miami man mania. (really, just mania.)

as you know, last sunday i competed in the miami man half ironman. and perhaps some of you at this point may have thought that i didn't survive it since it's taken me so long to write about the results. i'm sorry...it's just our little h-chy got sick and ended up in the hospital so needless to say this week has been kinda crazy. she's fine now -- sans tonsils. and i am just getting my act together to write about my race. so here goes:

i finished the race 6:03:15 (that would be SIX hours. crazy, right?) and i am happy to report that time was 27 minutes ahead of my goal. here's how it all broke down:

Swim (1.2 Miles): i felt great on the swim. i didn't push too too hard because i had a long day ahead of me but finished with a time of 36:18 and i was very pleased. there were a lot of people in the water so i had to weave in and out at times.


Bike (56 miles): i've never ridden that far alone before so i wasn't sure how i was going to do. i figured it'd take me 3:15 - 3:30 but i finished in 2:56:14. i was stoked. the wind got crazy at some points so it was working my hamstrings and for some reason my groin was cramping about halfway through every time i'd get in my aerobars. but i just pushed on through.

i got three nice surprises on the actual ride. first, as i was heading out, i saw my friend guillermo who i haven't seen in months. he gave me a high five and his smile was just what i needed as i began my 56 mile journey. at mile 26, my friend rebecca was cheering me on. then kc was on the side of the road at about mile 44. (and he actually rode up next to me with about 10 miles to go. it was funny. he was filming me...i'll post a video montage later. oh yea...watch out!)

Run (13.1 miles): where to even begin here. UM, i realized quickly that 13.1 miles was really far. especially when you've already been going for more than 3 1/2 hours. i had a slight cramp in my side the first 5 miles and then my hamstrings and lower back kicked in. oh did they kick in. the last two miles were brutal (and i unfortunately had to walk several times). my time was 2:23. i missed my run goal by 3 minutes but i just physically couldn't get my body going any faster. ultimately...i finished so i guess i have nothing to complain about. and now i have a new goal for next time. (yes, i just said next time...i know, estoy loca!)

overall, the whole experience was amazing. a nice crisp swim, a good bike, and the whole running through the zoo thing was killer. i got to see all the animals -- giraffes, gorillas, elephants, tourists in "safari cycles" -- but let me tell you...i have never seen a finish line that looked so good. i have never been given a medal that meant so much. and to top it off, my parents were there to see me do the whole thing. it meant so much to me that they came and cheered me on. (thanks again mom and dad!)

this is me walking out of the finish area. (somehow i managed to put on a face that didn't look like i wanted to die...ha)

and this post wouldn't be complete if i didn't pay homage to my little training group. congrats carol, noemi and aileen. you ladies did awesome. you all continue to inspire me (well, maybe not inspire me to go 26.2 miles. ha ha.) and i look forward to, and enjoy, every time we train together. and kc, a huge thanks. none of us could have crossed the finish line without your help. :)

and with that, the 2008 triathlon season is over. it was a great year filled with lots of learning and most importantly tons O' fun.
so what now you ask? REST. and figuring out what 2009 will hold for me.