i haven't swam since the ironman (3 weeks) so i wasn't sure how the swim would go. i started strong but began to tire ~150 yards in. at that point i was starting to catch the woman in front of me so i had to push it to pass safely. i then caught a guy 2 in front of me and we got to the wall at the same time, but he would not let me by. i didn't care and figured i would safely pass on the next straight, but he swam that entire length on the left side! i slammed into him not expecting to have him heading up the left side and was unable to pass that entire length. finally, i was able to get by on the third length. i guess he had the last laugh though since i'm pretty sure he beat me by :27 seconds overall. maybe they should call blocking penalties in the water. haha.
the next person in front of me was my wife, but she is a good swimmer and i couldn't catch her.

not sure. would passing on the right be a penalty?

the t1 and t2 times are included in the bike split.
passed k (my wife) on the run to transition area, but she was a few seconds faster and yelled "i beat you" with a big smile on her face on the way out of t1. once we hit the mount line, she pulled over and let me go. she was happy to beat me out of t1. it was nice to see her since they seem screw the women in my wife's age group at all the tri's and put them near the end.

i decided not to wear socks and to wear my top in the pool which saved a ton of time, but i didn't start with my shoes on the pedals. someday.

bike time includes t1 and t2. according to my bike, my speed was just above 20mph.
could never really get into a comfortable pace. every time you start to settle in, there was a u-turn. it was nice to be able to stand and sprint out of the corners, but that takes a little bit out of you too.

nothing. go harder.

this was my best transition yet. probably ~20 seconds. i took my shoes off on the bike and got off on a run.

nothing.

i haven't run at all since the ironman either. mostly because i am nursing some left knee pain that i've been worried about for a little while now. i made it through the ironman with it so i knew i could make it through this, but i was hoping for a fast run.
right from the start i could feel some pain and it just started building. i couldn't keep any decent form and was just pushing because of the short distance. ~1/2 mile in was the worst and i actually considered walking the rest to be safe, but just a few steps after that it bean to loosen up and would come and go the rest of the run. it ended up being a respectable run. but i am realizing now that if i was able to do what i'm capable of at that distance (at least what my friends think i'm capable of!), i could have been 3rd overall and had the fastest run split.
oh well.

nothing. i should get to a doctor so this doesn't linger too long.

walked to the car to get camera and cheered on the other athletes. small finish area, so everyone lingered and cheered. it was pretty cool.
we then we watched the kids duathlon and cheered on paul's (grems8544) son as he won his heat after finishing second 2 years in a row. he now wants a road bike and i think he's earned it, but i don't have kids so easy for me to say. haha.


knee problem? post ironman? who knows. happy with the way things went overall.


i'm not sure i get the "overall course based on my ability question" unless you win by 3:30 (like Michael Harlow. he was a monster) or DNF, the race is just right for your ability.
it's a great race for beginners. it started late and the bike course is frustrating, but it is the first race i ever did and a fun race to get sparted with the sport. nice facility, good transition area, and lots of volunteers. i can't rate any race without chip timing above average though.