The water was cold, and it had a significant impact on my race. I had a hard time catching my breath for the first 200 yards or so, which led to poor stroke, slow speed, and lots of general discomfort. This was also my first race since 2014, and my wetsuit was more constricting than I remembered which didn't help with breathing. This was the first time in 7 years of racing that I seriously considered calling for a kayak (ultimately I didn't). Needless to say, my pace was not very good.

More OWS training beforehand.

Normally I have my shoes already clipped in and I run out of transition barefoot and do a quasi-flying mount. Since this was my first race in a few years, I opted to play it safe and put the shoes on in advance, so transition time was a slower than average. Also, my wetsuit got stuck on my heels.

I need to practice bike mounts before my next race.

Lack of training and recent race experience was once again a problem. This course is much hillier than where I train or normally race, and I wasn't prepared for it. Also very windy at times. Slowest bike split in 7 years of racing.

Did not try for the moving dismount. Other elements of transition went well.

Legs were tired coming off the bike, but not unduly so. The long sustained downhill at the start was hard on both knees, but discomfort was tolerable. The biggest problem was, again, lack of training and fitness going into the race.

The race was very well executed, as are all races I've done before with this RD. Location was scenic with varied terrain, plenty of parking, and great post-race amenities. I look forward to racing more with this RD again, but I'm unlikely to sign up for this specific race again next year: the course was too hilly for my taste, and water too cold thanks to the early May race date.

As to my performance, a year away from racing and inconsistent training over the winter were obvious. Swim and run pace were both on par with what I was doing 3-4 years ago, and the bike pace was the slowest I've had in any race, ever.

And a special thank you to the volunteer who was handing out extra swim caps before the start!