About 30 minutes before the race started it started pouring. The 20% chance of rain was all of a sudden 100%. I found a canopy to wait out the rain so it wasn't too bad but i was still pretty cold. For a while the race staff was talking about canceling the bike portion due to flooding on the course and making it a swim/run/swim. Luckily the rain let up and they decided to just make everyone get off their bike at the flooded part and just run and carry the bike through. The rain let up and I went back to my bike to make sure everything was still there. Some jerk set his stuff up right under my rear wheel, but I laughed when I came back after the downpour to see his helmet filled up with water. I must have been on a slight bump because my stuff was not under water. I had a towel over my stuff too and it kept it fairly dry.
Before we knew it we were headed into the water for the start. The swim went pretty well for me. I did get in a group and veered off to the right a little so I had to break off from them and get back online. I only got hit in the face once when I caught up to a full distance swimmer on the back half of the swim. That was fun. I was out of the water in about 34 minutes.
T1 was just fine. I grabbed a quick bite of a cliff bar since it had been a while since I ate due to the delayed start.
On the bike and felt really good. I almost fell in the shin deep water where we were carrying our bike through. I could have sprained my ankle pretty easily, but luckily I didn't. The rain stayed with me for a while but once it cleared up it wasn't too bad. I ride that road all the time, so the chip seal and pot holes aren't really new to me (I could almost ride it in my sleep). The mud that washed on was annoying though, but volunteers were shoveling and sweeping it off where they could. That is a pretty bad area after a heavy rain with the open fields off Waterloo. On the way back a big group of cyclists formed and I backed off a little so I wouldn't be in them. I wanted to avoid that for 1 - didn't want a penalty and to do it all on my own and 2 - I didn't want one person to fall and take us all down. I finished the bike in about 2:52, just about where I wanted to be. I would have taken a few minutes faster but oh well.
T2 was pretty good too. I walked through transition to get everything situated.
The first part of the run went pretty well considering the lakes we were running through. I wore my Zoot shoes since they drain water a lot better than my New Balance and that was a great decision. They drain water like nothing else and my Under Armor socks dried really nicely. The first loop went by really well, about 54 minutes for the 6.5 miles. Then I made the mistake of taking a quick walk break. I don't know what I was thinking since if I start walking it is hard to get back going again. After that I couldn't go half a mile without a walk break. My quads just wouldn't allow it. The second loop took like 1:18. My over all goal was just to finish in under 6hr and my better than anticipated swim gave me enough buffer to do that.
I crossed the finish line in 5:50 for my first HIM.
When I crossed I didn't know what to do. Sit, walk, eat, bathroom, cry, die? I was miserable for about 10 minutes in the tent drinking a coke and eating a cookie.
I got a massage afterward and waited at the finish line to watch my friend Diana come across. I should have gone to get sunscreen because I got torched. I looked like a red raccoon.
Now that I have done my first HIM, I am ready for the next. I am heading to Galveston in April to do Lonestar.
Maybe a full in a couple years. I really need to work on my cycling base to make it through.
