Well, where do I start! Let me say I really wanted to win this one and I learned a good lesson about not holding back. I came into this race after having a great season starter with a 3rd place and strong race in Puerto Rico followed by a solid month of training in April. I am certainly in shape and was ready to go for this one. SO....here's how it went down!
Swim: pretty uneventful, non-wetsuit and no crazy fast current like they had in the Ironman! I swam pretty controlled on Ashley Clifford's feet and came out of the water in 3rd (Ashley just ahead and Anna 40 sec. or so up).
Bike: We saw Anna in transition so Ashley and I headed out and worked together to catch up to her. Like Puerto Rico I was trying to race off feel (although I was collecting power data) so I was constantly taking an 'inventory' on what type of effort I was doing. We caught Anna pretty quick and then all 3 of us ended up riding together the rest of the bike ride. This is where I think I learned a lesson. I was riding comfortable and (looking back on data) very conservatively, for a half IM. I was telling myself to trust in my run when I should have been telling myself to trust in my bike AND my run and ride a little harder! I tried my new 'clean bike' nutrition plan, only having a strong bottle of Skratch Labs and another bottle of 6 gels diluted in water. This seemed to work well!
Run: OK, wow! Ashley and I took off out of transition, I think both of us thinking we could win this thing on the run.....and she did just that! I couldn't hold pace after a quick first couple miles. The gap just slowly grew to just over a minute by the end of the race. On the plus side I finished with a run split that I'm happy with and my highest ever 70.3 finish!
Thank you to Mark for being my #1 supporter and helping me believe I am actually in shape and can do well :) Also to Team Timex for the continued support and the gear that made my day:
Blue Seventy - Swim Skin and goggles
Rudy Project - Wing57 helmet
Trek - Fast Bike
Shimano - Fast parts, wheels and bike shoes
Castelli - very comfortable kit
Newton - Distance Run shoes and luckily having a visor for me at the expo
Powerbar - gels
