Finished the bike

I finished the bike in 7:30 with a 16.0 mph moving avg. Much better than
last year. Lots of stream crossings. Feeling great, starting run.
--thirdcoast

Halfway on the bike

I'm averaging 16.2 and feeling great! Pretty cold weather, but I got
great gear. Looks like bagels are my best friend.
--thirdcoast

Swim done

Finished the swim in a very casual 1:05. Very relaxed, not tired at
all, just going to chill on the bike and catch up on some podcasts.
Weather cold, but not too shabby.
--thirdcoast

Let’s get started

It's 5 am and I'm sitting outside the pool getting ready to rock. I'm
all fueled up with bagels and oatmeal, recording a bit of audio for the
show. Official start time is 5:30 am, central time zone. First leg is
4225 yards in the pool. Gotta keep it at an easy pace and save my
energy. Let's get this rollin'.
--thirdcoast

The Ironbaby has begun!

The race really begins when you start getting your gear together and
start getting a little anxious. Professor Erich has given me his garmin
301 and I will be using it's heart rate monitor on the bike and the
distance measuring tool as a backup for my notoriously shifty bike
computer. On the run, I will use my own garmin to measure distance,
since his battery probably won't last through both events. I'm driving
to a sketchy part of the bike course tonight to check on a bridge that's
out. I have to determine if that section is crossable on foot or if it
is too muddy. Also, I've picked up a very sore throat and am feeling a
tad under the weather. Tonight, I have to finish putting all my gear
together and prepare my nutrition. Breakfast is going to be oatmeal,
bagels, and coffee. Unfortunately, it is probably a 20 minute drive
between transition points. I'll have two different race times because
of that. still have to calculate how many swim laps and how often to go
by the truck when I'm biking. I'm thinking every 30 miles will do.
More later...
--thirdcoast