![]() Swim
Comments: I was a little apprehensive going into the swim because of my recent bad experiences on my last two races. My game plan was to relax on the first leg and concentrate on my form and my breathing. On Saturday I was able to do a 20 min practice swim in the lake. So I was already prepared for the lake's murkiness. I couldn't even see my hands as I paddled through the water. Normally this would have bothered me, but my game plan really worked. I was so focused on my swim keys and breathing normally that I never got an anxiety attack. Before reaching the first I had already started overtaking the previous wave. My sighting went really well on the first and third legs. On the second leg, I couldn't see the second buoy so I was just aiming at the wave in front of me. What would you do differently?: I am ecstatic with my swim. I am so happy that I was able to avoid an anxiety attack. The only thing I would do differently would be to swim harder on the second and third legs. The only reason why I didn't, I was afraid of becoming tired and breathless and then panicking. ![]() Transition 1
Comments: Even though I practiced getting out of my wetsuit, it still got stuck on my heels. Also, it seems like its more difficult to take off the wetsuit when its wet, then when its dry. What would you do differently?: More practice?? ![]() Bike
Comments: The wet conditions make the turns a bit treacherous. I didn't factor that into the equation and almost took a spill on my first turn. Other than that, it was just wet and miserable. I just tried to keep my cadence high and get it over with. My socks were soaked and I could feel the water squishing in my bike shoes. I had an extra pair of socks in my gear bag, but, I kept thinking that my gear in the transition area had to be getting drenched. What would you do differently?: Invest in a rain shell? ![]() Transition 2
Comments: I had to change socks in T2. Normally I wouldn't but the socks on my feet were totally saturated. Unfortunately, as I feared, all my gear was also wet, but at least my spare socks were a little dryer. Decided not to carry any water and just use what they had on the course. Also, when I tried to switch my Garmin 305 from Bike mode to Run mode I noticed that it wasn't responding. I think the rain broke it? What would you do differently?: Not sure what I could have done differently, everything was wet? ![]() Run
Comments: Awesome run for me! I actually had only done 1 mini brick in the last month. I was half expecting for the wheels to fall off, but I was able run the entire way. Without my Garmin I wasn't able to monitor my pacing or the distance. ![]() Post race
Warm down: Walked around the finish area and ate some oranges, bananas for about 10 mins. Then I got my gear and made my way back to the car to get out of the rain. What limited your ability to perform faster: Getting sick 3 weeks from the race and losing a week of training. Event comments: Very well run event. Flat and fast. I had a great swim, decent bike, and surprisingly good run. I look forward to doing this race again next year. Last updated: 2009-11-16 12:00 AM
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United States
Klien & Clark Sports, LLC
60F / 16C
Precipitation
Overall Rank = 343/573
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 49/61
Woke up at 5am (after snoozing my alarm for 30 mins) and had a cup of coffee, OJ and 1/2 of a PB&J sandwich for breakfast. Did a final gear check and then jumped in the car for 1 hour drive to La Quinta.
Had to park over a mile away from the transition. No biggee though, I just rode in with my gear. Found a spot in the bike racks to squeeze in and set up area. I really liked that the bike racks were separated by bib#
Went down to the lake about 15 mins before my wave started. Watched the first wave take off and then got in the water and swam about 50m along the beach. I got used to the water temp and tried to make sure my googles wouldn't fog up.