Being a swimmer in a past life definitely helped me here. I have only been in the water twice in the past year or so, but I feel comfortable there. With some more training, I know I can speed up here!

It's a rush to get out of the water and then have to run to your bike. I was definitely a little out of it at this point, which probably made getting my socks, shoes, etc on a little difficult.

Hillier than I expected, but not that bad. I definitely need to bike more, and should invest in some clipless pedals to increase efficiency. I got passed by a lot of people on the bike. I think I was trying to save a lot for the run, since it seemed so daunting.

This was simple since I didn't have to change shoes, but I should have hustled through transition a bit faster, despite my fear of the run.

I haven't been running at all recently, and I'm not a naturally strong runner. Before my next race (yes, it's happening) I'm going to really focus on fitness, particularly with running more. The last time I ran was mid-August before this race!

The course was different than originally planned, and started through the woods with tons of roots and such poking up and threatening to trip you. I walked through most of this area, because I really didn't want to face-plant during my first race.

Train more!!

Drinking a gatorade and hanging out with Nick. Yay, I made it!


Not training enough, especially during the 8 weeks prior to the race.


This was my first tri (except when I volunteered at the Nation's Tri) and it was really nice to have only 700 athletes, and be in the beautiful area near Lake Anna. This is definitely a race that I would do again!