Devilman 1/2 Ironman

Swim
Goal: 0:40:00
Actual: 0:41:11
I psyched myself out of the swim. Saturday night I dreamed that I got out of the water and transition was empty. Sunday morning I spent too much time looking behind me to make sure there were still other pink caps in the water. The first loop was somewhat of a disaster, but I finally settled in sometime during the second loop. I was pleasantly surprised by my time, but dissatisfied with the effort. Also, I think I need more open water swimming experience. I'm too comfortable in the pool. I may take my training to the Hudson.

T1: 2:24
I was pretty efficient here, but there was a bit of a bottleneck getting out of transition.

Bike
Goal: 3:00:00
Actual: 2:59:04
My plan was to bike as hard as I could and hope for the best on the run. I worked hard on the first loop, mostly in the aero bars, spinning into the wind. I concentrated on picking people ahead of me and slowly sucking them in. After about 15 miles my lower back was bothering me so I started alternating between aero bars and drops, occasionally sitting up to stretch. First loop was 1:25:xx. Shortly into the second loop, my back hurt so much I couldn't spend more than 5 minutes aero. I fought through it for awhile, then decided it was probably smarter to just sit up. I continued working hard until about mile 45, then the self-pity set in. Felicia passed me with a few miles to go and kindly asked why I was going so slowly (in so many words). I whined and watched her go. Then I decided I was not going to let her pass me on a bike nicknamed "Pokey", so I took off and finished strong.

Nutrition -- the plan was to work through 1 bottle of water and 2 bottles of cytomax + carbopro, eat something (clif blocks / gel / clif bar) every 30 minutes and take a salt pill every 30 minutes. I lost focus after my back started hurting and definitely did not eat enough in the end. I think I put down 500 calories when I should have had around 900. Also, I got my tongue stuck in the nozzle of my gel flask. That hurt.

T2: 2:06
With my limited race experience I try to avoid doing anything stupid. Next time I'll be sure to check out where the exit is so I don't start out running the wrong way.

Run
Goal: 2:00:00
Actual: 2:01:22
I felt great when I got off the bike -- legs were loose, feet had feeling, no pain in back. I trotted along for the first 6 or 7 miles, not paying much attention to splits, feeling good. I tried to pick it up shortly after I started the second out-and-back, and my body was so offended by the suggestion that it actually slowed down. The nerve! I concentrated on my form, staying out of the gutter, and moving my feet quickly. I appreciated seeing teammates if for no other reason than it kept me honest. I picked it up with just over 2 miles to go and clocked my last mile in 7:49. Clearly I had a little too much left.

Nutrition -- I alternated between water and gatorade at every station and had gels at (what I assumed were) miles 3, 6, and 9.

Overall
Goal: 5:45:00
Actual: 5:46:05
I have mixed feelings. I came close to my goal times but, considering the race I had, they were soft. I was a total head case for most of the race. I lost focus too easily on all three legs. In retrospect, I suspect my back didn't hurt as much as I thought it did on the bike. I think I was looking for excuses to let up. My transitions were respectable, so I've got that going for me.