The horn went off and I ran into the water up to about my waste then dove in and started swimming. The first couple hundred yards I was just trying to settle in and get into a good position going towards the first bouy.

Once I passed that first bouy I could not get a good sight on the far bouy where we would make our turn. The sun was rising in our face and I didnt have tinted goggles on so it was almost impossible to see out towards the horizon. I made the decision that I was just going to swim along the kayak line that was staged along the course until I was able to catch a glimpse of the bouy. I know I was off line here and it definitely cost me some time but it was the best option since I had no one really around me swimming at the same pace that I could work with.

Finally made it out to the far bouy for the first turn, and once I made the turn I tried to line up with the 2nd bouy where we would make the turn back towards shore. This bouy was yellow and should have been easy to spot except that the wave that went off before us were all wearing yellow caps. Trying to sight with just a quick glimpse up on the horizon was very difficult because you had to differentiate between the bouy and all the yellow caps.

Made the final turn back towards shore, picked up the big inflatable sign they had at the swim exit and sighted on that all the way back in. I was online the whole time here and felt like I at least made up a little ground from all the issues I had going out and across.

Realize that I was going to be swimming into a rising sun and wear a differtn pair of goggles. Also, make sure I find a secondary sight point that lines up with the bouys before I go out so I know I have a backup point in case I have this issue again

I got out of the water with some urgency and I could tell running up to T1 that my HR was elevated a little. Got to my bike and put on my socks and bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses and headed out. At the mount line I got on the bike and got up to speed fairly quickly.

I have to do something about this sock dependancy! it just takes too much time to sit down, wipe my feet off, and then try and put socks on feet that are still somewhat wet. This cost me a good 30-45 seconds in T1.

Really had a good bike ride. The course rolled just enough to keep you pushing most of the time. If you werent hammering downhill, you were setting yourself up to cover the next hill as there wasnt a whole lot of just flat surface. All the turns on the course were well supported and the officers working the turnarounds all did a great job!

Coming back in I just kept an eye on the mileage to see where I was as I knew the last mile and a half or so was inside the park itself. I made sure I stayed hydrated on the bike and ended up going through about 28ozs of water during the bike ride.

Probably could have pushed just a little bit harder on the bike and picked the aversage speed up to 21 and still had the same effort on the run.

Thsi was a lot better than T1. Got in quickly, got the helmet and bike shoes off. Slid into the running shoes and I was off.

Just need to get faster

Came out of T1 and grabbed 2 waters. Drank one and dumped the 2nd one on my head. About .5 miles into the run I started to get a little side stitch and my legs had not come around yet. I was starting to think "this is not going to be a good run".

I hit the first aid station and grabbed another 2 waters and did the same thing (drank one, and dumped one on my head). There was a gradual uphill after this station and I was really starting to think things are not looking up for me. Once I got past that and got to the 2nd aid station I was starting to feel a bit better.

The 2nd aid station had ice so I took a cup and dumped it into my shorts. I found out at IM Texas that this really helps me cool down, so that along with a little bit more water and I was starting to feel pretty good. I picked up the pace the 2nd half of the first lap and I saw the wife and squid at the turnaround for lap 2 and gave them a wave and a smile.

Lap 2 was WAY better than lap 1. The legs were really starting to come around and I knew I was starting to get into a good groove. At the 1st aid station on lap 2 I did the 2 cups of water; one I drank and dumped the other on my head. At the aid station that had ice, I took another cup and dumped that down my shorts again and I was really feeling good by that point. I picked my pace up a notch on the way back in to the finish and was really rolling along nicely at the end and had enough in the tank to knock out the last 100 yards or so in a dead sprint.

run faster?? thats about it ... My goal was a sub 8mm avg so I missed that by a little. I think if I didnt have that first mile or so where I wasnt feeling it, that I could have ended up with that sub 8mm pace.

Drank about as much water as I could get my hands on! Stretched a little bit, then went to the truck and grabbed a beer I had iced down in the cooler. Man, was that a great tasting beer!


Going out on the swim I know I was all over the place. That certainly slowed my swim time down by at least 2-3 minutes. I can certainly improve on T1 and maybe knock another 45 seconds off my time there. Then its just a matter of biking and running faster!! So, pretty much improve everything across the board


I wasnt impressed with the pancakes they were serving up post race, but there was a booth there that had some mixed fruit with nuts in it that was just awesome! Other than that, Dallas Athletes puts on a great race and that is why I continue to do their events. They are always well run and well supported.