For this pool snake swim, we self-seeded by our 100 times. Most people guessed. I started about 10th overall. My 100 TT is 1:40 with an expected 300 time of 5:20. I wasn't exactly right, but must have seeded appropriately as I wasn't passed and didn't pass the swimmer in front of me. They started swimmers about :20 apart, so it didn't get crowded for the early starters at least.

I started too fast and got winded, which shocked me as I'm a former competitive swimmer. I also shouldn't have tried to do flip turns under the lane lines without practicing it - I misjudged the angle, didn't really save any time, and wound up building up some lactate when that combined with starting too fast. I still finished with a better than predicted time, so it worked out!

Ran through transition, road wasn't bad. Ran with bike to mount line, in shoes. No wetsuit to deal with. Helmet on immediately, before socks and shoes.

It would be worth learning to bike without socks - putting them on probably took a minute. A 5 gallon bucket would have been awesome.

Overall pace about what I expected. Course had some rolling hills, no hard climbs, but I haven't had much hill practice. Traffic was well-controlled. I passed two people on the bike, and was passed by about 5 - I thought that number would have been higher, given my lack of bike experience!

My start was awful. I couldn't figure out why my shoes wouldn't clip in - it was because my pedals were upside down. My brain was so addled from the swim that I didn't think to look. I struggled with a few of the hills - really need to work on those before my next race.

I didn't attempt any dismount tricks - hadn't practiced any. Just got off the bike after it stopped and ran next to it. Changed shoes tolerably well, again would have liked a bucket.

Would love to be able to save time by removing shoes early. My quick laces broke on one foot, which threw me off even though they were still fine for the run. Ran the wrong way initially - next time make sure to know the course! A volunteer corrected me almost immediately.

The whole run, I felt like I was dragging because I was so worn out. Kept trying to push myself to run faster, and couldn't make myself do it. Set a PR for an outdoor run pace, faster than my best 5K time, so apparently I pushed enough!

Nothing! Just keep training, especially hills, bricks, and intervals

Walked a little post-race, did a little stretching, and ate


This was my first tri ever, and I did much better than I expected, winning my age group and placing 5th out of 33 women. I need to work on transitions and do more biking. I need to start slower in my next swim, which will be longer and in OW.


This was the first year this race has taken place. I tried to attend a first timers meeting that was scheduled for the night before the race, and was told by the volunteer after my ride dropped me off that it had been cancelled. An email would have been appreciated, even if it was last minute. When we arrived in the morning to get our chips, many were assigned to the wrong names. This was rectified by the RD, but we stood around for 15 minutes waiting for someone to find him. I never received my t-shirt, even though I registered very early. All other events were on time, and the course was well-marked and well-staffed. Many of us were nervous about how the TT swim start would work, but it went smoothly. The only water station was manned by one volunteer and his young child. It was fine for me, but I'm sure some people would have liked a full cup of water. I wish there had been a trash bin - I shoved my cup in my pocket. They ran out of medals after the race, which seemed odd as there were many no-shows. This was a small race, and there wasn't any kind of expo. Food and water supplies after were more than adequate, with a decent variety. I don't have any other races to compare this one too, but it seems like the important things went well and the details need some tweaking for next year. I'll probably do it again!