Tri Tyler Olympic - Triathlon

First 500 I couldn't shake a man that I kept swimming over. I tried passing him both left and right and could not get rid of him. He kept crossing in front no matter which way I went. Very frustrating because I couldn't get in a groove. In hindsight I should have just swam over him and let him deal with it instead of trying to be polite. My right contact was not cooperating by floating off center so my vision was blurred badly and that was distracting. Not my best swim. The last 500 I picked it up and finished strong, but too much time was lost from all the distraction. I just wasn't focused.

Long run from swim finish to transition, but it was on grass so it wasn't bad.

Tough course. Sprinkled rain with some hard rain at the end. Since it was cooler, I didn't drink much. Half a bottle of G2. Ate 4 Shot Bloks. Energy was good, but I cramped later. Overall, a good performance (for me).0

Felt some leg fatigue as soon as I got off the bike -from pushing the hills.

First half mile out of the park area was fine then I hit the highway for the second half mile -yikes. It was something beyond chip seal. More like boulder seal. Huge rocks plastered with tar. It was rough on my tired legs. After the 1 mi mark we thankfully turned onto a smooth rolling country road. I felt a cramp coming in my right quad so I grabbed Gatorade at the aid station. Continued running as it started to seize. Stopped and stretched then back to running and it eased within a couple of minutes. Note to self: even when you are not as hot, you still need electrolytes. Overall I ran ok. Took a few walk breaks on the noticeable uphills to spare my increasingly tired legs. The return on the rough road was brutal, but after that I powered into the finish.

Drink more on the bike.

Fatigue from the bike hills. Keep working at it! I let a frustrating swim slow me down, did ok on the bike, then kept it together on the run. I know I could have run better. It was as much mental as physical.


Very well organized with lots of great volunteers. The course was challenging, but not "too hard". Overall, it was a beautiful course through scenic country with either rolling acreage or along lake shore houses. A nice small race with big race feel - complete with a fancy podium and John Cobb as the emcee. Enjoyed it!