Came out of the water in good shape. Altitude was bothering me a bit and I didn't feel fast in the water, but I kept passing people. Had a bit of physical contact after the 2nd bouy with three different people. Never really settled in to a good rhythm.

Forgot to push hard over the final 100. Should have pushed harder.

Was winded and needed to center myself for a few seconds -- it was really cold in the shade with a wet body. My suit came off like it was on wheels, which was awesome. The rest of my transition went OK, but not especially fast. I did come out of the transition in 4th place overall, so I didn't do so bad, I guess.

Put shirt and HRM on quicker.

Remember that new tire that I got last night? Well, somewhere around mile 7 it decides to go 50% flat on me. Suddenly, every bump in the road shoots through my body. You know how when you're climbing a hill you sometimes think you have a flat because everything feels so sluggish? Well, for the first time in the history of history I actually had a flat. It's holding some air, enough that I'm not going to ruin the rim, so I decided to limp on home. The final stretch on the highway is a 1/2 mile straight downhill. I was looking forward to it, but now I have to ride it carefully with lots of drag. Because of the flat, the two people I had in my sights disappear around the corner (damnit!).

The course was longer than last year, but still short of the 12 miles reported.

Not have a flat. Also, I could have pushed harder in general. Lungs were feeling fine, legs were fine, and I would have liked the extra heat generated from the effort.

Was still VERY cold. Hands weren't working right, so it took a bit longer to get my socks and shoes on. Left T2 still in 4th place overall.

I think it's time to train myself how to run without socks. Need to condition the feet to accept it.

Felt much better on the run this year (no puking!). Was determined to not get passed on the run. About 3/4 mile out, I trip over a root and go down. Only put my hands on the ground and kept going without losing really any time or momentum. Plus, it was back in the woods where nobody saw it. It never happened.

This year, the run course spent more time on the trails, including a very steep little hill around mile 1.25. Was a nice extra challenge.

Mile 2 comes and goes and I see the leaders coming around. I'm only a few minutes back from 2nd place, probably less than 3 minutes. Not bad!

What's that? Footsteps? I'm hearing them come at me like crazy. Don't look back. I said, don't look back. Damnit, you looked back. You don't need to look back anymore because he's now in front of you.

1/2 mile to go and we're running together. He's got 10 years on me but is running with pure determination. Turns out he flatted too... even had to change the tire in T1. He had a chance to win this thing and is now running pissed. I don't want him to pass me so we fight up the last hill. I surge. He doesn't notice and keeps pushing. On the final 300 yards of straight downhill, he flies faster than I can. He finishes 2 seconds ahead of me.

I feel OK about my run even though I got passed. Didn't push hard enough on the trails over the first half. Was afraid of bonking. Should have redlined much earlier (never really went anaerobic, which is silly). Let my mind wander a bit when I was alone in the trees. Was still cold and still focused on the flat tire. I guarantee I could have passed one or two guys ahead of me if I wasn't so far back.

Oh yeah, and my HRM slipped off my chest as I entered the woods. I should have tightened it before the race due to the extra jostling of running on the trails.

Stretching, drinking some Gu2O, eating some beef jerky that was in the car.


Flat on the bike, mental state after the flat on the bike


There were more volunteers this year, including one stationed at the tricky spot where everyone got off course last year. I didn't see any mile markers on the run this time. Would have been nice to know where I was. This race is a lot of fun. Altitude adds some interest. Lake is beautiful. Riding through the pines and ferns is great. Trail running is always interesting.

My time was slower this year than last, but the result was the same: 1st place in my age group, 5th place overall. The course was longer this year at every stage and the competition was better, so I feel better about everyting all things considered. I had a goal of 3rd place overall and I missed it by 2 minutes. Without the flat, I could have been less than 1 minute back. I could have pushed harder on the run to get that minute.

Overall HR data:
Under Zone: 6:21
In Zone: 54:48
Above Zone: 0:01
Average: 148

Field was a bit stronger this year.