First open water swim. I was unsure of how I would stack up to the field, so I did not try to get in front. After we started, I realized that I wanted to go faster than some, and I had to pull way wide to get back into a decent space with some room to swim. After that, I was good.

Since I am a strong swimmer, I would try to get a better position for the start so as to avoid being in the "mass" of people.

I had a hard time clipping into my pedals after the transition

I biked as fast as I have for a 14 mile loop, and was surprised at how low in the overall rankings I was. I wasn't sure whether to push harder or not, as I wasn't sure how good my legs would be for the run. It was good fun to be out riding with the very, very fast cyclists who were at the front of the pack.

Not sure.

I felt like my first transition was extremely slow and that this one was faster. I was surprised to see the times and to note that they were pretty much exactly the same length!

I felt good -- this was a good pace for me.

Maybe push a little harder

Stretched, drank gatorade and water and ate half a bagel


Experience -- I wasn't sure how hard to push


Good atmosphere. Nice balance of first-timers and hard-core triathletes. It was not overwhelming for a first-timer!