Just barely wetsuit legal! Still being pretty new to triathlons, this was the best race swim I've had yet. I was a little nervous about the sight buoys being on my non-breathing side as I struggled with this in my last tri, but the practice I've done in the pool and my OWS definitely helped. I was able to spot well and get into a good, hard groove. For the first time yet in a race, I was able to actually "race" the swim, instead of just trying to just get through it. I was in wave 2 and caught a bunch of people in wave 1. I was middle of the pack overall and top half in my AG. It feels great to be a mid-packer instead of bringing up the rear. Swim confidence is rising!

Nothing.

The run from the swim-out into T1 is about 2/10 of a mile up a rocky dirt road. I stripped my wetsuit and put running shoes on at the beach, then made the run up to the transition area. A long T1 time, but was actually fairly decent based on what others did.

Nothing.

A fast first half downhill, then a slow second half uphill. I had a good ride. I took in all of my race nutrition during the first 15 miles of the bike. I stayed in aero for almost the entire ride. I could feel the temperature rising during the ride. It was getting hot, and it was already humid. Halfway through the race I was averaging 23 mph. I gave 4 mph back in the second half.

This is the fourth time I've done this race (first three times were duathlon) and I beat my previous best speed by almost 2 mph. I'm not a strong climber and did get passed by a handful of people in the second half. Overall though, this is about as good a ride as I've had.

Train more on hills.

A nice, fast, clean transition.

Nothing.

The run is still my bread and butter despite rough conditions. Half mile into the run, I wondered if I'd break an hour. The heat and humidity were really bad. Once I got past the first mile, my legs finally got going. The sun was hot and my heart rate was pegged, but I managed to hold it together and push through. I dumped water on my head at every water station. I took the uphills slow, and tried to make up the time on the downhills. I managed to pass 25 people during the run. This was still a slow run for me, but pretty good when compared to the field.

Nothing. I did what I could in the heat.

I crossed the finish line and chugged three bottles of water. I spent about 30 minutes chatting and laughing with friends and teammates. DW made pancakes when we got home, then I tagged along with her on her 6 mile run. A good race and a good day!


The heat and the hills!


HMF always runs a well organized race. I've done this event four times now and will be back for more.