DO WORK

I've spent the last few days pondering this race. To sum things up...make it simple and sweet. I raced the Florida double ...Ironman Florida followed by the Ironman 70.3 World Championship 7 days later. What a week!

When it's all said and done...I'm extremely happy that I went after this goal. It was a wonderful experience to see where I was physically and mentally.

Spending time pondering how or why...or even if I could have gone faster in the 70.3 race hasn't even crossed my mind. Completing both in respectable times is the greatest accomplishment I've had thus far in the sport of Triathlon.

If I had to put down a race report...It might go something like this.

• Woke up at 5:00 a.m. as my wave wouldn't go off until 8:00 a.m.
• When I climbed out of bed...my first thought was...You've got to be kidding....the race is today?
• I didn't' have my typical rolled oats as I ran out in Panama City
• Ate about 3 bananas, cup of yogurt, some bread and a little granola.
• Oh yeah....2 Red Bulls. Yeah buddy...I was starting to wake up mentally

So here we go...race time!

Swim: 31:40

• Started right at the front (what the fuck was I thinking)
• I ran hard to the water...dove in and was 3rd in line
• Stroke was in perfect harmony with the other two for about 100 meters
• All the sudden...I was trampled by about 100 crazy ass athletes
• I took on so much water...it was the first time I though I was going to drown
• Took me about 2 minutes to get out of that mess and over to the outside.
• I was punched, pushed under water, climbed on...
• You name it...I was the victim of starting in the wrong place.
• I should have know better.
• I wasn't in strong enough swim shape to make a run at leading the swim.
• In the end...I was probably looking for that to happen to me.
• Was the worst swim experience of my life. I thought about quiting so much.
• The return trip to the beach was also frustrating as I had to swim through all the excited swimmers who tried to kill me as well as through the slower swimmers in the wave ahead of us...
• What a mess!

T1: 2:56

• I was so happy to get out of that water.
• When I saw my time...I was so disappointed but happy to have made it through the bad parts of the swim.
• Honestly...when you get knocked down...you have to get up or check out!

Bike: 2:14:00

• I left transition in a pretty bad spot.
• I was behind and needed to make up some pretty significant time.
• Even though I was tired from racing Ironman Florida last week...I still wanted to give the race my best.
• Do what you can with the hand your dealt...my personal philosophy.
• I rode pretty hard and found 2 guys to mix it up with.
• We were doing well and I thought...maybe this race was going to be different from last year.
• Quite possibly...no...maybe...drafting...is it going to happen?
• Sometime before mile 20....the packs started to form. I turned around and on came about a group of 20-30 riders.
• They were all over the course. It was out of control.
• I took it to the front as much as I could. Since my cycling is in a good place...I wanted to control the pace.
• It didn't really do any good.
• I rode hard...backed off for a couple minutes and did that over and over again.
• I remarked to one of the riders up front that we were breaking up the pack.
• Didn't really do much good.
• It was actually a pretty sad day for strong cyclist. My pace was going to be the same as an athlete 15 minutes slower than me if we rode head to head.
• All a weaker cyclist had to do was jump in the middle of the pack and soft pedal 56 miles. Really disgusting!!
• While the workhorses were up front....chump athletes sat 5-10 deep and relaxed....only jumping out of the pack at the end so the crowds could see them role into transition alone or legal distance from the others.

T2: 2:44

• I came into transition pretty fast.
• I tried to make my way around through the tent in a speedy fashion.
• I was definitely ready to run..

Run: 1:31:31

• I came out of T2 feeling very good.
• It actually blew me away...I had no idea what to expect after racing last weekend.
• I controlled my efforts the entire time.
• It was only until the last 5k that I pushed my limits.
• Did I mention that run course was pretty tough.
• Climbing the Causeway 4 times was one heck of a challenge.
• Climbing did break the run up and provided a few challenges.
• Miles splits are listed here: 6:56, 7:12, 6:49, 6:55, 7:08, 6:57, 7:00, 7:15, 7:05, 6:58, 7:11, 6:59, 6:24.
• The goal once I left for the run was to come into the finish under 4:25.
• I knew I probably couldn't run 1:25 after last weekend...
• Also...with my screw up in the water...I knew it was just out of the question.
• I put the run together in a smart fashion and was happy when I crossed the line.

Total Race Time: 4:22:51

Was I happy...you bet! I did 2 serious endurance events 7 days apart. People told me all week long how crazy I was and they were right...it was pretty crazy...but extremely fun.

Talking with Joe Bonness after Ironman Florida sealed the deal. He is a true inspiration and a great inspiration in the sport. The guys done something like 5 Ironmans in the last 2 months. Freaking awesome.

I also had a chance to hang out with a new friend...Cliff Scherb. Cliff also raced Ironman Florida. Not only did he throw it down in Panama City...but he made the trip down to Clearwater for this race as well. Both races went well for him...big ups Cliff!

For me...I will never race Clearwater again. Horrible drafting.. and someone like myself cannot use the bike as a weapon. It really sucks... If they ever get the race under control or move it to a different venue...I will most definitely come back.

Lots more to write about....stay tuned...

Mg