1st HIM Race Mentality

What pressure are you inflating them to?  And are you carrying a spare and tools to change one?

The tires were the problem not the pressure. Yes, I carry tools and can change a flat very quickly! The tires came on my new Cervelo. They just weren't appropriate for the road surfaces (trashy) that we race on. Now if I were on the track they would be great!

I had 2 flats at one race. I changed one flat and then had another (in a different place on the tire from a sharp rock) down the road. I only carry one extra tube during a race. After the first flat, my times were screwed for the race but I decided not to DNF at that point. The other flat was on my Colnago during a sprint-12 mile bike. It wasn't worth fixing at a race that short.

I've come into Tri's from a cycling background.

you might find more success by focusing on process goals, rather than time goals. make goals for the things you can control (breathing, sighting, eating, drinking, attitude), and your race results will either be a positive or negative reflection of having hit your "controllable" targets.

good luck. i think you'll do great!

~B

I fought the urge to make time predictions, but broke down and did it anyway and in similar format to what you wrote - acceptable, likely, best-case. So I went into the race having these times in the back of my head, but as race unfolded I forgot all about the times, concentrated on things I could control (as another poster suggested), like "long glide" in the swim, managing heart rates, following my nutrition and hydration plans, etc. But truthfully, I just enjoyed myself - yakked with some people on the bike, jawed with fellow tri-club friends on the run, high-fivin' my son multiple times - and the end result was beyond even my best-case prediction. Not sure if this has any cause/effect relationship, but I know this, I had a frickin' blast, got to see/encourage/hangout with a bunch of friends, finished, and was pleased with the result. I wish the same for you. Good luck!