Ironman Gulf Coast 70.3 2018 Race Report
Created: Tuesday, 29 May 2018
My 2nd race of the season, 2nd in two weeks, 2nd race in Florida. This was my first time in Panama City Beach, FL though. I felt ready, and eager to test my abilities. I learned from my decision two weeks earlier, I now plan to wear my Zoot wetsuit. My goal, was not to be the slowest swimmer. The bike is flat and fast, so the plan was to crush it at 20 mph. I knew it was going to be hot, so plan for the run is to be fully hydrated before I start, stay cool, and just hold on until the finish.
St. Anthony Triathlon 2018 Race Report
Created: Saturday, 28 April 2018
This was my second time at this race in St. Petersburg, FL. My goal was to improve on my time from 2 years ago. I was successful! Beat it by 5 minutes. It wasn’t easy, but it was a great race. I swam 0.9 miles in 38:27. Averaged 21.4 mph on the 25 mi bike, then ran a 9:07/mi for 6.2 mi to finish at 2:48:02.
Ironman Louisville 2017 Race Report
Created: Sunday, 15 October 2017
Ironman Louisville was all about redemption for me. Although I finished my first Ironman in Chattanooga last year, I wasn’t pleased with my performance when I succumbed to the extreme heat that day. I want a strong Ironman race, and was determined to make it happen this year.
Then, life happens. My job assigned me to work in the desert in California (I live in Atlanta). Since January, I’ve been trying to find ways to train while traveling 1 - 2 times a month while living in an unfamiliar area. Not to mention, it stays hot as hell in the desert! So training was very tough. I increased my swim skills by joining a local Masters swim class. I purchased the Zwift membership to ride on my trainer in my hotel room since the roads were unfamiliar and dangerous. Runs were all short, since it was just... too hot. Add in vacations, and it was clear that I was under-trained this year. The weekend before the race, I was actually in South Africa!! Through it all, I continued to train hard and I felt ready for the race despite not having biked a single century (100 mi) or long run (over 14 mi).
Derrick B's Ironman Journey
Created: Sunday, 05 November 2017
Welcome to my Ironman Journey! You will find my race reports here as I work towards my next Ironman event. Big thanks to my sponsors, Zoot Sports and Hammer Nutrition. Click the link to save 15% on your first online purchase from Hammer.
Lake Tahoe Half Triathlon 2017 Race Report
Created: Saturday, 26 August 2017
Pre swim-bike-run at Lake Tahoe
This 70.3 mile swim-bike-run was beautiful, and tough! Lake Tahoe has to be the most beautiful race sites possible in the world. The lake is breathtaking. But that altitude, at over 6,000 ft, makes receiving enough oxygen while racing very challenging. The quick summary, is that I performed beyond my expectations, 7/14 in my AG, 45/83 overall. My goal was to not be the slowest swimmer, as I used to be. I was 7th, at a 2:04/100yd pace. Very fast for me in a lake. I shined at T1, with the second fastest time! I was the 4th fastest on the bike. I know I would've been faster if I could switch to my road bike on on the climbs. My TT bike was blazing the flats and downhills. T2 was awesome again, 2nd fastest time. I was hurting on the run. But so was everyone else. I was 9th fastest (slowest). When I look back, I'm extremely pleased. I competed against other beasts and represented well.