Surf and Turf Series #1 - Long Course - Aquathlon

This was my first OW swim of the season, and my longest OW swim ever. I needed to become reacquainted with the boyancy differences that come with wearing a wetsuit. Went out probably a little hard, so I had to back off a little once I got to the first bouy. Spent most of the first lap tickling Ryan(himself)'s toes, so I mostly let him navigate. Reading his RR, sounds like that was a bad idea! =) Passed Ryan at the start of the second lap, and got into a good rhythm.

A better warm up would probably have helped me get in my rhythm faster. I should have done an OW swim prior to this event so I could get reaccustomed to the wetsuit. Also, verify the accuracy of my navigation a bit more frequently when drafting.

Had a hard time getting the socks on and into the shoes.

These were different socks than I used last year, and posed more of a challenge, so I should probably go back to the other kind (or go without!).

I had a side/stomache cramp for the first 3/4 of the run, which was aided by belching =). My right calf was also pretty tight through much of the run. The wind picked up as I reached the crest of the hill on the way out (about 1/4 of the way through), and the rain and occasional hail kicked in about half way through. I was very grateful for my hat. Once I reached the crest of the hill on the return, I picked up the pace a bit through the finish.

Kick a little harder at the end of my swim to get the legs warmed up a bit.

Found Hubby, packed up my transition area, pulled on a shirt, wrapped up in a towel, and hung out the with BT crew while Mark won yet another raffle prize. ;) Stayed to chat with luv2ride, blackbud, himself, gearwhore, juliapurr and MarkDills until the cold started to make my hipflexor cramp.


Lack of an earlier OW swim, leg and stomache cramps.


Great low-key event to get ramped up for the bigger races of the season. The organizers have made a few changes this year, including using timing chips, that make what was already a great event event better.