I literally got run over at the beginning. I figured since I planned to be one of the first ones out of the water, I'd get ahead of the melee... WRONG! Those chicas burst out of the gate like their wetsuits were on fire. So ridiculous because I passed a good chunk of them on the 2nd lap.

Start further towards the outside so I could avoid as many of the "fast starters" as possible.

I had a cramp starting in my left calf as I finished the swim and had to walk most of the way into T1, and was a little more careful taking off the wetsuit so as not to have it turn into a full-blown, mind-bending cramp like I tend to get. All was good, and the calf didn't bother me at all the rest of the race, so I guess the extra minute that cost me was worth it in the long run.

Nothing really. Wish I could have avoided walking, but better that then a huge cramp.

I just can't say enough about how much the wind affected the bike leg. My backside really hurt on the second lap, not sure if pedaling into the wind for so long affected my pedal stroke and therefore my position on the saddle, but by the end, I was really uncomfortable. Also, with about a mile or two left, I felt a twinge in my right groin. As I pulled into T2, I wasn't sure if I was even going to be able to finish the run. In any case, given the conditions, I'm happy as a clam with 18.1 mph on the bike!

Nothing. It was a pretty good bike for me despite the wind. Mental effort was good, each time my speed dropped due to the wind, I forced myself to kick it up.

Not much to T1. Toss the bike on the rack, off with the helmet, off with the cycling shoes, on with the running shoes and off you go. Visor gets slapped on, on the go and that's that!

Nothing, this was a good T2, even though it probably cost me a few seconds to hobble my way out of the gate due to the sore leg.

As I started the run, my groin was really uncomfortable, but by about 1/2 mile in, everything had loosened up. On the flip side, the sun had cleared all the clouds by then and was really baking down. It got REALLY hot and after the brutal bike ride, I started to run out of steam about 4.5 miles in. I walked a couple of times (only for about 10 steps each), but was unhappy about that after the race was over. I doubt it affected my time much at all, but there's definitely room for improvement. The run continues to be my worst sport, and the bane of my triathlon existence.

I would have put my nose to the grindstone and run (even if slowly) the whole time. I REALLY wanted to be sub-60, oh well.

I felt like Forest Gump at the end of the race. My boyfriend greets me at the finish and asks me how I feel and I all could say is, "I gotta pee." I walked around quite a bit to try and get loose, because my groin had started to tighten up the instant I stopped running. Also did some stretching, and walked around some more.


Weather conditions and athletic conditioning. Need to run, run, and run some more!


15-minute delay on the start time due to storms that had rolled through the area early that morning. They only had two drink stations on the course, so four total opportunities for refreshment over a 6.2 mile course. Would have been nice to have one more.