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 Swim
Comments: Very, very happy with my swim. Was hoping to do it in under ten or twelve minutes, and was a little concerned as I'd tweaked my left shoulder a bit a month prior and my training volume was down. Strategy was to start in back and take it easy, but everyone else seemed to want to start in back, too, so I started in front and took it easy. Very relaxed in the water and could tell that I was slipping through pretty easily. Felt a bit of 'the washing machine' at the beginning, but stayed calm and actually kind of enjoyed it. Breathing was great and bilateral. Water temperature was AMAZING--part of me didn't want to get out. Would've gladly swam twice the distance. On the stretch parallel to the beach I didn't expect the current to push me in like it did. I spent a lot of time swimming back toward the course so I wouldn't cut inside the buoys. The kayak paddlers were very good humored and pointed me back into the right direction twice. I might have given up as much as forty seconds or a minute just trying to get back on course! Not to mention the time I could've lost from falling out of draft... What would you do differently?: Account for current. Don't really have any open water swim options around here, so will just keep swimming my happy laps in the pool at the Y.  Transition 1
Comments: 3:33. That's right. Oh, I am so ashamed. I had energy but had resolved to avoid being frantic. I calmly brushed the sand off my feet, then sprayed my feet with a water bottle, then brushed my feet again. I dried them with my towel. I pulled on my socks and then my shoes. I had rolled my sleeveless tri-top ahead of time, but when I had it over my head I couldn't remember if it rolled from the inside or the outside. I stared at it dumbly. I put on my gloves and my helmet and my sunglasses. My dad and uncle and brother were on the other side of the transition fence shouting to me encouragingly. They got a LOT of pictures during my three minutes and change... What would you do differently?: Go sockless? practice dressing while wet? Not bother with gloves? Not worry about the sand on my feet? Obviously need to work on this.  Bike
Comments: 750 miles in training this year and I felt really good on the bike. Wanted to go faster than 16 mph and managed to do so. Didn't kill my legs on the uphill and really pushed on the downs -- achieved 36mph on the long downhill. Said "Good Job" to a lot of the riders as I either passed them or was passed. Thanked the police officers who closed down the roads for us. Favorite officer-- the guy who said "you stay classy." Had to chuckle at that one. What would you do differently?: Nothing. Probably a perfect ride for the condition I was in this year. Transition 2
Comments: 32/33 in my age group. Sigh. I don't even know what to say about this one. What would you do differently?: Maybe get some of those laces with the pull cord?  Run
Comments: Wanted to finish under 28 minutes. Training was definitely sub-sufficient in this area this year. Came in planning to run/walk it. Saw a deer at the far end- the turnaround- of the course (yes, I tried. no, it wouldn't let me ride it). Little sister in a couple places on the course cheering me on. Her enthusiasm probably saved me two minutes. =) What would you do differently?: This was probably a perfect run for the shape I was in. Very pleased. Post race
Warm down: Drank a lot of water, took pictures with the fam, ate a banana. What limited your ability to perform faster: lack of training? Event comments: As a first timer I was VERY pleased with this race. I thought it was well organized and the spectators and competitors (with the exception of the person who might have 'borrowed' my goggles/swimcap) were great. On a personal note - I wanted to finish in under an hour and a half and I did. I will definitely be doing this race next year, and my goal is to cut ten minutes, which would actually put me in the top forty overall. I think I can cut another minute from the swim, three min from the bike, four min from the run, and AT LEAST a minute from each transition. Thanks for reading, see you all on the starting lines! -laugher Last updated: 2009-01-31 12:00 AM
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Overall Rank = 173/431
Age Group = 25 - 29
Age Group Rank = 19/33
I woke up at 4:55 and had a bowl of cheerios and a glass of oj. 'lil brother woke up, too, and had me to the course by 5:45 - 15 min after transition opened. We found a decent spot near the transition entrance, set my bike up, and went to go get my chip and get marked.
After marking we walked around for a bit looking at other people's transitions to see if we might get any good ideas, then went back to fix mine up a bit. Upon arrival we realized that MY GOGGLES AND SWIMCAP WERE GONE! I'm not sure if I took them with me to get marked or if someone stole them, but we both remembered my having left them on the towel. In a frenzy we called my uncle and my brother's wife, each of whom agreed to bring me a pair of goggles. (one was an old "Visor Style," like for skiing or something, and the other was pink. After seeing them, I totally would have rocked the pink pair.) Race organizers were very understanding and gave me another yellow camp. Walking around I saw a merchant tent and bought a new pair of TYR goggles for $13. Thanks are in order to THE WHEEL CYCLERY they really saved my day.
For comparison purposes down the road: at 6' 1'', I weighed somewhere between 179 and 182 pounds for this race.
Watched the long course folks take off and then walked around and stretched a tiny bit. Ate a delicious Orange Burst GU and drank some water twenty min before my race started and then made my way down to the beach.