I was surprised at how windy it was this early in the morning (6:30 start). There were quite a few rolling waves (not white caps by any means, but still). The water was cool but it felt great with the wetsuit. As I was getting ready to put my goggles on, I noticed that part of them was broken. I prevented me from synching the strap any tighter, but it held up okay. I was very pleased with how things went around the first two buoys. There was hardly any congestion and I think my lines were really good. I was able to find some feet and stay on them for a long time. I don't know how I lost them, but when they were gone it felt like I was all alone. Not a good feeling. I made sure to sight multiple strokes in a row to make sure I was headed in the right direction. Sure enough, I was headed toward the next buoy. When I finally reached the buoy, I sighted my next target and noticed that the lead pack was about 25+ meters closer to the shore following a different line of buoys. It turns out, one of the buoys got pushed off course by the wind and I followed it... CRAPPY! I wasn't the only one, but I was ticked. Once I got back on course, I was very pleased with my lines and turning around the buoys. I caught up to some more feet to follow and then it hit me. BAM! My right calf cramped up super hard. This stopped me dead in the water. Luckily I only had a little further to swim before I could stand and start to walk. It still wasn't pretty, but I was able to get out of the water okay. I quickly found Ash and she gave me my flip flops to run up to transition.

- Made sure I knew what buoys I was going to follow.

- It had been a really long time since I had put on and taken off a wetsuit. I struggled quite a bit! It got caught on both my watch and my timing chip. I saw this nifty little trick where you can take your goggles, swim cap, and earplugs in one hand, and as you pull the wetsuit off your arms, leave all those things in the arm of your wetsuit so you don't have to worry about it. Well, I thought it worked pretty great until I discovered I lost an earplug. In theory, it’s a good idea. I probably executed it poorly.
- When I finally got my suit off, the cramp in my calf came back, which made it fairly difficult to put my shoes on. Also, I freaking LOVE my new Edwards Tri Club Kit, but its kind of hard to get nutrition in and out of the jersey pockets in the back. Really, its just because my shoulders are not flexible at all. I want to upgrade my bento box so I went without and just stuffed all my nutrition in my pockets.
- I think the way I oriented my bike on the rack was inconvenient and I had to mess with it when trying to move out. It was oriented in such a way that I had to back up and then go, instead of just lifting the bike off the rack and going.


- Practice getting wetsuit off - have wetsuit over watch and timing chip
- Have nutrition in bento box - try not to mess too much with putting stuff in your pockets.
- Orient my bike better.
- Worn different flip flops - someone stole my rainbows!

- I was a little winded after the swim and running up that hill to mount my bike (the Half racers transition area was closest to the water...). I mounted my bike okay, but as I was riding I was messing with my right cleat trying to clip in and I almost hit a dude that was stopped in the middle of the road! I need to be more cautious during that first portion cause I'm sure there are going to be 100 times more athletes.
- Once that first climb out of the parking area was over, I was able to get in aero and really take off. I felt pretty darn good, even with the slight twinges in my cramping calf. My HR was definitely higher I wanted it, but I was able to work it back down during the relatively flat parts and downhills. I really tried working on cresting - pushing through the top of every hill, and I felt like I kind of got in a groove. I was able to pass a lot of people. At the turn around, I only counted 4 people that were ahead of me! And I at least one of them was within my reach of catching. That is...until I dropped my chain on a long uphill around mile 40! I thought I fixed it fairly quick, but not quick enough. The guy ahead of me was long gone and I was then passed by another dude. I didn't want to get too crazy in trying to catch them, so I just raced my race and told myself I would catch them on the run. I was pretty pleased with how I rode this course, especially with how much climbing was involved.
- My whole nutrition plan was a joke. I ate one Clif Blok Shot (half @ 0:45 and then the rest at 2:30), and one Bonk Breaker Bar (at the whole thing @ 1:25ish)... and that was it!!! I kind of felt like throwing up (probably due to dehydration), so I thought I would just take it easy on eating...and then it was time to run! I really need to be better about watching the time and eating/drinking more. I was also concerned about having to pee, and I ended up only having about 1 bottle of water and 1 bottle of gatorade. I read an article that said you should TRY to pee at least once on the bike during a 70.3. I brought 4 salt tablets and I had one every half hour until they were gone, which I think helped a little with the cramping calf. But I'm pretty sure that nutrition was the cause of my demise on the run.
- I rode without socks to see how it would feel, and I honestly didn't even notice. The whole purpose behind this is just in case I decide to pee on the bike, I don't end up with pee-drenched socks the rest of the ride...

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/479148688

- Be cautious of other riders during/shortly after the bike mount.
- EAT and DRINK!!! Try and pee on the bike...
- More salt tablets.
- Had I eaten properly, I probably could have pushed it a little harder...

- Dismount was just fine, and I think I ran pretty well with my bike. It was a long run, but all downhill which was nice. Once I racked my bike and had my helmet off, I had to sit down to get my shoes and socks on. I wasn't able to swing by the store and pick up some lock laces for my Newtons, so I had to tie them! On top of that, while I was trying to get my shoes tied, my lower abs cramped! I had to lay down to stretch it out for a few seconds before I finished tying my shoes. It was awful. They would proceed to cramp up throughout the entire run... I grabbed my two gels (Gu Roctane) and spit.

- Lock laces
- Maybe don't sit down next time...

- I forgot how much I hate this run course, especially the first and last mile. You're running on all these jagged rocks - too many opportunities to roll your ankle. Plus it is a ton of uphill, which really took it out of me. My pace was slow on the uphills and not too terrible on the flats. Not nearly as fast as I wanted to be. I have never done the half distance on this course, so the second half was new to me. It was beautiful, but so tough. At about mile 4, you make a steep climb up onto a trail, and you're on this until the turn around. Except, right as the trail starts, it splits, and it was NOT well marked! Not marked at all! So I had to hold up and wait for the guy behind me to ask if he knew where to go. Luckily, he did. We continued on this crazy trail together. The views were amazing. You pass through these big tunnels, which was pretty cool. I had to take my sunglasses off so I could see in the dark though. I almost ate it a couple times after hitting a soft patch. Once you hit mile 6, you head up on another steep incline taking a trail that winds around the mountain and down to the turnaround. I was so relieved when I hit that turnaround. I caught the guy that passed me, so I was sitting in 5th place, and I had the 4th place guy in my sights. I was counting on the downhills to work in my favor - helping me fly down to the finish line. It started out that way, but it was a lot harder to sustain than anticipated. I was stopping at every aid station walking through and getting 2 cups of water - one to dump on my head and the other to drink. I was cramping in my abs throughout the run, but my emphasized breathing helped get me through. At about mile 11, I cramped pretty hard in both my calf and my abs and had to slow down significantly. Then I started having a hard time breathing. Such a weird sensation, but I made it through after calming myself down. Clearly, my body was shutting down. That guy I had caught passed me, and I did all I could to try and keep up with him. A mile later, you hit a flat that heads back into the wind, and I wanted to cry. This may have been the toughest part of the run. It literally felt like I hit a wall. I finally made it to the last aid station and started out on the jagged rocks again down and out to the finish line. Just as I was rounding the corner to final straightaway, the cramps were crazy - both my calves, my abs, my hamstring... It felt like I was crawling. I got passed one more time before the finish line... Dangit!
- I had my Gu's at 0:40 and 1:20, but I feel like I needed more. I think it all leads back to how I fueled on the bike. You can tell I didn't fuel properly with my lower HR at the end of the run.



http://connect.garmin.com/activity/479148771

- Prepped myself better on the bike.
- Tried to run through some aid stations. I literally walked through every one, which made it difficult to get going again.

Just walked around and did some light stretching while trying to drink and eat as much as I could. I should have gone back into the water. There were a few people that told me it felt amazing.


This is a very well run race. It started on time, and the aid stations were well placed. The volunteers did a great job. Rage was my first triathlon ever (2 years ago), and it seemed like the amenities have just gotten worse and worse. The first year, they had a massage tent, along with other vendors (kind of like a mini expo). They had as much gatorade and food as you wanted. I raced rage last year and was fortunate enough to make it to the podium, and I got an additional medal. This year, I placed first in my AG, and they gave me a cheapo certificate of achievement in a frame from Walmart...