I just started swimming in August, so my goal was to pace myself and finish without stopping or changing strokes. I felt faster than normal in the pool and ended up passing two people. I lost a few seconds getting out of the pool because my arms were too tired to lift me out of the water.

I never felt like my heart rate was up, so I think I could push myself harder next time. I also forgot to put my jacket with keys and phone in my bag before they closed the transition area, so I had to stash it by the exit door before the swim. It cost me a few seconds picking it up on the way to T1. This should get better with experience.

Since this was my first tri I didn't want to rush the transitions. Everything was laid out exactly as needed and I had few problems.

I need new bike gloves. My nails got caught in the finger holes and it took me extra time getting them on.

This was my favorite part of the race. It's my strongest event and I knew I could make up some time on the ride. My only frustration was catching the red light at the beginning of the course. The race official stressed obeying all traffic laws, so I stopped. There wasn't a cop present, but there was a volunteer. Two other cyclists pulled up beside me and decided to brave the crossing traffic and blow through the light. Hmmm...that's a good way to get hurt!!!! I was irritated for about 5 seconds until the light turned green. At that point I got out of my saddle and was determined to catch up with the red light runners. I left them in my tracks! My blood was boiling and the race was on. I adopted Aarons strategy of hunt down and pass fast. I passed at least 15-20 other cyclists and never got past myself. It was great! The best part was blowing by people going up hill. I've been doing a lot of hill climbs recently in my training and it's really paid off. :)

In T1 I decided to down a Gu even though my energy level felt fine. Not a good idea. It didn't sit well with me and I spent the first 5 miles trying not to puke on my bike. I was afraid to drink any more water for fear that it would come back up. Next time I'll skip the Gu.

Again I didn't rush. I've been nursing a blister under my left arch, so I took my time and made sure my socks weren't bunched up. I was surprised to see my T2 time because it felt like I took longer. I even sat down to put my shoes on.

Go faster.

This is by far my weakest part of the race. I've been working through some hip problems and I just started running 3 weeks ago. All of my training has been on a treadmill and I'm averaging about 5.8 mph. For the first 3.4 mi. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish the race without walking. My heart rate was through the roof and I couldn't catch my breath. Something happened around mile 1 and I felt better. Once I hit the half way point I was catching my second wind. It must have been the excitement of getting close to the finish line because I kicked it into high gear. My overall pace was an amazing 9:18/mi. That's the fastest I've ever run!

I need to do more bricks, so I can adjust to the transition. I think that's the reason my heart almost exploded at the beginning of the run.

Lots of walking and stretching.


Lack of experience.


This was an excellent first race. I'm looking forward to training this winter and improving my time before next spring's race. My goal going into the race was 1:30. I beat that by almost 8 minutes. With some proper training I think I could be decent at this sport. Anyone have any recommendations for training groups in the Dallas area? I'm hooked! What a rush!