Breakfast - as planned precisely.

Transition Set Up. I pumped tires up Saturday afternoon before bike drop. I don't have a good finger feel for tire pressure but it was colder overnight and rained a bit so when I first got to transition (without a bike pump) I was nervous about my tires having lost some pressure (in my head :), not in reality). They hadn't, and I figured as the weather warmed during the day/ride if that had lost a little pressure I would be fine. I actually came back to my hotel room (0.25 miles) to put my wetsuit on. I was freaking out a bit with my wife and debating if I should run down with my pump. She said "If Clare pumps her tires up the night before, and if they weren't clearly flat, you're fine. Didn't you say she's been doing this for 30 years or something." so the mantra for the day became (appropriately) - listen to Clare and I feel like I did that very effectively today.

Swim - got in with the 1:10 to 1:21 group so I'm glad I was appropriately placed. I found a rhythm pretty early (breathing every 3rd stroke from alternate sides). I held the cable pretty much the whole time (maybe my size had folks respecting my space :)). It never really opened up completely, always felt like I was in a crowd. I shot 2 Gels (1 Maurten, 1 Gu Roctane) about 7 min before entering the water - was good to have garbage there for my poland spring bottle and wrappers). I also kept a Maurten gel in my wetsuit and shot it in between laps. That one could have been more placebo effect, but for the longer swims a Gel or swig of sports drink seemed to revitalize me. Overall, the swim was beautiful. There is a lot of room for growth in my swim stroke, but happy with where this landed. I felt fine coming out of the water - felt like the pacing was great for a full IM. Didn't feel tired coming out of the water. Felt ready to take on the bike.

T1 - wetsuit stripper stripped me down (thanks to you and Amelia for the tip. I got down like a baby right away and it was off in no time. Decent run over to the Oval for the changing tent (I had a great bag location at the end of a row) and proceeded to a chair in change tent. I think Men's tent volunteers are more passive (and fewer) so I just sat down and took my time drying off and getting situated. Nutrition in back pockets of tri kit and away we went.

Bike - followed the "break it into 4 parts" guidance pretty well. Was thinking 200 to 210 avg power. Started below that for the first stretch (Keene descent helps) and brought it up to the 210 neighborhood for the second and third quarters, and basically just held it for Q4. Got some pretty heavy rain for about 20 or 30 minutes on the second lap. On the Keene Descent I saw some dangerous activity with folks passing and 1 guy nearly losing control (wobble wobble), so I was particularly cautious on the second lap in the descent. Probably gave up some speed but was relieved to get there. Was good to hang with George for a while on the bike. I was very focused on not feeling leg burn on the hills, or breathing heavy. So to be honest the bike never felt terrible. Sure, my butt was sore at times so I gave myself a break from time to time, but I didn't have the moment of "get me off this thing." That might have been because the rain came on the second lap when I would have had that sentiment, but I was locked in to making sure I didn't slip/do anything stupid and before you know it I was within 20 miles or so of finishing. Peed twice on the bike (rain was a nice real-time rinse for one of the pees).

Bike Nutrition - executed plan almost exactly (had bottles pre-packed in Special Needs which helped), but dropped my first uncrustable after a few bites so I replaced it (later on) with a Gu Waffle.

T2 - Again didn't set any records, just went about my business in a calm way. Run bag got wet in the rain too, but fortunately socks and shoes stayed dry.

Run - Mostly executed exactly as planned - run from aid station to aid station and relentlessly tell myself one mile at a time. 2 pees in Porta Pottys (run was congested so wasn't quite comfortable peeing in the tri suit). I walked for maybe 20 or 30 yards up the final hill into town, but then started running again, telling myself this is the last one. Cheers from the crowd when I started running again affirmed the decision.

Run Nutrition - Roughly on plan, with some Coke mixed in last 5 or 7 miles (just wanted it). Belly started to feel it sporadically but was never a significant issue.

I used 2 Glukos tablets on the run. Started feeling light headed around mile 5. I sucked on a Glukos tablet for prob 5 miles and felt better (was also following regular nutrition plan during that).

Don't get me wrong, it was a battle out there, but I didn't feel overwhelmed or hopeless at any point on the run. I was focused on staying within myself. Perhaps I could have turned it up a bit last 5 or 6 miles but was a mental struggle to kick it in. Easy to say now in retrospect that I had more in the tank :), but I think I do have some.

Obviously an epic day. And I believe I raced smart (because I did what you told me to do). While I am coachable, (Note – Tim mentions here that his past as a D1 baseball player encourages his to push his limits because “that is necessary in baseball given it's a game of failing effectively.”)

 I am also a "gamer" - blame the baseball days which breeds irrational confidence - so sometimes I can get a little too optimistic about my capabilities. (This is Coach Clare here: What’s so incredible is that he was able to execute this event with its unique demands and hold back his baseball tendencies, but yet used them for all his training to be mindful of his body, his training, his adaptations and to communicate those so effectively.  Tim is the second former D1 baseball player I’ve worked with, both with a CrossFit background, and it was tremendously rewarding).

For an "A" race there would theoretically be some risk of me overdoing it/doing for broke. I think I learned today that trusting in your experience and knowledge, and recognizing that IM distance was an unknown for me, paid off.

It Sure Did Pay Off Tim!  You Crushed It!!  Well done! Folks you’re going to see some blistering performances at shorter distances from Tim in 2024, and I for one can’t wait!