Greenfield Lightlife Triathlon - International Distance - TriathlonOlympic

1minute+ faster than last year! Felt good, left goggle leaked a little - need to look at this.

Go faster, practice some more form drills.

Good, fast, feeling good.

I was doing well on the bike course. First three laps were same time (26 minutes/7.2 miles), and felt very comfortable, even up the steep hill...until the beginning of last lap, when I experienced three flats in close succession. Though I didn't see anything in my tire (at the time), later I discovered the teeniest sliver of glass, shredding apart the tire (which is now spent). 3 flats and one bee sting (while sitting the grass swapping tubes), I totally had a Normann moment. When I ran out tubes and cartridges, I had to call it a day. I did shout one "F-ing shite" out to the sheep in the pasture next to me, to complete the scene.

Apparently, this race's "bike support" didn't really mean support (they couldn't give me a new wheel or tire), they could only give me a ride back to a mile from transition, then I did the walk of shame past all my teammates out on the run course. I cried a little to J. on my cell phone, then tried to be a good sport and meet my teammates at the finish line with my digital camera. Felt a little dejected for the rest of the day. One highlight was our team won 2nd place for our division for the New England USAT club championships.

Practice quicker flat changes (as I'm sure this is bound to happen again), carry one more CO2 cartridge, carry a dollar bill to separate the tube from a punctured tire, pray I don't meet a patch of glass anytime soon.

Walking, stretching, cursing, taking photos of teammates.


Damn tire. This was going to be (I feel) my best Olympic performance to date, until the flatting issues arised. One good thing is that I feel more confident about my upcoming first 1/2 Iron - my body feels ready.


Perhaps bike support could really mean bike support, not just a ride back to transition. Overall, I had a bad day, but still enjoyed this race/course. Would consider doing it again next year, though the club championships won't be held here.