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 Swim
Comments: I staged myself up near the flags. No real problems and even got a PR for a half swim. I felt no kicks or hits so I guess poor sighting and taking the LONG way around does have its benefits. What would you do differently?: Sight better  Transition 1
Comments: I'm glad no one I know was watching me get out of the water. I was feeling good getting to the dock and imagined myself leaping up and sprinting to the timing mat. Well, it didn't work out that way. A nice volunteer was reaching out to grab my hand but she must have been half my size and I knew I would have just pulled her right in. So I attempted to flop myself on the dock. The best way I can describe the scene is like you are watching the Science Channel and the volunteers are rescuing a baby seal covered in oil. There I was rolling around with the volunteer doing what she could to help. I got my wet suit off, shoes on, and grabbed my bike. It was nice to have everything covered in carpet! What would you do differently?: Wet suit got stuck on my arm by one of the strippers. I usually don't have a problem with the top of the suit. Not a big deal.  Bike
Comments: I like the bike and the weather was beautiful so I was full of excitement leaving T1. I ride into first corner pretty fast and I feel my front tire giving out and notice the sidewall wrinkling. Wow, that was heart stopping. I look down to see if it's flat and almost run into the curb. This was a very bad start but luckily I kept it upright. I counted my blessings and continued on. Since I didn't have a computer to monitor I enjoyed the scenery and the hills. With the out and backs on the bike time seemed to go by faster. I lost my rhythm by the three sisters, but otherwise I was very happy racing purely on perceived effort. What would you do differently?: Make sure I bring the correct gear to the race. Transition 2
Comments: Rolled into transition and grabbed my bag for a shoe change. It must be the changing tent mentality with me but my time just suffers compared to a traditional transition setup. I must think I need to get my money's worth by spending more time camping in there than hurrying. What would you do differently?: Try to think of this as a race and keep moving.  Run
Comments: I knew I would find out quickly whether or not I pushed too hard on the bike. The first mile is downhill and I tried to relax before I took a peek at my heart rate. Yup, too hard on the bike. At this point there isn't much I can do about it but damage control. I ignored my pace as best as possible while keeping my HR in check. I was heading down the path after mile 4 and I see Macca coming into the finishers chute. He was chatting with his biker and looking like he was out for a stroll. Very impressive but everyone seemed to be looking a lot better than I was feeling. I manage to eat one shot block and that didn't sit too well. I brought my own water bottle so I didn't have to stop at any of the aide stations until I ran out half way. I didn't bother trying to eat anything else. What would you do differently?: Ease up on the bike. This was the first race that I lost positions on the run. Post race
Event comments: This was a well-run and very scenic race. What made it better was racing with all my friends. How cool to know that our group all made it across the finish line. Congratulations to Brian, Lisa, Robin, Kara, and long distance Will. Everyone had challenges to overcome but we all finished! I even managed to finish first Clydesdale. Last updated: 2010-08-26 12:00 AM
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United States
74F / 23C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 51/410
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 14/91
The idea for doing this race was to be part of a BT group race. I signed up for a few too many races this season and I was coming into this race a bit tired and sore. There were 5 friends doing the half and one doing the full from our Phoenix BT group. I do enjoy racing with friends.
This was my first race that I was weighed at check-in. A little surprised to see it roll to 200.0 and they asked me if I wanted to race as Clydesdale. Sure, why not.
The normal bagel and banana breakfast routine. We head down to T1 and start setting up the bike and hang out with everyone. I pump up the tires, add the nutrition, and turn on the Garmin. I do a double take when the screen lights up and notice it's not mine but Kim's! How could this be? I charged it and took it off the charger myself. Little did I know that she had swapped hers the day before. Now I'm standing in transition staring at a screen knowing I don't have power, heart rate, and cadence. I have to admit that I am somewhat addicted to having my data. I do what I can to sync up the accessories but nothing works. FYI, trying to sync up a HR monitor in transition when everyone is wearing them doesn't work well.
After resigning myself to having no data, I wander on over to the group and hang out. Chatting with the group was a fun way to pass the time before jumping in.