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 Swim
Comments: Was supposed to be a half-mile course, but after the cell of thunder and lightning that came through, they shortened it up a bit. Distance is an estimate. Got a great start on the swim. Started off the to left and got out fast, cutting a sharp line to the bouy. Was smooth from the start and handled the chop pretty well. Breathing every three strokes pretty much the whole time. Got a little bit off course at the halfway mark; started swimming a little too much out into the lake instead of straight across. But I corrected with little loss of time. What would you do differently?: Not much. Guess I needed to sight a little bit more. Got on some feet a couple of times, but it generally went pretty well. Wish I knew exactly how long the swim was!  Transition 1
Comments: Took some time to rinse off my feet and slip on some socks. The transition area is in fine sand and gravel, and I've gotten burned by it in previous years. There was a long run from the swim exit back across the beach and to the transition area. This run is honestly where I most dramatically see the fitness gains. I can actually run after the swim instead of shuffling along. I made pretty good time and got out there. What would you do differently?: Remember to hit my lap button when leaving transition.  Bike
Comments: Once I got up to speed, I threw it in the big chainring, got down in the aero bars, and got going. At one point, I was averaging 18.5, so I dialed it back in the second half to get ready for the run. Felt like crap a couple of short times, but I just reminded myself that I would perk up, slow down a bit, catch my breath, and then get back on it in another minute or two. The total time for the ride and T1 and T2 was 42:57, 11 minutes better than my best time in the past. What would you do differently?: Not much. I blew away this ride! Transition 2
Comments: A bit of a comedy of errors. There was a backup at the dismount line, so I had a leg half over my bike but realized I didn't have enough runway to finish my dismount. So I had to stop entirely before dismounting. Then I got to my rack (remember that great spot I had), and I found out I didn't have enough room for my handlebars and had to reverse the bike and rack it by the seat. Then it was smooth sailing.  Run
Comments: It was my goal to finish this run in 50 minutes. 11-minute miles. I felt slow until I saw that my first mile split was 10:30. Then I knew if I could just keep it up, I'd be able to do it. It was hard. I pushed when I could and faded back a little when I felt like I couldn't keep up the pace for the next however miles. I mostly felt strong and steady. Post race
Warm down: Relinquished my chip, staggared over to Anna, and started bawling. Anna thought something was wrong, but I think I was just a little overwrought at the last little bit of effort I flung out there. After about 5 minutes, I felt more like myself and was able to eat a banana and some chips while stretching out. What limited your ability to perform faster: Nothing much besides where I am in my conditioning. I'm thrilled with my race. Event comments: DeHaven always puts on a well-organized, good race. Starts are usually close to on time and safety is first. The course is well marked, and there are lots of volunteers. Great production company. Last updated: 2005-07-31 12:00 AM
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United States
Time Out Productions
70F / 21C
Precipitation
Overall Rank = 386/503
Age Group = Athena
Age Group Rank = 1/2
After spending some quality time in the bathroom, I caved and took an Immodium. I think that may have been the best decision all day. English muffin and peanut butter, last-minute double-check, and we were on the road. Made it in plenty of time to spare, and got a primo transition spot at the end of a rack. There was JUST enough room for me to squeeze my bike as the guy who had racked his already was slid way over toward the middle. I set up on the other side of the rack from him to give us both some room, but this would haunt me a little bit later.
Got wet and swam a couple hundred yards. Felt good but there was a decent chop on the lake from the strong wind. Got out, and it started raining a little bit. They put the race on hold because there were reports of a cell of thunderstorms moving our way. Sure enough, it started pouring. Anna and I took shelter at one of the beach huts, and we all waited it out. About 30 minutes later, most of the rain had passed, and they found no more cells in the immediate area. The race was on! They shortened the swim a little bit by taking the far side of the rectangle in so people could make it to shore quickly in case another thunderstorm developed. I took another few strokes to get the blood moving again. All in all, the race was about 90 minutes delayed, and my lips and nailbeds were blue by the time we lined up on the beach again. I couldn't wait to get going and warm up.