Race rehearsal.
This one was complete with: no sleep the night before, strange bed (couch), travel, unknown course, and creative food choices. Just like a race. Throw in 94 degree heat with 75% humidity and you have a very hot IM simulation. It will come in handy when I qualify for Kona in the 85-90 AG. 
We rode from Annapolis MD to Solomons Island MD, a relatively flat to slightly rolling 112 miles out and back on a busy 2 to 4 lane road with wide shoulder. I went through approximately 150 ounces of water, powerade, and water + nuun and 1200 calories of efs goo and gu. I ate 2 S caps at the turn. I think I should have kept them coming but did not. Developed a hot spot at about mile 80 which did not enhance my pedal stroke. I reached down and loosened my shoe, sat up for a bit and it abated. Did this twice. Ride time was 5:38 at 223 np, .67. With traffic and the eternal quest for more fluids factored in, its right on. I took 5 minutes transitioning then ran 60 mins at 11:38. It was not a struggle to hold my pace down. It was more of a struggle keeping my pants up as I was drenched in sweat.
Peed once at mile 56 and thought I had to on the run but my bladder was just messing with me. I stashed a bottle about a mile and a half from the house. I then ran down a side road looking for shade. Down that unfamiliar road the sun whacked me and I started to really heat up. It occurred to me during the faux pee break that I was hurting in the fluids department and if I "fell out" there that would not be good. So I walked a few steps in the shady parts and focused on chilling. (not the right word) Got back to the main drag after a slight detour down Clydesdale Lane (The sign told me Leroy and Helen own Clydesdale Farm.) I ran back to where I thought I stashed my water bottle but never found it so just ran it in. Felt okay, but that heat exhaustion is sneaky and freaked me out for a minute.
All in all, successful. I came in totally dehydrated but recovered well, stretched and drove the 2 hours home. I lack some confidence in my setup on the bike as my right lower ham goes way tight and the first 10-15 minutes of the run are about letting it loosen up.
So,
1. Figure out ham issue.
2. Think about cleat adjustment and other remedies for hot spot.
2. More plain water supplementing everything else. I don't know the science, but it is seems to make everything else function better.
cm
Comments
Chris,
Thanks for the post and great effort. It sounds like you have the same weather as me in Columbus Ohio(92 degrees, 80% humidity) retarded. even with that weather it looks like you rocked a good ride .67 and still needing to wizz during the ride and comfortable off the bike for the run(most importantly). at 5:38. great job.
Pg
CM, Clydesdale Lane, huh? Classic. I hear ya on the hotspot. Mine comes and goes, and sometimes it doesn't even show up. There's a thread about specialized inserts that help with the nerves that cause that hot spots and someone else just wrote that Tums helped. Something to do with the need for calcium. Haven't tried either, but thought I'd pass it along.
Is your race on 7/18?
Dave
@Dave- Yep. 7/18. Thanks . I just noticed the tums thing. Interesting. I'm going to keep tinkering, maybe use the look cleats from the road bike. Maybe even just use the road bike.
Well done!
P