re: Half Iron Man

I am still fairly new to triathlon (did marathons for a few years first). I did my first 70.3 last fall (finished just under 6 hours - not too shabby on a gravel bike - HA!) I am signed up for another 70.3 in September and love this sport. I clearly have a lot to learn, and this may not be what you are looking for, but a few things folks shared with me that I found helpful (for whatever that’s worth) are:
1) Most problems can be solved by going slower
2) Bi-lateral breathing is a good swimming skill to develop
3) Being in a comfortable aero position on the bike is better than some super aero position you can’t hold
4) People often blow up in the run because they went too hard on the bike.
5) Do the bulk of your training in zone 2
6) The fatigue builds in training and is no joke. Learn how to keep going… but you have to take a rest day.
7) Do at least a short run off of every bike ride (even if it’s only 10-20 minutes). I don’t think I will ever find running off the bike easy, but you can get used to the experience.
8) Speaking of which… enjoy the race experience. You are doing something many people are not blessed enough to be able to do. Go slow and zen the swim at the beginning. Find bliss on the bike and pick your spots to push. Then ramp it up on the second half of the run.
Zen… bliss… ramp.
Finish strong, take an awesome photo and celebrate!

Anyway, I don’t know you… but am proud of you and all the others that put yourself out there to take on challenges like this. We only get one turn on this merry go round. Go get ‘em tiger.

PS - In training, other than maybe a few OWS, don’t wear a wetsuit. In a race, if it’s allowed, wear the wetsuit, swim your typical cadence and I bet you will fly!!!