AG! My report is on my blog...http://journals.aol.com/gatorphipps/PhippsFamily/
Sorry I cannot link it....It is also on tricharlotte.com

 

[ironz]

Good job, Matt! I see that you post on TNO, too! (heehee my first DIS/TNO crossover!)

Congrats on the finish. I totally agree with you about the wind shift on the bike! I was so hoping for a tailwind all the way back from the north end of the course!

It got pretty toasty on the run, but good on you (and me) for hanging in there.
I didn't have my best day at 6:51, but given where my training is, I'm happy with it.

There always seems to be those folks who want to move your stuff in transition like that. The volunteers that morning said they would do their best to watch for it, but it happens. Good on you for not letting it affect your day.

We stayed at FW in a cabin. It's a nice way to go for that race, since you're right there and don't have to deal with the transportation logistics. Just a thought for when you come back to improve your PR for next year!!