Big George Triathlon - Triathlon

Water was perfect wetsuit temp of 73, and the course was an out & back. I was in the 4th wave, which didn't thrill me since I'm a strong swimmer. Start was shallow water, no contact, got down to business quickly. I tried to grab the feet of the one woman who darted out to the lead, but she was too darn fast. So, I swam alone, and by the 2nd buoy was swimming through the previous waves. I stayed wide to avoid any clogs around the turn buoy, and cruised back to shore. Swim time was 30:30, and I think it was a little long. I was 2nd female, and 4th fastest overall swim.

Nothing, really. Pray for more faster feet so I can draft?

Ran across the street to transition, got out of my wetsuit with no prob, grabbed my helmet and bike and ran out to ride

Learn a flying mount

The bike course was gorgeous, and I really appreciated the beautiful scenery since it got kind of lonely out there at parts. After a couple miles through town, the bike kicks into gear with a 3-4 mile hill. As I went to shift into my small chain ring, CLANK, chain drops. I pull over, get it back on and get going again. After this initial hill, the rest of the lollipop shaped course was rolling, with no other major climbs. It was still overcast with occasional raindrops, but I really appreciated the cloud cover. There were volunteers and police at every intersection, yet I still managed to miss a turn. Luckily, the volunteers started screaming at me, so I only went 20 feet or so in the wrong direction before pulling a u-turn and getting back on course smiley: embarassed. I was passed by a few men in the first 20 miles, and passed quite a few. I wasn't passed by a woman until mile 30, and tried to keep her in my sights. Before I knew it, I was headed back into town, and that first big climb was a great downhill which allowed me to spin out my legs. I was passed by 2 more women in the last 10 miles, putting me in 5th overall headed into transition. Overall it was a solid bike. I tried really hard to stay within my target HR, even though I wanted to go harder at points, and this strategy paid off later. I drank 2 bottles of HEED and 1 of water, and had 2 GU's and a package of Honey Stinger chews (YUM) and felt great and ready to run

Not drop chain or miss turn. Maybe go a touch harder, as I was being cautious not to overbike.

Helmet off, socks and shoes on, grab visor and belt and out.

Run sockless

I am not a runner. It's the weakest of my 3 sports, and I have always struggled with this piece of the puzzle. This year I've been working hard on improving my run and I hoped that I could see some results in this race. The run was mostly on a multi-use path, with a long out & back section and a small loop (the whole thing was done twice). The first 2 miles or so were uphill, with it being mostly flat to the turnaround at 3.5 miles, then pretty much downhill to the start of loop 2. I had 2 women come out of transition right behind me and they quickly got ahead of me, but I was determined to hang with them as long as possible. One ran off after a mile or so, but I hung on the shoulder of the other until mile 4. I could hear her labored breathing, and I felt great, so I decided to pass. I never pass people on the run, so this was a momentous occasion for me! There were plenty of aid stations (every mile or so) with water, gatorade, gels, and my favorites, flat Coke and cold sponges. I HEART cold sponges. I was passed by a couple of women towards the end of loop 1, but they were hauling, and I felt great, so I just kept going and running my race. I caught the first woman that passed me on the bike at the turnaround on loop two, and was super excited to fly down the last 3 miles or so of mostly downhill to the finish. 2 more woman came by me in the last 2 miles, but I hung on and ran as hard as I could to the finish. My run ended up being 1:51:53, besting my previous HIM run PR(set on a pancake flat course) by almost 9 minutes, and negative split this run. Boom. Happy, happy, happy.

Nothing. this was the run of my life.

Post race they had plenty of food and beer, and I indulged while I waited for awards


Nothing, really. It was a good day and a 4 minute HIM pr on a tougher course.


Excellent organization, lots of volunteers, and flat coke and cold sponges on the run!