Sorry gotta brag, might get this swimming thing down yet

Was there anything in particular that you credit for the improvement??

1.  I was so slow last year, there was nowhere to go but up .  But seriously it's just simply been more time in the pool this year which has gradually led to technique improvements.  Last year I built endurance with bad technique.  So I eventually could go long and REALLY slow.  I still need to keep at it.  My swim times at the Olympic distance (which around here are usually as a whole quite a bit faster than in the sprints) would still not be considered all that good.

2.  Used a full body wetsuit for the first time in a race.  I had a surfer type wetsuit last year.  Better than nothing but not nearly as effective as a tri wetsuit.  I tried it in the OW for the first time several days earlier and that swim didn't go so well.  I think I didn't have it on properly that day.  Yesterday I did and I was able to make it work for me and could feel the difference it made.

3.  Fewer equipment and/or siting problems.  I had had problems with goggles fogging up in the past, which would lead to siting problems.  Read on this site about putting Johnson's baby shampoo on them and rinsing to prevent that and tried it.  Worked like a charm. No fogging at all.  Thus siting went much more smoothly.  It probably also helped that I was much more in the pack instead of behind the pack so I could use other swimmers to guide me (and perhaps catch a bit of draft).