On Jake's birthday, I was able to participate in the Utah Half Ironman Toughman 2015. This race took place at Utah Lake. This was another 70.3 mile triathlon which I did in 5 hours 3 minutes. The swim was done in 32 minutes. The bike was done 2 hours 36 minutes for a 21.6 mph pace and the run was done in 1 hour 49 minutes for an 8:20 per mile pace. This was my fastest Half Ironman to date. I was shooting for under 5 hours, but I lost some time during transitions because of having to go the bathroom and throwing up after the swim. I also felt I could have and should have gone a little faster on the run. Overall, I was happy with my effort. I was especially happy with the bike. The swim was hard to get any type of a rhythm because the water was so shallow that I was actually scooping up mud on the freestyle. And, when I tried to see if I could run it better, my feet would sink too much in the mud. The water was only maybe 2' deep in some parts. Plus, with all the people in the water, the water was super murky and dirty. I think I threw up due to the dirtiness of the water and the inability to get any kind of a rhythm. On the bike, I paced with a guy named Dave who was from Baltimore, MD. That was super fun and exhilarating. Probably, my least favorite part of triathlon is the run. I get bored with it. But, with the pace that some of the athletes were putting on out there, I realize I need to get better with the run. I guess I just need to keep getting in the miles. ugh!
