I started at what I considered to be a steady pace. I was surprised when the first mile marker came up. I didn't feel like I was running any faster than normal, at least I tried to save my energy for the next two legs. I think the first mile was mis-marked and my second mile time seems to confirm that. It would seem to me that I ran about 8:15-8:30 throughout the first 5k. At the water station, they were only handing out Dixie cups of water, which was a lot less than I had expected.

Maybe go out a little faster. I let a lot of people start ahead of me and get past me. I wonder how much I could have improved had I gone out a little faster. On second thought, I did it right, I just need to work on my endurance and speed in the run.

I didn't want to bonk, so I slammed a gel at T1. Didn't go as fast as I had hoped. Had some minor difficulties getting into each shoe, which meant I had to put them on twice. Got a little down on myself, so I walked out of the transition area instead of running. Once on the bike, it took no time for me to get up to speed.

Bring the gel with me and take it on the bike, rather than wasting the time in T1. Since the move from running shoes to bike shoes won't be an issue in trianthlons, I don't know if I'd practice that more or not.

I committed myself to low gears and high rpms in an effort to recover from my run and give myself a max advantage for my second run. It worked great! I must have passed a dozen people on the bike, easily. Only one of those that I passed reclaimed me and I passed him getting into T2. I couldn't believe how strong I felt on the bike, especially after what I considered to be an above average run. I also couldn't believe how many people were mashing on the ride. It was really encouraging to slip past them and feel great doing it.

Less Gatorade and more water. I made some full-strength Gatorade for the ride and had a bottle of it and a bottle of water. During the ride, I dropped my water and was left with only Gatorade. About 2/3 of the way through the ride, I started to get some minor cramping in my right calf. In retrospect, I'd skip the Gatorade and just carry straight water on the bike. The gels at T1 and T2 should give me the energy and electolytes that I need.

Energized by a strong bike, my T2 went a lot better. It was a snap two switch shoes, slam a second gel, and get going. The only thing was that I forgot to take off my helmet. ;) After a little back-pedlaing to rack my helmet, I was off.

Take gel on the run instead of stopping in T2 and make sure to have water available in the transition area just in case I lose my water bottle again.

It took me a while to lengthen my stride, but I just drove on with what I had. About a half-mile in, I was able to stretch it out but I didn't feel really comfortable until about mile 2. Looking at my splits, the weird feeling didn't hurt my times too much. Mile 2 was harder because I felt as though my heart was racing and couldn't quite catch my breath. So, I focused on lengthening my stride, adjusting my breathing pattern, and it helped to slow my breathing. Mile 3 was pure guts, I dug deep and tried to catch the one person who had passed me before the finish. I fell just short. Also, I took a page from Bill Rodgers and walked through the water stations to make sure I was adequately hydrated, since I hadn't drank on the bike as I would have liked.

This was another strong leg. I just need to work on my endurance and speed, which will come. A few bricks in the future wouldn't hurt either.

I just walked around and drank water. Caught up with my wife and we talked. Met a friend who finished 2nd overall, first in the Clydesdale. Nothing formal, no running or anything.


Other than the extra 30 lbs or so that I'm carrying? I can tell that with more training, I'll get faster. Also, with a little fine tuning, I can gain some speed in the transitions. I learn best through trial and error, so now that I have tried and erred, I can fine tune things and gain some time in my transitions and just through some standard training.


This was the second hosting of this race and it showed. Based on the other races I've run, water cups were too small, after race festivities were lacking, results reporting were disorganized. There's plenty of room for improvement on the organization.