Crunch Time!

After last weekend's "introduction" to Ironman specific workouts, my coach emailed me with "Jon, its crunch time!"

Over a few emails, this past weekend's efforts went from a 5.5 hour Saturday ride plus a Sunday 2.5 hour to a Saturday 5 hour ride plus whatever Sunday run to finally a phone call to solidify things. The phone went like this:

"Jon, how much time do you have this weekend? It's crunch time! I want you to do 6 hours on the bike on Saturday plus a 30 min run. Then on Sunday I want you to do another 4 hours on the bike plus a 45 min run"

HOLY SHIT!!!! (and I had to work OT both days....)

I immediately thought back to that training camp with him a year ago....

Just a few days earlier from this phone call, I already done 2 x 30 mins @ 250 watts and 245 watt intervals plus two easy rides of 90 mins and 60 mins.

It was a big bike week, easily the biggest one so far this season....

So after 5 bike workouts, 265 miles in almost 14.5 hours, this was INDEED the biggest week of biking so far this season.


I cannot sit down on a bicycle seat for a few days, and I need a lower neck massage BADLY!

So Saturday I linked up with @johnpierz up on route 100 and we did loops upon loops of Titicus, Hardscrabble road, Somers, and North Salem. John is a week ahead of me in Ironman training since he is doing IMNYC. I had to do a 6 hour ride, so didn't he. And! We are the same speed, so it was a HUGE mental break to have someone to chat with and otherwise break up the monotony of such a long ride. Thanks for the company, John! And! You are going to do great @ IMNYC! Hope to see you at the finish line!

Despite the heat warnings of the day, it was pretty hazy and even clouded up some which meant there was really only one hour in the direct sunlight. I think this saved me, especially when I hit my 30 min brick run, which I was able to hold an 8:12 pace while trying my best to slow-the-f-down! Can't hold that for a full 26.2 after just riding 112.97!!!

Sunday was a tad cooler, but I only had to ride 4 hours and then run another brick. Unfortunately I could hardly sit down on the saddle and keeping my neck up in the aero position felt harder than doing 1000 squats. OUCH!

The butt issue eventually went away, but my neck, OMG! hurt SO bad with 2 hours left to go. I think this is more to do with just riding a ton, and not so much my position. Didn't have any neck or butt issues on Saturday's 6 hour ride, since my body was fresher. My body should be even fresher for IMMT!

In regards to nutrition, I am comparing last weekend's Placid ugly 90 miler to this weekend's rides. I ditched the the 50/50 gatorade/water mixture and just went with water, then used EFS liquid shots every hour + Endurolyte pills every 30 mins. No more thirst issues. Up in Placid, I kept getting thirstier and thirstier despite drinking more and more water/gatorade mixture. The sugar just makes me want pure water. I have experienced this when I was using Infinit in the heat.

So the fact that I was fine electrolyte wise on a HOT day (ride ended in 94 degrees) on just water + EFS + Endurolytes = I got my electrolyte and thirst quenching issues FIXED.

I am still tweaking my calorie intake. I don't like liquid only, and I love chocolate and orange Gu, but I am getting sick of clif bars, especially if it is hot out. But I can't eat Gu for entire 5-6 hour ride. But! I keep getting hankerings for Snickers bars. Yes, Snickers. Especially at the two hour mark. So I think I am going to freeze a snickers bar, and it should be thawed out (but not melted hopefully!) by the 2 hour mark of Ironman.

Right now what I hope to do is this for IMMT on the bike:
30 mins: Eat a Gu (or nothing at all if I feel sloshy)
60 mins: 1/2 EFS liquid shot (half vanilla, half mocha + 1 oz water to thin)
1.5 hours: Gu
2 hours: Snickers bar
2.5 hours: Gu
3 hours: 1/2 EFS liquid shot (of hit up a generic chocolate Ensure @ special needs)
3.5 hours: GU
4 hours: Snickers Bar
4.5 hours: Gu
5 hours: 1/2 EFS liquid shot
5.5 hours: Gu
6 hours: DONE (and start running!)

This will only have me eating 5 or 6 Gu's total on the bike. I'd like to bring this number down a bit more. I am finding bar type foods that are on the dryer side, like clif bars, are hard to chew and get down and make me thirst, while bars like Snickers have a bit more moisture to them (blame it on the creamy nugget?) and are easier to go down and stomach.

I just remember saying after Placid last year that I wished I had eaten more solids for the first half of the bike, then all gels for the 2nd half. Looking back now, I am not sure I can stomach that this year! Amazing how your food tastes change. I still have TONS of time to experiment with foods choices, but I am VERY happy to have gotten down my hydration & electrolyte needs.

2012 Half Year in Review

I did this blog post in 2010 and thought it was a great mid season wrap up to an already busy season. Last season was very race light and didn't really warrant one.

This year? HOLY CRAP!!!! Not only have I raced WAY more than ever, but I have also PR-ed EVERY SINGLE FREAKING RACE I HAVE ENTERED. Weeee hoo!!!

I wrote back in early January and then again in March that "I have made a bet with myself to PR all distances this season (* gulp! *)"

and

"I have no idea the stakes, and if I am holding up my end of the bargain, who is holding up the other end of the bargain? The other side of myself?"

With only three more races to go this season (not counting post Ironman), it will come down to a sprint, a 2 mile swim, and an Ironman.

But first! Here is how my year has played out so far:

I started out the year worried to death that my Fall 2011 knee injury would reappear. So how to do confirm that it won't reappear? You race a 10K, the Joe Kleinerman 10K around Central Park.

The race set a theme that I have kept true to so far this season: PR-ing.

I set a 1:33 PR and dropped my 10K time down to a 43:21. Not bad considering I was barely post injury and totally untrained for this distance and intensity.

Later in January was my first bid to go sub 1:45 in the 13.1 distance. Unfortunately the only snowstorm we got all season landed that day, most severely on Central Park, turning this race into a 2.5 hour/16.5 mile fun run with some of my favorite people followed by bagels and the hottest and best shower I have ever taken in my life!

February brought out some speed in me I never imagined I ever had, dropping not only my first sub 7 min pace in a race, but a 6:17 average pace and first sub 20 min 5K at the Gridiron Classic 4 miler around Central Park. I recall wanting to die at mile 2 during that race, which is how I should have felt!

The only other race I did in February was with my MOST favorite person, where we got wet and did the Sweetheart Tri. Let's just say I was the slow one in this race!

March was only one race, but a race I had my eyes set on to KILL a long standing PR for the 13.1 distance, especially after the non race in January. At the National Half I dropped 13 mins off my time and came in for a 1:32 and change for one of the most satisfying PR's of my life!

April was another one race month, with another stab at the 10K distance, The Scotland Run around Central Park. Was trying for a sub 40, but it wasn't my day. Still PR'ed again though! Lopping another 1:47 off for a 41:34. Getting closer to that sub 40!

Unfortunately my luck ran out, with a stupid slip in the shower, and resulting in bruised ribs. Ouch! After muscle spasms and being barely able to breath, I was wondering if my season was either over or going to need to be paired down.

After three weeks of very frustrating training and a blister from hell, my first triathlon of the season, the MonticelloMan Half, was just around the corner. My goal for this race was just to finish and do my best and see what happens.

Well, SOMETHING happened, because I snuck just under 5 hours for the first time for a 70.3 and had an otherwise great day finishing 2nd in my age group!

The following weekend it was back to racing again, this time as the biker on a relay team, Tom Selleck's Mustache, at the Kinetic Half. I said I was going to go a 2:30, and I did just that!

Rounding out May, I did a 2 mile OWS in some warm conditions sans a safety blanket wetsuit. It was a terrible time for me, but still an 8 sec PR!

June brought what I call "My Northern Series" of races, since everything else was down south.

First up was Rev3 Quassy Olympic, my first Olympic in almost 3 years. After killing the swim and about to kill the bike in the hunt for a very good placing, two flats ended my day on a cold and wet course. Bummer, but I had revenge in my mind!

Which brings me to the Pat Griskus Olympic, at the same venue as Rev3. This time my swim was not very good, but I made up for it on the bike and run and placed 6th/32 and well enough to qualify for USAT Olympic Nationals. While I am not doing that race, it was a nice confirmation of A) Finishing a damn race! and B) Holding my own against some good competition.

Finally, I rounded out June with my A- race of the year, Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3. Despite a botched run, I had the swim and bike of my life, riding into T2 in 12th place!!! A new personal best for me. Note to self: Remember to eat on the run!!!

Actual time: 4:54:42. A 5 min PR!!!

But! Last but not least, with hot weather hitting the last weekend of June and massive storms knocking out power in the mid Atlantic region, I headed back up 87 to Lake Placid for the beginning of Ironman specific training. In case you were worried, yes Lake Placid still has hills, and yes, a headwind through the gorge on 86 still fucking sucks!

It was a humbling two days of training, but it was an awesome time!

Ironman Mont Tremblant will be here before I know it!

Got The "F" Outa Town!!!

I was supposed to head down to DC this past weekend, until I got a call from a recently minted Ironman, who explained to me that it would be 100 degrees all weekend, and that it would be no fun to train in.

Agreed.

And staying put in good ole not awesome White Plains would be not nearly as hot, but still in the "this is not fun" category of hot.

DC Weather:

White Plains Weather:

Without realizing I was saying this, I said, "Let's go to Lake Placid!"

Then I checked the weather:

And that only just confirmed it.

On the drive up to Placid, suddenly twitter exploded with "THE END OF WORLD IS UPON US!!!!" DC got SLAMMED with a huge storm, and people to this day are still without power. Gross. Also, Skyline was unsafe to ride due to forest fires and bad air quality. Even grosser.

Something was telling us to escape to Placid!

And OMG are we lucky we did! The weather was PERFECT. Dry conditions. Not too hot. Mirror Lake was chilly (I only remember it as a bathtub last time I swam in it) and the ice cream was just as good :)

We stayed at the Golden Arrow with a room overlooking all of Mirror Lake. It was so great!

Sunrise day 1

sunrise day 2

First thing Saturday morning we did the entire out and back of the lake, 1.6 miles, in about 41 mins. I showed Beth how to "cheat" while swimming, aka, just swimming along the buoy line of Mirror Lake

You can tell who the "real" swimmer is (*hint, its NOT me!*)

Then we hopped onto the bikes, and rode! Since Beth just did CDA not even a week before, this was her self described "Lake Placid Recovery Camp."

She just did one loop of the course minus the out and backs while I did two loops minus the out and backs but with an out and back of the run course for a total of 90 miles in 5 hours flat. Learned that I need to learn how to pace myself better on these long rides again. I have forgotten how!

I learned from this ride that my body is really really good at going fast for about 2.5 hours, then it dies, telling me, "I only ride fast for 2.5 hours. WTF is this riding longer than 2.5 hour thing? I want to run now!"

Also going on this weekend was a horse show, skating show, AND! mini BBQ fest. Dinner was an easy choice.

Sunday was just a 2 hour run, but even though it wasn't temperature hot, the sun was already out full blaze. I did a long out and back of the run course, but with 30 mins left, and at the corner of River Road and 73, I was completely out of water and not going to make it back. Fortunately there was a guy there running a tri camp, Tri Training Camp of Lake Placid, with a fully stocked jeep with Infiit and cold cold cold water. Thank you sir for helping me out!!!! You saved my day!!!

Beth also came out and kept me company for a bit of the run while she biked the run course to see what it looked like. She successfully held the aero position @ 3 mph.

After a yummy lunch we set off for a 2 hour hike. Nothing like doing another 4.5 miles of hiking after an almost 14 mile run.

After some soft serve ice cream, we cooled our legs down with a quick spin of the legs on the paddle boat. Yes, Beth was able to preview the entire Lake Placid course by biking the bike, run AND swim courses! haha!

She pedaled. I steered

Our hotel

I was STARVING again by the time we finished "biking" the swim course, so we hit up Milano's and then one final ice cream stop @ Ben & Jerry's.

I was passed out by 9PM. Urf! Ironman training is going to kick my butt this time, again!

What an awesome weekend it was! Got in some great training in some great weather with some great company.

I am looking forward to my "recovery camp" in about 8 weeks when I am done for the season.

You can read about Beth's Ironman swim, bike, and run legs on her blog.

What I Did 2 Hours After I Finished IMMT 70.3

So I cross the finish line, my sister says, "Great job! And guess what? We are going ziplinging!"
Me: "But......I just raced for 5 hours.....my legs are....oh fuck it, let's go! We are just flying through the trees just sitting down, right?"
Her: "Oh! We kinda sorta need to hike up to the top of the resort, then hike up a trail, then hike up a road..."
Me: "But......I just raced for 5 hours.....my legs are....oh fuck it, let's go!"

And we trudged alllllllll the way up to the ziplining place, or De Foret de Tarzan.

We check in, and the woman explains to us that there are four sections, with the third being physically intensive:
Check in lady: "Welcome! You are gonna have....wait! Did you just do the Ironman?"
Me: "Haha! Yep! What's so hard about flying through some trees?"
Check in lady: "Uuuuuhhhhh, some of this stuff is pretty physically intense!"
My sister: "You gonna be alright? I mean, you just did race 5 hours....."
Me: "Yes, I JUST DID race 5 hours .....my legs are....oh fuck it, let's go!"

(Note to self....my sister is a slave driver)

First, they have you do a test obstacle plus mini zip line to learn how to clip and unclip properly with the carabiners and zip line pulley.

Our guide: "Welcome! Let's get you fit with a harness......wait! Did you just do the Ironman?"
Me: "Haha! Yeah, I did"
Our Guide: "You know, some of this is pretty physically intense right?"
Me: "So I heard...."

And he shows us how to harness up, and use the tools and demonstrates the test obstacle. Then we go!

My sister is a natural (and she didn't just race for 5 hours!!!)

Me? I have no grace.....

Ouch....

But we had SO MUCH FUN!!!! Yes, it was challenging, yes I was nearly bonking and my muscles were screaming at me.....but IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!! Here are a smattering of pictures my sister took of our experience:

I'm on the right trying to get through a ring and around boards

60 feet up looking down!

And finally, one of the last zip lines, which I did VERY well this time:

So two hours later, sometimes dangling with literally hanging onto a cable and once hugging a tree for dear life because you are 60 feet above the ground and a gust of wind is swinging the tree back and forth!

Jeff, Mandy, Kevin - Guess what we are doing Post Ironman in August!!! As long as we all go sub 8, more like sub 7:45, we should have time to get up there and do the course before they close. Sound good? ;)

Ironman Mont Tremblant 70.3 Race Report

This race is epic,

There, I used the "E" word.

But I can't honestly think of a better word to describe the experience of this race. The resort is top notch. The 1500 volunteers to 2100 racers is top notch. It is as if the race organization is doing EVERYTHING for you over the weekend, minus doing the physical part of the race for you.

So, what I am getting at, is that I HIGHLY recommend this race!! They have poutine for Christ's sake! I am giving this race an A+++++ for the organization and just shear confidence you have in everything they do. It is as if they have been running this race for 20 years. Nope, they have been doing this race for exactly 1 day.

This race was my 8th 70.3. I love the distance, and it sometimes loves me back. Today was no exception, other than the end of the run. But what a bike and course!! OH MY!!! I have a new "top favorite" bike course now.

The Nitty Gritties:
Total Time: 4:54:42
Overall Placing: 171/2068 (top 8.26%!!!)
Age Group Placing: 25/136 (top 18.3 %)
New PR by:  5 mins, 8 secs
Satisfaction level. EXCELLENT!

Pre race:
I stayed in the resort. If I threw a rock hard enough, I might be able to hit transition with it. So no drive to the race site = sleeping in till 5! Even with that, I was standing in transition staring at my bike thinking, "Uuuuuuuhhhhh, this is weird I have nothing to do!"

And it was cold. 47 degrees out, and it was a good 10 min walk to the swim start. So I put on my wetsuit up to my waist and wore my long sleeve shirt and hoofed it over. Even on the beach, the sand was freezing cold. The water temp was in the low 70's, so it was one of those cases where just standing in the water warmed you.

While warming up, waiting for the race to start, they play the Canadian and American national anthems, and suddenly they say, "look up!" We see this:

The "Snowbirds"

 And we saw it 3 times!!!! How can any race possible top this off?!?! Basically the race director sent a message to all other races in the northeast area: WE HAVE THE BEST RACE IN TOWN. WATCH OUT!!!

Placid might need the Blue Angels.....just saying...

The Swim: 32:04
This is my fourth tri of the year, and I usually only do 4 a year, and the fact that it is only the end of June shows that I have done three of them this month alone, so I have gotten pretty used to the swim start, and it showed today. 32 mins?!?!?

My sister and I

The thing about this lake is this: It is shallow, warm, and super duper crystal clear. It is SO easy to draft off people in this race, which is exactly what I did till about halfway through the swim when my leader faded and I took off. I apologize to the wave ahead of me! I didn't mean to trounce some of you!

Courtesy of Tremblant

The course is cool. You can't see the swim finish, because its on the other side of this peninsula, which you swim around. It was well marked, and the only time the sun is in your eyes is if you are breathing to your right on the outstretch and when you swim the cross stretch. But still, wasn't bad at all!

This was a new 1.2 mile swim PR by about 90+ seconds. I was off to a good start! And I didn't even realize it at the time.

T1: 4:13
Unfortunately it is a loooooooooong run from the swim exit to transition, hence the long T1 time. Maybe as long as Placid? Felt more like NYC Olympic. It woke my legs up! I got my suit peeled, then carried it as I ran. As I was starting my run, I saw my sister, asked her what my time was or what time it was, she didn't know, but another spectator yelled out "7:41!" and I started at 7:10, so I figured I put up a low 30's.

They have VERY soft carpet for the bulk of this transition run, thank god!

In transition itself, I made sure to be calm and relaxed and it worked. Everything went on flawlessly, and I didn't even lose my balance. I redeemed myself after the last race!

The Bike: 2:28:59
Like that time? Can you explain how I did it? In May I did 2:39 at MonticelloMan. 10 mins faster on a hillier course in 6 weeks? YES PLEASE!!!

Other than biking the Lac Superior out and back, and driving the rest of the course (minus into town) on Saturday, it was a new to me course. I felt like I killed this course, and then some!!!!

I also hit the lap button every chance I could get for recon, not only for myself for August, but also for you guys! Aren't I nice. This is how I broke the course up, and it went by quickly.

Bike Elevation: 2664 feet

Bike Out > Start of 117 (Monte Ryan) - 6.11 miles, 16:20, 22. 5mph avg, 241 watts avg
With a 272 elevation gain to 315 foot loss, this was a net downhill, and great way to start out the bike. There are still some ups that will slow you down, but you can cruise this first section quickly and with ease. The turn to get onto 117 was funny: We rode through the parking lot of McDonald's and a Tim Horton's! What an aid station that could have been!!

Out section of 117 - 12.04 miles, 31:31, 22.9 mph avg, 235 watts avg
As soon as you get onto 117, you start climbing, and slowly. Its one of many of those long slow gradual climbs where you get consistent and hold it. Nothing too bad, just a bit of a grind. After two or three of these LARGE rollers, you bomb down "The Hill", as I call it. Hit 40mph on the way down just coasting. Wished I had a standard crank to power a bit more and not spin out as fast, but whatever, I took the break in peddling.

Then you hit the flats of 117 and.you.just.HAUL!. There was NO wind and I got consistent and held it.

Back section of 117 - 12.10 miles. 32:28, 22/4 mph avg, 235 watts avg
I was convinced that I was going to have a headwind after turning. Nope! ZERO wind that day, which is strange because it is SO wide open out there! Prolly just good luck for the day?

Now this section in the half is ok to burn up, but in August? TAKE THIS WHOLE ROUTE 117 SECTION EASY!!! I can already see it now. People will be FLYING on this out and back, hammering back up "The Hill" (I big ringed it for this race, but will be small ringing it in August) not realizing they are mortally wounding themselves. By the time they hit this hill on lap #2, its gonna be a death march with another 50K of biking to go, not to mention a marathon to run.

"The Hill" I think is the biggest tactical hill of the entire course. This hill will either ruin your day, or just sorta slow you down. Take your pick! I say be be conservative on this hill on both loops. I think this hill is way harder than the stair steppers on the Lac Superior out and back because with those, there are breaks in between. This is literally 1.5 miles, while not long, of a gradual grind that is at "that right annoying" pitch.

So I can already forsee GIANT draft packs in August on 117. There just won't be enough time and elevation to break everyone up. Because I was at the front of the pack on the bike, we were stretched thin and it was never an issue. When the masses were going in the opposite direction, there was a LOT of congestion. I am sure nobody was blatantly drafting, its just that through shear physics, people are going to bunch up, especially for all swimmers in the 1:05-1:15 range. Nothing can be done about it. Just watch out for the race officials!

Out and back of Mont Tremblant Village- 4.62 miles, 12:12, 22.8 mph avg, 235 watts avg
I never previewed this section, and just figured it was flat. Nope! It is uphill through town! With a tiny climb that will you get out of the saddle by the turn. Fortunately you zoom back downhill through town. It was an alright section. It had the worst pavement of the entire course, and there was some fan support, but nothing like at the resort.

Monte Ryan back to Resort - 5.66 miles, 15:58, 21.3 mph avg, 231 watts avg
Overall net uphill, but there are still some downhill sections. Funny that I averaged lower watts going UP this section than down it. Guess I was pushing it a bit hard on way out. Oops! I was exited! Haha!

Out section to Lac Superior - 6.88 miles, 21:26, 19.3 mph avg, 241 watts avg
Looking at my speed, this was by far the slowest portion of the course, and on paper the hilliest. I agree with that, but the hills aren't bad! You get LOTS of breaks between each little up. Nothing is too long, but that one section is just steep enough to warrant small ringing it. I am glad I did. And! I am glad I biked this section. There are still some fast downs on this section too, and by far the most fun of the entire course

Back to transition - 7.02 miles, 18:49, 22.4 mph avg, 213 watts avg
Obviously the lowest wattage section because of the net downhill. You can stay in aero the entire time on the downhills. There aren't any twisty turns that will send you flying. I actually passed two pros on this section! But I think they were having a bad day because they weren't really working it, so I don't really count it as "Yeah, I burned some pros, I am awesome."....haha! Hope they were able to finish and rest up.

Then you come into transition. PLENTY of space to get out of your shoes on the bike and do a flying dismount.

This is now my favorite bike course! Flat, no wind (hopefully this will be the case in August), scenic, and did I say FAST? This course is WAY easier than Lake Placid! It actually reminds me of Timberman in a lot of ways. Climbing plus the fast and flat out and back section. Even the lake swim was similar to Timberman.

I basically have a new FTP in the range of 274 - 290 watts. Helllooooooo!!!!

(Click here for Garmin Bike file)

T2: 1:47
Just a normal T2. Nothing special happened other than entering it in 12th place in my age group! YEAH!!!

I don't need ground to run.

View from most of my competition. Ha! Until that run....

The Run: 1:47:39
Weeelllll, there always needs to be one bad part of a race, and this leg was it. In fact, I was doing pretty well until the halfway point when things started to deteriorate, and deteriorate, until the very end where I just wanted to stop. Here are my splits so you can see why:
Mile 1: 7:31
Mile 2: 7:53
Mile 3: 7:41
Mile 4: 7:41
Mile 5: 7:48
Mile 6: 7:55
Mile 7: 7:47
Mile 8: 8:11 (things died here)
Mile 9: 8:27
Mile 10: 8:26
Mile 11: 8:43
Mile 12: 9:03
Mile 13: 9:47 (ouch!!!!)

And HR graph to also see why:

You can see where I was falling off....

I finished the swim in 26th, finished the bike in 12th, finished the run in 25th. Haha!

Sooooooo, this is a classic case of not eating enough. I should have taken a Gu at the start of the run, and every 45 mins. I only took two small swigs of my leftover EFS on the run, and that was at 45 mins and with 2K left to go. NOT enough. I was drinking liquids, just no food. It wasn't a "couldn't stomach it" issue, it was a "I feel fine issue" and then WHAM! Game over. Damage was already done. Ooops!!

So for the run itself, the course is a gigantic out and back, with one mini out and back along the way:

I would say you can break it up into 4 parts: Transition to the gravel path. The gravel path out. The gravel path back. Back to Transition.

From transition out to the gravel path is 5K. Simple. But! Its mostly uphill. Those ups are at that stubborn pitch that.just.hurts. But your legs are fresh(er) and its not so terrible, just stick with it.

The gravel path section is physically the easiest, but mentally the hardest. It is flat, but half unshaded, half shaded, but DEAD QUIET. Other than other runners (nobody is talking) there is nothing out there and the path is straight as an arrow. I liken it to "The Labyrinth" at the beginning when she is traveling through the brick sided alley where there is no end in sight and the catepillar asks her in for Tea, but otherwise gives her a way out. Unfortunately there is NO way out, other than to keep running.

Run Elevation. 933 feet

Once off the gravel path, I was ready to be done. I was falling apart rapidly at this point and not moving fast downhills because my legs were so shot from not eating enough. I was really disappointed in myself for making this critical mistake. I even had two Gu's on me which would have TOTALLY helped me along. I just wasn't comprehending the situation! GAAAHHHH!!!! Oh well, glad it happened here rather than in August (as long as I don't make the mistake again!)

Genine saw me somewhere near the finish. I was in such Zombie mode that I couldn't believe she spotted me!

(Click here for Garmin Run file)

The Finish: 4:54:42
You run through the bottom half of the resort through a gated alley. It was sooooo cool! Spectators going nuts cheering you on! Unfortunately I was so dead and wanting to die that I just couldn't smile. I was at zero energy and still facing. Good thing it is all downhill!!!

After crossing the finish (and wanting to retire from the sport) the medical dude grabbed right onto me and was like, "Are you alright?" because I was walking funny. I responded with, "I am just REALLY hungry, and I need to eat some poutine." He said, "Eh, you are fine. Go eat!"

I was soooooo hungry! My sister was right there (she snapped all of the AWESOME pictures above!) and we went straight to Smokie's and got the traditional and soda. My first soda in a loooooong time too.

YES!!!

OMG Poutine is the literally the BEST post race food ever. Loaded with salt, more salt, fat, carbs, and cheese curds and gravy all smothered together. I felt like a brand new person after finishing!!

After eating, I sat down for a bit, then headed back to the finish to see in Matt and his wife, Genine. Both had a great day as well!!! The first words out of Genine's mouth where: "Matt, we ARE coming back for this race next year!"

NICE!

That night we all celebrated over amazing sushi, beer, and ice cream. Perfect post race!

OMG Our legs were SO sore!!!

Final thoughts:
I have now shaved an hour off of my 70.3 time in just under three years. I like improvements like this! I love the distance, as I have done this distance the most out of any other distance in the sport. I will continue with more and more 70.3's in the future for sure, and even have thoughts about repeating this race again. That bike course is SO awesome that it is addicting. Not to mention the post race poutine ;)

For those of you racing in August, I hope this aids you in your final 8 weeks of training. And for those of you considering doing the 70.3 or 140.6, you can't go wrong doing this race! Beautiful venue in a small village with every kind of restaurant with shopping non tri-related things to do.

Shoot me any quesitons you have via a comment or email.