This was the first good swim I've had in a race. I just felt like everything clicked. I didn't get out of breath or feel too constricted by my wetsuit. I went "slow" and focused on my form and I ended up passing people from up to 2 waves before me but there were people passing me up as well. I veered to the right so I had to keep correcting and probably put in more than 1250m.

Be stronger in my form -- pull harder. Swim straighter.

Everything went well except it was a little difficult to get my bike shoes on. I didn't rush, but I didn't take my time either. Wetsuit off/helmet on went well. My neighbors had been careful not to knock my bike over so when I got there my helmet was still on my handlebars which was nice. I got a Bento box yesterday which was great! I had my gu and my gloves in there so I didn't have to put the gu into my jersey pockets or put my gloves on. This was also my first race with my new tri shorts. The pad is a little thin and I'm still getting used to that but it was great to not have to put bike shorts on in T1 or run with a large pad.

Move quicker.

Bike is my best leg. I passed a bunch of people and only got passed by a handful. I think aerobars would have helped me today because most of the people who passed me had them and there was a pretty strong wind. That will probably be my next investment. The course was definitely painful but I didn't have any major problems. I ate 2 gu's and drank about 4oz of water and 20oz of Gatorade, which was just about right.

I still hate using bottles, but I think the camelback still may have been more trouble than it's worth. I may just have to get good at reaching down and using a bottle. I probably could have pushed harder in a few sections. Having someone ahead of me that I try to catch (I got almost all of them) is a good tool. I also need to bone up on the USAT rules because there were course officials and I didn't get caught but I was talking to one of them later and I broke at least a couple of rules.

T2 seemed to go slow for some reason. Maybe it was just my perception. I put my shoes on then had everything in a pile and I just grabbed it all and started running. This time I was sure to put my shoes on top and the rest of the stuff (race belt, hydration belt, hat) underneath because that's the order that I access it. I didn't have the leaden leg feeling at all when running off the bike. It was just difficult because of the accumulated fatigue.

Move quicker. Visualize exactly what I'm going to do before I do it (either before the race or while on the bike) so there is no hesitation.

The run went well considering what I had done just before it. I was holding onto 10+min miles until the final 1 or 2 miles. I pulled over at one point to take a leak behind a tree because I didn't use the port-a-potties in the transition area. Nobody screamed so I guess I was discreet enough. This leg was probably the most challenging. I had worried that this race would have been twice as hard because it was almost twice as long as a Sprint, but really it wasn't that much harder, just longer. This was exemplified on the run. I just kept on trudging along for what seemed like was a long time. The miles seemed longer than a mile. I had my amphipod belt with 3 bottles and I used 2.5 of them. I was glad that I had my own hydration and didn't have to rely on or stop for the race's. I drank an adequate amount. I did take water from most of the rest stops but just to pour over my head. They had a lot of stations and the water was COLD, which was great! I'm not sure how much harder I could have gone. I didn't feel totally wiped and I didn't puke at the end, so I guess I still had some left. I'm continually learning how to pace myself, which is another factor for me in becoming faster.

Use the port-a-potties in the transition area (a questionable change). Push harder.

Walked right into and through the food line. I got there too late for any pizza to be left. After eating a little, I stretched for about 10 minutes. Then I went to my T-area, had my R4, then packed up and headed out.


Running is probably my biggest limiter. Swimming is a limiter also but I think I'm closer to where I want to be with it than I am with running. Continuing to lose weight, and not cutting corners on my schedule will help me perform well at my next Oly in 6 weeks.


I felt like this course is matched well to my current ability. The post-race party was great -- lots of food and a live band. There were lots of people at this race, and a lot of really strong athletes. It was very well organized and the course was very nice (except the lake is kind of scummy). It's the biggest and most well organized and supported race I've done so far.