I wasn't going to do a race report about this years Vineman because I had to pull out and I really didn't know what to say about it. A lot of people have asked about it though so I just wanted to leave a couple of notes about the day.
Everything went perfectly. I had a great swim that felt effortless. Nutrition and hydration on the bike went exactly according to plan...I had to jump off twice because I derailed my chain in the same spot on both loops. I finished the bike feeling spectacular. I know I was ready to run a solid marathon and I was even 10 minutes ahead of my race plan up to that point. What did happen was that riding without socks shifted the insoles in my cycling shoes just the slightest bit and they were putting pressure on a soft part of my feet. I didn't think much about it but late in the bike it really started hurting. When I got off I couldn't even put weight on my feet and basically what had happened was the insoles bruised the bottom of my feet so I couldn't run.
I learned a ton of stuff from preparing for and racing the ironman this year and I am about 50% sure I will try again but the most important thing I learned was that ironman can take your smallest weakness and when it gets compounded over such a distance and so much time, bring you to your knees with it.
Thanks everyone for supporting me along the way and checking in! I am not too disappointed because I know that I was ready to do it and just because I didn't finish doesn't mean I didn't accomplish what I set out to. The preparation was the biggest challenge and the part I get the most from on a personal level.
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