Just sharing some thoughts with you guys.... I did my first 1/2 Iron race....Until last minute I was sure that I picked the wrong race to start on 1/2 races... The bike course is very hilly ( really hilly.... ) even for the pros ( Oscar Galindez known as a really good biker said that this was one of the most difficult bike courses that he did in Brasil ... ) the swim was in a bay and the running was pretty flat and de difficult was the heat ( about 27 celsius ).

Well until the turnaround bike marker I was doing very good ... I saved a lot my legs for the running... but I start feeling a very hard pain in my lower back... I couldn't keep pedaling in the clip for too much time and to make the things worse the winds didn't cooperate ( without being in clip that was a nightmare too me ).

When I arrived in T2 my legs were ok but the lower back was under a severe pain.... I don't know if was a miracle or not but I didn't feel anything on the running leg .... by the way I could keep the pace in the three laps.... The strange thing was that my time was pretty much the same as my 1/2 Marathon races....

The 1/2 Iron was tough... but I can't describe for you guys my feeling after race... I was really really really happy ....... I could finished in 5:07 ( 23 faster than my objective ... )

For the people that answer to me about the salts ( LAVA salts ).... they worked really good ... I took one in bike and another in the middle of run....

Thanks ...

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Luiz Eng