I just completed my first Half IM - I got back a couple hours ago from the long drive and thought I'd share my experience while the details (and suffering) are still fresh...

NJ Devilman is a half IM in Cedarville NJ put on by Piranha Sports (see http://www.piranha-sports.com/Race3.aspx)

For me, I was coming back from a vacation in St. Martin and had a flight delay - I arrived into Vineland NJ (close to Cedarville) the night before at 11pm. Not optimal, but I wanted to get an early Half IM under my belt early in the season to strenthen my mental, "I can do this" state.

Leading up to the race, I was definitely feeling prepared on the cycling and swimming, but running has been difficult for me and my runs in St. Martin in the sweltering heat (even early morning) were tough.

Preparation:
I mixed 3-24oz bottles of Gatorade Endurance, CarboPro and Endurolyte tablets (GEE) - My plan was to consume 375 calories/hour on the bike, comprised of my 3 bottles plus a Gatorade (standard) handup on the course supplemented with a few gels and Cliff shotblocks

The Race

Swim (Felt Good):
The swim was an in-water start in a fairly cold lake (68deg) under cloudy skies with repulsive muck that you sunk into if you attempted to stand - I chose to try and keep warm while treading. After three laps around four buoys, I was out and feeling pretty good about it (I think I did the swim in just under 35min, a good pace for me-1:35/100yds if the course was accurately set).

Bike (Great Bike for me):
The bike was a two-lap 25 mile course with a bit of pre/post entry exit roads and started out excellent (flat, fast, no wind) and, after around 20 miles, a headwind seemed to roll in that was always there - kind of set me up to try and match my first 20 mile pace and made me push more than I probably should have - managed a respectable 2hrs 47min for just over a 20mph pace (borrowed a friends zipp 606 wheels and like them a lot!)

Run (Long/Painful):
The run... Oh, the run. When I got into the transition after the bike, I wanted to hide - The sun was out in full force (high noon) and my legs were already cramping - I literally took it one mile at a time, stopped at each mile point (and celebrated the effort), got one cup of gatorade to drink and one cup of water to pour down my shirt or shorts. The run was broken up into two main out/back roads (one 7 miles, the other 5 miles, with the remainder getting out of transition and back to the finish shoot. The roads were flat long, hot and made me feel, at times, like I was hallucinating on how long I was running and if the thinned band of fellow comrades/triathletes that I was running behind would ever loop back.

The second 5 mile out back seemed to go on forever, and based on my slowing speed (now around 10+/mile), it did!

Overall, my pace started at around 8:45-9min pace for the first 7 miles, then things slowed to something more like 10:45 pace for the rest - Managed a 2hr 13min half-marathon.

Overall, I crossed the line at 5hrs 44min and felt like I gave it everything I had - I stopped to get something to eat and sat down on the grass and winced at the tightness/soreness of my hamstrings - never felt that intensity..

Wasn't the best venue for a half, but it seemed to attract some pretty talented athletes - The winner crossed the finish line at 4:08 and had me thinking: "Were did I lose the hour and 35 minutes??"

John