IMAZ: Go Denise! Go Laura!

[KnottedYet]

http://ironman.com/events/ironman/arizona/?show=all

click on "Track an Athlete" to see how they are doing.
Denise is bib #2191
Laura is bib #2089

[Tri Girl]

Yay! Go girls, go!!!! :D

[KnottedYet]

I can't make the live video work.

Is there a secret? A download I'm missing?

[bmccasland]

Go girls go!!!!

Cheering madly from the outer fringes!!!!!!

YEAAAHHHH!!!!

[Trek420]

The site says the first women are getting outa the water and there are still no stats on Denise at 8:05 Pacific time. So she's still swimming. Go Denise Go!!

[LBTC]

Magic butterflies all around her as she swims! Wahooooooooooooo! I'm so sure she's having a fabulous time!!

H&B
~T~

[KnottedYet]

Laura is out of the water! 1:40:13!

[KnottedYet]

Here's something to read while we're waiting for stats: http://www.ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/barry-siff-profiles-the-incredible-sister-madonna-buder

[alpinerabbit]

Tune in, zone out and don't feel the pain... run.... run. Best of luck to both of ya.

[KnottedYet]

Laura is out of T1 and on the bike. (7:14)

[LBTC]

Denise is out of the water!!! 2:01:40

Yahooooooo! Go Denise, go!

[KnottedYet]

Denise is out of T1 and on the bike. (8:34)

Go, girls, go!

[tprevost]

Denise is out of the water!!! 2:01:40

Yahooooooo! Go Denise, go!

YEAH Denise!!!!!!! Great Job!!!

[Trek420]

Go Girls Go!!! Any chance that they'll see each other? I don't imagine there's a lot of chatting or time for that :o

[Red Rock]

Even though I'm at work, I'm thinking of you all having fun working hard.
Keep up the good work.
Go Denise!! Go Laura!!:D:D

Red Rock

[rocknrollgirl]

I just in in from riding and checked the race website. GO GIRLS GO!!!!!! I am praying for no wind on the bike.....

GO DENISE GO LAURA

[KnottedYet]

On the main IMAZ page feed, they just said the wind is so bad they need to duct tape the mats down at the turnaround.

Hmmmm.

[divingbiker]

I'm addicted to watching their progress, just like I was when Wahine did IM Canada last year!

[salsabike]

It is pretty cool to be able to check in on them. Thanks for posting their bib number, Knot.

[OakLeaf]

Laura's through the first bike split in 4:08:08. Must be a wicked headwind.

::beaming energy into their legs::

[Over50Newbie]

Just got here -

GO LAURA!
GO DENISE!

Lynette

[Grog]

GO DENISE!!! GO LAURA!!!!


Yeah, I'm checking on a number of friends of mine and they're all progressing more slowly than I expected.

According to Wunderground it's supposed to be only 5% humidity in Tempe right now, with 7mph winds from the ENE.

Here I sit in 67% humid Vancouver, BC. Wow.

[OakLeaf]

NOAA observations at Phoenix airport are 16-22 mph winds since 9 a.m.

[Trek420]

GO LAURA!
GO DENISE!

gear down and spin spin spin spin.

[Running Mommy]

I just posted in another link. It's bad out there! Send those butterflies to Laura!

[Trek420]

Running Mommy, thanks for joining us on the cheering section. Can you paint us a verbal picture of what it's like out there? :confused: You've been there, what do you think it's like for our gals at this stage?

[Running Mommy]

well I'm at home, but it's howling out there. Basically the wind is dead east, tho I hear from my friend at the race that it keeps changing. The course is an out and back loop that heads east/ north east on the way out, and of course south, south west on the way back.
So the first 18 miles of each loop are brutal. I had a guy fall over into me on the beeline hwy, lucky for me I was going so slow I had time to clip out. My wheel may need a true though.. :p

It's also very hot out there, but the wind doesn't make it feel that hot.
I'll have to look on wunderground and see what the wind is doing. All I know is- it's not fun.

[KnottedYet]

RM does part of an Ironman, has some dude crash into her, and first thing she does when she gets home is jump on TE.

yay, RM!!!!
man, that wind sounds awful!

[Running Mommy]

well I knew you guys were watching! And I didn't want you to worry...
Cause I really am ok. I didn't even fall over when the guy fell into me. I just let the bike go down, but I stayed upright. He swore he was gonna keep going. I was like "ok buddy. fight on, this kid is DONE!" :)

Like Michael Lovato said- it's suppose to be fun! When it's not fun anymore you need to stop. It wasn't fun anymore- so I stopped.
Some would say I was a quitter. And yeah I may not be a "true" Ironman because I didn't fight through the conditions... But funny thing... I don't care! ha ha ha I'm secure in my dnf-ness! :D

Ok, REALLY I'm off to shower now. I'm developing a raging headache and feel very sinusy. UGH. Prolly snorted too much of tempe town lake up my nose. OY

[Trek420]

If your wheel needs to be trued you did the right thing. A mechanical failure in this wind could have been catastrophic. We don't need another ride report when someones friend or significant other logs in "I'm not Running Mommy, her wheel came off on a downhill on IMAZ" ;)

Triathletes have an odd idea of fun :p This is fun? Racing into headwind?

It's not a race so I can't imagine what you do but I recall on Day 2 of ALC which is relatively flat but with a couple hills at the end having this conversation with a guy passing me:
Guy:We trained for hills
Trek:Yep
Guy:And we trained for heat
Trek:Yep
Guy:And we trained for back to back centuries
Trek:Yep
And headwind
Trek: Yep
Guy: I forgot to train for all 4 at once. :rolleyes:

And I was having fun at the time. You gals are inspirational :D

[Running Mommy]

racing into a headwind indeed.
current stats on wunderground have wind speed at 18.4, gusts to 23.
I imagine it's worse out on the beeline hwy. That's open desert and is windy on the calmest of days. It's like a big open wind tunnel.
Oh boy, I'm feeling it for Laura!! C'mon Laura you can do it!!

BTW- noticed that the traker is down.... argghh..

[Trek420]

I imagine it's worse out on the beeline hwy. That's open desert and is windy on the calmest of days. It's like a big open wind tunnel.

You talked about inhaling the lake, do you get sandblasted in that part of the course? :(

Running Mommy, how was the OWS part?

[OakLeaf]

Laura's through the second bike split in 6:29:48!

Go Laura!

[KnottedYet]

Go, Laura, GO!!!!

[Running Mommy]

Dang, my Ironmanlive tracker's not working. GO LAURA GO!

I inhaled part of the lake when the swells came up. I would turn to breathe and get a swell in the face. I drank a bit of the murky lake. blecch!

But I did get sandblasted more than a couple of times out there. The blowing dust is bad. I feel for anyone with asthma or allergies!

[salsabike]

Is this Laura's first IM, does anyone know?

[Trek420]

Laura's through the second bike split in 6:29:48!

Go Laura!

Does the split mean she's turned around? Will that give her any relief from the wind?

[Running Mommy]

no, that will mean she started the third loop, so she'll be in a headwind for awhile, but it's the last time..
Till she hits the run of course. The run is different this year, so she'll be running w/ a tail wind the first couple of miles and then she'll get it head on again until the backside of the loop.

[nonsmoker3]

Go Laura!!! You have a whole lot of folks rooting for ya! Go, Iron Woman, Go!!

[LBTC]

Sounds like awful conditions! :eek: RM, I'm so glad you're happy with your decision and that you did the right thing! Big celebratory butterflies for you!

Sending loads of fast, protective butterflies to cut the headwind for Laura and keep her safe!!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Trek420]

Go, Iron Woman, Go!!

That's Iron Women ;) We've got 'em here on TE :)

Running Mommy, at this pace how many more miles is she on the bike? Does the wind die down in the evening where you are or :eek: pick up?

Go Laura. draft behind those butterflies

[nonsmoker3]

That's Iron Women ;) We've got 'em here on TE :)

True dat!! My bad. Go IRONWOMEN Go!!!!!

RM - you ROCK!!!

[Trek420]

It's ok, we get it and I can be overly picky about grammar at times here.

Go Laura GO!!! do you think she can hear us?

[rocknrollgirl]

The Ironman site is not working, any word?

[divingbiker]

The Ironman site is not working, any word?

I just got it to load, and it doesn't show that she's finished the bike yet.

[Grog]

She's on the run now.

Her total time so far is 7h08m24s.

GO LAURA GO!

[KnottedYet]

YESSSSS!!!!!!

Go Laura! Whoooooo-HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

[salsabike]

So is this what they call negative splits---she did each bike segment a little faster than the segment before it? Hope that means the wind is moderating a little.

[firenze11]

Wow! Go Laura!!! My internet just came back now. . .this is so exciting. I've been reading other experiences so far today and it seems like a lot of people have had a rough day. These Ironwomen and Ironmen are incredible.

[Trek420]

Now allllllllll she has to do is a marathon :eek: :confused: :eek:

Go Laura! :D

[rocknrollgirl]

Yee Haaaa!!!!!!!!!

Run Laura Run!!!!!!!!!!!

[crazycanuck]

Keep going Laura!!!

RM-are you going back down to the course to watch?

[spindizzy]

Laura -

You are almost done..you know you can do it.
The energy of TE is with you now.


GO!!!!!!

[Trek420]

RM-are you going back down to the course to watch?

with a laptop :cool: or an iPhone ;)

[Tri Girl]

Sorry it was so rough out there for you RM, but I'm glad you stopped when you did. If it messed with your wheel you could've crashed hard later. Heck, I'm incredibly proud of you for making to the starting line with the insane few months you've had recently. That in and of itself is a victory!!

Now for Laura- YOU RUN LIKE THE WIND!!!!! :D

[ClockworkOrange]

Oooops, I didn't realise there was a thread about the race, stupid me for not checking under Triathlon, would not have started my thread if I had known.

Am still sending good vibes and things over to Laura, I still keep checking on that Ironman site.

Laura...........you are amazing. :D

Clock

[Wahine]

I've been in course all day and it's been driving me crazy. I just found someplace that I can pick up internet and I can't get the bloody site to work.

(((((((RM)))))))) - You're a smart lady.

Laura - Go Go Go!!!!

I have anothr friend out there. His name is Bryan and he's my Latte Slinger extraordinaire. Go Bryan!!!

[Over50Newbie]

This is soooo exciting...

Run, Laura, Run!

Denise, glad to hear that you are okay. You are still a hero in my book.

Lynette

[Trek420]

Go Bryan! Go Laura! What's Bryans number?

[Running Mommy]

Just back from dinner. The wind on the west side has died down- surely the same on the east side. But it has heated up big time!
I'm sure Laura is feeling the 92 degree temps right now!
Send some cooling butterflies her way!
She's also had a HUGE life change in the last year, so I'm very proud of her for sticking with it! She was sick on Friday and didn't even make the pre race dinner. She's one tough cookie that's for sure! Lot's tougher than I was today!!

[KnottedYet]

Lot's tougher than I was today!!

I wouldn't make that judgement. I think it takes a great deal of toughness to accept that someone crashed into you and messed up your bike, and take oneself out of the race.

I'd've either endangered myself and everyone around me by continuing on a damaged bike, or cussed and screamed at the dude and ruined his day, too, or sat in the middle of the road and cried my eyes out. (or all three)

Takes serious toughness to handle the situation with the grace that you did!

[Alex]

Oh my goodness! You could fry an egg on the asphalt of the marathon course. People are hurtin' out there! Lots of walkers just trying to keep moving forward.

The weather was just brutal today. My car thermometer got up to 98 degrees, and the pavement just radiated heat. And the wind! Yow! I don't know if it's worse than last year, but it was bad bad bad.

Congrats to everyone who stepped to the line!!!!!!!

Alex

[KnottedYet]

IMAZ site is up again. Laura finished first run segment with 13:42 /mile.
9:56:20 total at that point.

Go, Laura, go!

(but walk while it's so hot, ok? Save your energy to zoom for when it cools down)

[Running Mommy]

Well to be fair, I had already decided I was going to drop out. That was just the clincher.

Here is the hourly observations of the wind today from wunderground. Explains why lot's of people did a negative split on the third loop.

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KPHX/2008/4/13/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA

Ok, so anyone want a short (HA!) little dnf race report?
Well here goes anyway. I need to get this out there...

So as many of you know I was ready to pull the plug a few weeks ago. I did a whopping ONE 100 mile ride, ONE 2.4 mile swim, and ONE 15 mile run. That is a mere fraction of what I usually do in training. I HATE the wind, and do everything to avoid riding in it- tho I know that race day can be very windy.
This spring has been very windy, so going into this week I had my fingers crossed, but was expecting it to be windy. Not that I had trained for it! No that would have been the SMART thing to do. :rolleyes:

But that is until this past week. Up to today all of the weather reports called for HOT temps with winds from the east at 5-10 mph. That's cake for out here, so I really wasnt worried. Yesterday when I went down to the practice swim it was windy, so I got a bit worried, but again the reports were for NO WIND. And god knows I looked at all the reports.

This past week was busy and stressful. I was not really nervous about the race, I was more dreading it. I knew it was gonna hurt because I was so under trained. Everyone was excited for the race, so I tried to get into the spirit, but deep down I wasn't feeling it. I did enjoy the expo and practice swims, but I didn't feel the Ironman love I usually do. Again, I tried to talk myself into it, and I think I was excited early in the week. It was exciting to share the Ironman spirit with my new friends (Adrian the British gent, and Michelle and Chris- as well as my customers). But I have to say that I never really envisioned myself running across the finish line. It's almost like I had a feeling it wasn't going to happen.
Yesterday afternoon I went into a molt trying to rest up and hydrate for today. I spent the day alone at home and did lots of thinking. One thing that I asked myself is if I really wanted it. And the sad thing is, I didn't really feel like I did. But again, I tried to put the negative out of my mind and talk myself into it. I was hoping for a miracle I guess. Like my friend Albert said "on any given sunday"...
Fast forward to this morning. I got up at 4am, had a bowl of cereal, and got my things together. We drove down to the race course in silence. Again I was trying to psyche myself up, but I just didn't even want to get in the water. At the site I went about my pre race busy work. Checked my tires, put my infinit in my never reach pod, booted up the gps, filled my bento with food, dropped off special needs bag, filled my camelbak with water, added sunglasses to T1 bag, eyeglasses to T2 bag, and got body marked. By then it was time to don the human rubber band. After that I went over to sit and wait. It was then that I saw Laura. I called her name and we chatted. She had been sick on Friday and didn't seem very optimistic. HA neither did I. I then ran into a couple of guys that are friends/customers and told them I was dreading it. They tried to talk me out of it, but again- I wasn't feeling it.
6:45 the pros went off and it was time for me to jump in. It took me a minute but finally I made the plunge. I slowly doggy paddled over to the bridge and made sure I had no one behind me. The national anthem played, and before I knew it the cannon went off. being in the back, and being slow, I had clear water almost immediately. I put my head down and swam. I got into a nice groove and seemed to be going at a decent (for me) clip, and then I got closer to the rural road bridge. This is near the turn around, but not as near as I'd like. It seemed like all of the sudden I was swimming backwards! The chop was awful and it seemed FOREVER to get to the turn bouy. I was actually thinking of quitting in this stretch. I finally hit the turn, swam a bit more, and then took another left turn heading back. Here I checked my watch and it said 8:00. YIPES! I was about 8 minutes behind. I spent the next few minutes in a panic thinking I might miss the cut off. I was trying to just swim, but I had to go back under that choppy bridge. As I was going under the bridge I had a guy swim into the side of me and kick me in the right thigh. UGH! Where did he come from?? All the way out I had a personal kayak escort, so I figured I was near dead last in the water.
Finally I got it together and told myself to just SWIM. I concentrated on my form and I think I made up some time here. But I was drifting to the left and kept having to change course to get on the right side of the bouy.
I was almost to the mill ave. bridge (start line of the swim) when a guy came out of nowhere. He came up on the side and whacked me hard in the left cheek bone up by my eye. I screamed OUCH! And my personal kayak came to check on me. :o But I just put my head down and swam. As I went under the last bridge and was heading home my kayak escort told me to have a good race. I managed a "thank you" and kept going. I took the last turn heading for the stairs. This little jaunt took FOREVER! I finally made it to the stairs and the clock read 2:01 and some change. UGH! I thought.
I went to the strippers and they had my suit off in seconds. I then managed a trot up to the change tents. My friend Lynn was there and handed me my bag. A nice girl helped me change, and I was out of there. As usual my bike was the last one on the rack, but I wasn't worried. I hadn't noticed the wind yet. I saw my friend Michelle, and at the mount line my friend that owns a tri shop was there to cheer. As I pedaled out I saw Tony, but just gave him a quick "hey". My heart rate was soaring, and I was kind of whoozy from the swim. I exited the park and hit the stretch out known as Rio Salado. This is usually a fast flat FUN section. Not today. I was immediately hit with a major head wind and then a horrid gust with some blowing sand.:eek:
It was here that I went into freak out mode. I needed to bring my heart rate down and settle in, but I was battling a major wind. I looked at my GPS and I was going 11 mph!! :eek::eek:
As I was heading out I started thinking about what I wanted to do, and I knew it didn't include battling the wind today. I spent the next two miles talking to myself about it as I tried to battle the wind. I initially told myself I would do one loop (38 miles) and then call it a day. But as I turned up the beeline hwy it got BAD, and I knew I would be battling this "bad" for ten miles. I looked at the folks coming down, and they didn't look that happy either. Hilary Biscay (a pro) passed me, but she wasn't even going that fast. At this point I was making myself decide what to do. I didn't want to regret my decision, but it really wasn't a hard one for me today. I was following a guy that was only going about 7 mph. I decided to try to pass him, because his pace just seemed too slow. As I was passing him he swerved to the left and I knew he was going to hit me. I somehow unclipped on the left and then the right just as his wheel was coming into contact with mine. I was able to hop off, and I let go of my bike, so he just kind of fell on top of my front wheel. I asked if he was ok. He said "yeah, sorry. That gust got me". I told him I was calling it a day anyway, and he looked at me like I was nuts. I told him this was my third year in a row, and after last year I had no desire to fight the wind again. He said "well I'm going to keep going". I told him good luck, and off he went. I spun my wheel and it had a bit of a wobble, but I got back on. I rode another half mile or so and saw a sag wagon picking someone up. I stopped and asked him if I sagged in would he be able to call my husband. He said yes and asked if I wanted to think about it. I told him no, I was done. They have to ask you three times just to make sure. I got in with a girl who was sick. She'd had the stomach flu the day before and was just drained. She was near tears, and I felt really sorry for her. The sag voly handed me a cell and I called Tony. He sounded a bit shocked and asked why I was quitting. I then rode in chatting w/ mr. sag. He said I had a great attitude about it all. I really had no regrets, so it was ok. I just felt sorry for my sag mate Stephanie. She was bummed. Tony met me at the sag station. He agreed that it was windy, and didn't blame me at all. We went around and picked up my bags, and then headed for home. The way I figure it is I could have suffered through the wind, but I would have been chasing the cut off again, and my run training was not up to par, so if I didn't have the bike to cushion my marathon time, I wouldn't have made it by midnight. So why make my family suffer out there for nothing. And why suffer myself? I wasn't having fun. And it's suppose to be hard- but it's also suppose to be fun. And this year, my heart just wasnt into it.
So there you have it. One big dnf report for only 12 miles! :rolleyes:
2006 I made it with 7 minutes to spare, last year I made it 132 miles, vomiting my way through the run before calling it a day, this year I made it 12 miles, but I'm ok. I made it once, and that can never be taken away from me.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for all your love!
Denise :)

[salsabike]

Thank you for that report, Denise. You are still an Ironman and I remain more impressed than I can say by that.

[Trek420]

Denise, you are an Ironman!

Isn't there a video or something? ;)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGFx4xWnnnI

[Running Mommy]

I'm getting worried about her! We should have had a second run segment by now. My coach is also not showing a third run segment- and running is his thing! He does 20 milers as warm ups! :eek:
AND he lives in La Quinta, so he knows heat and wind.

As a testiment to how tough it was out there, my english friend came in at 11:24. That's more than an hour off his predicted time! He was trying to Kona-fy, and was gunning for a sub ten- 10:14 time. And let me tell you, this guy was READY! He was serious business and looked uber fit! I feel for him. The wheels came off in earnest on the run. OY!

[Grog]

Don't quite worry yet. A friend of mine (547) shows no third segment run time, but finished.

Hang in there Laura!!

[tprevost]

I'm getting worried about her! We should have had a second run segment by now. My coach is also not showing a third run segment- and running is his thing! He does 20 milers as warm ups! :eek:
AND he lives in La Quinta, so he knows heat and wind.

As a testiment to how tough it was out there, my english friend came in at 11:24. That's more than an hour off his predicted time! He was trying to Kona-fy, and was gunning for a sub ten- 10:14 time. And let me tell you, this guy was READY! He was serious business and looked uber fit! I feel for him. The wheels came off in earnest on the run. OY!

Don't worry Denise, the times beyond the 2nd run segment are not right.... or not listed...

who's your coach? Is it Alan?

[salsabike]

Hey! They just posted her second run segment time!!

[Running Mommy]

yeah my old coach- alan woodruff. He's more of a friend now tho, as I'm not a very "coachable" athlete.
He finished in 13:29. Laura's 2nd segment shows she's doing a 24:51 min mile. I hope that's wrong.
I'm off to bed now, but I'm praying that she finds it in herself to finish.
Either way, she's still an Ironman.

[kelownagirl]

Here's something to read while we're waiting for stats: http://www.ironman.com/events/ironman/worldchampionship/barry-siff-profiles-the-incredible-sister-madonna-buder

She's the reason 'm doing a triathlon this summer. I watched her in Wahine's IM last August and said to myself, if she can do it, I can do it. But first I gotta learn how to swim and do a sprint tri.

[alpinerabbit]

Results are up.... Afraid she did not finish. So sorry to both of our troopers.

....A guy from my club missed Hawaii by 6 minutes in South Africa.
What a day.

[OakLeaf]

You ladies are the real thing. Great job, both of you. I'm in awe.

Denise, thanks for the report! I'm so glad you're okay with your DNF. Sounds like you made a smart, considered decision.

[bmccasland]

Denise & Laura - Here's a toast to you for facing the Arizona Desert Ironman!!! I can't even conceive the notion of trying something like that. You gals Rock!

[KnottedYet]

Yay Laura and Denise! You did awesomely under gruelling conditions! We're proud of you guys! :D

[Tuckervill]

Raising a glass! Cheers!

Like someone said, you're miles ahead of all of those who didn't even start!

I really enjoyed that video, BTW.

Karen

[Running Mommy]

For the first time in a LONG time. I had a huge weight lifted off my back.
Last year when I dnf'ed I felt horrible about it. I swore I'd be back to get that dnf monkey off my back. But last year my life was much different. Ironman was all I did. It was my identity. Over the last year my life has changed dramatically. I'd like my new identity to be getting women riding. And of course maybe into triathlon as well.
Going into this race I was doing it for others. Because they were so excited for me and thought it was soo cool that I did Ironman. You know the whole "chubby girl does Ironman" thing. But I now realize that deep down in my belly- I didn't want it. To put your body through the months of training and extreme pain, you really have to want it.
So I'll hang up my ironman shoes for awhile and focus on helping others. Maybe in a couple of years I'll be ready to race one again. Who knows, maybe the move to November will be better??

On another note..

I was sad to see that Laura didn't finish. But from what all my friends said, it was BRUTAL. They said the day just got worse. When the winds died down the temp's spiked. So you got beat down by the wind, and then finished off in the oven... UGH..
I hope she's ok. She made it far considering the conditions and that she'd been sick.
{{{{{{{Laura}}}}}}}}}}

[Running Mommy]

Just looked at the alminac on wunderground for the date of the Novmeber race. Looks like it was cold on that day last year- like in the 50's and 60's. But in the 05 and 06 it was in the low 70's. Last year still had a bit of wind, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. BUT a big thing I noticed was the sunrise and sunset times. Sunrise is 7:06 am, and sunset is 5:21 pm.
The swim starts at 7:00, so I wonder if they are going to change that. Also the bike cut off is 5:30. With sunset being at 5:21 I imagine they will have to change that. My guess is there's going to be stricter cut off times.

[Running Mommy]

sorry for the multiple posts, but check this out.. WOW

If you are wondering how tough things were out on the course today, all you have to do is check out the number of DNF's at today's race.

Of the 2035 athletes who started the swim, 2033 finished in time to start the bike.

Of those, 1,874 managed to get through the hot and windy bike course.

1,830 of those started the run.

With just under 40 minutes to go, 1,574 of those athletes have finished.

The high attrition rate is no-doubt due to the extreme heat we experienced here today, coupled with the high winds.

[Over50Newbie]

Laura and Denise,

You ladies are awesome!

Lynette

[mommelisa]

BUT a big thing I noticed was the sunrise and sunset times. Sunrise is 7:06 am, and sunset is 5:21 pm.
The swim starts at 7:00, so I wonder if they are going to change that. Also the bike cut off is 5:30. With sunset being at 5:21 I imagine they will have to change that. My guess is there's going to be stricter cut off times.

in florida, the sun sets around 4:00 the first week of november when imfl is held. almost everyone finishes in the dark - well, except the pros i guess and those really fast people. i finished in the dark. :-)

i'm sure they're going to be very strict with the bike cutoff, for safety sake.

[Tri Girl]

My guess is there's going to be stricter cut off times.

Probably so. I'm just glad the weather will be cooler in Nov. than it was for you yesterday- which I'm sure is the big reason they changed the date. The wind I can handle. It's rare that I DON'T have to ride in 10-30 mph sustained winds. The dry air is what will get me. I worry about that, since I'm so used to training in the humidity. Still, with earlier/later sunrise/sunset, I wonder if they'll mess with the times. My guess is probably not. You'd just better get your butt off the bike by sunset or you'd better put some blinkies in your special needs bike bag. :rolleyes:

And like I'm hoping to finish in daylight anyway. HA! This time I'm not hoping for a new PR. The goal is to finish in under 16:59 and have a good time doing it. This is my vacation IM. :D