Trirock Durban Half Iron DIstance

Right folks im back! Well I did it....my first half iron distance event...TRIROCK DURBAN. Thanks to Dave Vlcek, Chris Pugh and Julie McMurray for all your support and assistance in Durbs and to everyone who sent well wishes!!! You know who you are!!! HIGH 5! So lets start on the race: Saturday nights sleep....limited yet when I woke up at 3:30am I wasn't tired but ready if not bordering on ridiculously excited....probably an over compensation for the nerves. Anyway had breakfast rechecked my transition bags for the 15th time(think by this point the OCD was driving Dave barmy) and off we went to Ushaka for the start and check in! We could not have asked for a finer morning(see pics on facebook) met up with Chris and Julie. loaded my bike then when to put on my wetsuit and go for a warm up swim. For those of you who don't know I am some what paranoid about these fish we call sharks...so the low viz on the warm up swim got those nerves tingling hehehehe silly me! Then we lined up in our waves and pink caps and before I knew it BOOM we were off...what a rush...my tactics were to hang back and not get caught in the mess around buoy 1. I hung back and still got caught in the mess. ploughed through and then suddenly as we turned buoy 2.......no not a shark...the waters cleared and I could see the ocean floor and the FISH!!!! It was awesome! Next I was getting out the water running to T2....I looked at my watch 38min!!! Quicker than anticipated and I was going strong. T2 was fairly descent and off I went on the bike for a ride that I thought would hurt as I had driven the route the day before. Off the bat I opened my top bag to put my gels in my tri suit and I hit a bump and lost half my nutrition....rookie error...but I wasn't phased..figured I would grab something on the way...after 20km I was flying, I reached down for some juice and didn't put the bottle back properly...Boom lost a 3/4 full water bottle....long story short I flew on the bike and loved it!!! TRUST ME MAKE SURE YOU STICK TO YOUR NUTRITIONAL PLAN!!! Because what followed was terrible. I got off the bike in 2h55min. T2 was descent and at this stage I was looking at a sub 6 hour first race......then the rookie demons attacked...both quads cramped after 2km...19km to go. that was a terrible place to be mentally, I was thinking I would have to pull out. Thank god for logic...I figured I only had 19km to and 5hours to cut off...suddenly I remembered why I was there...to have fun!!! and finish!! and with the stupidest smile I could muster off I set. run 1km walk 500m, and repeat. I took on a small cup of water and coke at each water station. and then there was 1km to go. and people I had never seen in my life cheering me on by name(it was on my race number hahaha) Then I was running up the final incline to the finish! what a feeling!!! its possibly the best feeling I have ever felt. Hugs from friends! High 5's everywhere! and for the next 10min I was King of Myself!!! Then I saw the massage tent and disappeared for half and hour hahahaha. For those of you wondering...I finished in 6 hours 20min!!!!! Not to shabby!