*sputter* the taste of gasoline from the moto-boats that were running in the bay prior to the swim was...distasteful, for lack of a better term. Ended up doing a lot of breast stroke - great for navigating the course, and I was catching people who were freestyling. The champion chip system had 16 minutes for the swim, so I had to adjust the time for the swim. My watch said 10 min on the dot, and the timing mats were at the bike out exit.

Get up more in the pack. Since it was my first tri, I decided to hang back and to the outside, to avoid the dreaded foot in the face.

More laps over the winter. Get into open water as soon as summer hits.

Due to all sorts of problems, I only got 2 sessions in the pool over the summer (and no open water work). I know that I am an OK swimmer, and have no fears of the water - so it wasn't a huge priority at this time.

Coming out of the water, I was a bit disoriented - still trying to clear the gasoline out of my mouth - yuck! Took of at a trot, and then gingerly tip toed over some gravel that was on the 200m path to the transition zone. As soon as I was on asphalt, I was back to a trot. Didn't rush through the transition (wanted to savour the experience of my firt tri).

Gravel be damned! Next time is for a PB!!! A light jog into transition - HA! - Sprint like a bear is chasing me!!!

Well...better than I expected. In training sessions, I was averaging 1:20:00 for the 30km...but then I was having the chain pop off all the time, and the seat was not adjusted properly.

A major contributor to the slow time...my bike isn't aero, and neither am I. Even tucked down and trying to get as small as possible, I become an air brake worthy of a 747.

The most disconcerting thing was the packs of 1/2 IM cyclists seeking age group glory - they would surge past, with the rear aero disks on the bike making the most ominous sound (I hugged the curb to the right everytime I heard the tell tale hum of their approach).

Hmmm....first off...get a better bike. Riding a 15 year old bike (I always through it was 13, then I did the math...am I *that* old now?!?). This steel behemoth was bought at an Canadian Forces post exchange store...a CANEX special said the bike repair dude with a snear, as he worked on it 1 month into my ownership.

If I am going to use this bike again...improve my ability to pick the right gear on this %#%@ friction gear @#$#$@.... and triple check the tires!(I noticed on the return leg of my second loop that the rear tire was looking suspiciously less full of air than when I started out)

Become more aero...both myself (i.e. become a more svelt Clydesdale), and my position on the bike.

Oh did I run funny.

perhaps a quick stretch before begining the run.

Owww....did I say Owww?!?!
The brick training just never did justice to the heavy and dead feeling that I had at the begining of the run. It took 2.5k before they began to feel alive again....but by that time my left hamstring had begun to cramp unmercifully (it had already started on the bike, but the dead legs masked it for the first km of the run), and it felt like someone was jamming an icepick into my left knee.

Run - walk - run - hobble was the them of my 5k.

But damn was it a fine finish - At the last 200m, I told myself there was no way that the event photographers were going to get a hobbling, shuffling, walking shot of me as I came into the finish...so as I rounded the final bend, I poured it on (even my cheering section were impressed). Now if only I could have dug down earlier and made this a PB run.

More bricks and more runs...loger runs - faster runs.

A little stretch of the hamstrings while in the T-zone.

The Somersault team put on a great race...eventhough I finished in back of the pack, it was a great experience...one I will do again (BTW next year they will have a full IM here in Ottawa)...heck there is another sprint in Montreal in a couple of weeks...perhaps I will try to better myself there!