Seeded myself at 4:30, was second in the water. Time of 4:29 included time getting in and out of pool; probably "swam" it in ~ 4:24. Swimmer behind was close to my feet after 75m. Didn't do a great job flip-turning under the lane-lines, rubbed the line with my left shoulder on many breakouts. Reverse direction from usual circle swim contributed to this,as did the fact that I was trying to site the swimmer behind me off each wall because I knew she was closing.

Not worry so much about the swimmer behind in a pool environment. I'm very proficient in swimming, my seed time was very accurate. If the swimmer behind is closing, it's probably his/her fault for not seeding themselves faster.

Opted to wear a polyester short-sleeve T-shirt for visibility reasons (neon orange color, chance of rain, not a closed bike course). Was very difficult to get on; hung up on shoulder blades.

Different bike shoes (Currently have speed- lace type). Different top. Maybe no socks?

Stopped with ~ 1/2 mile to go to give my tube and inflator kit to someone with a flat who was just coming out of T1. I estimate I lost 40 seconds on this exchange, which cost me ~7 places on bike rank and total finish position. Goal was to break 18.0 mph, certainly would have done so without the stop. Opted for no gloves to speed up T1; hands got a little numb towards the end.

Drink more; didn't finish my bottle before T2. Is it time for aero bars?

Lost some time while I downed the rest of the water in my bottle.

Speed laces for running shoes. Carry a small disposable water bottle out of T2. Finish bottle on bike leg so I didn't have to waste time finishing it while I stood still in the transition. Race belt for number and some sort of compact nutrition; I tried to drink an Ensure out of T2 but only got half down before I got to the trash.

Steady, if not remarkable, pace. Shirt was too thick; I wasn't in danger of overheating, but I was a bit uncomfortable. Difficulty drinking from paper cup while moving. Didn't quite have the energy for the strong finish sprint I envisioned. Still, I was more competitive on this segment than I thought I'd be.

Cooler shirt. Race belt? More run conditioning.

Walked around, stretched, then showered and changed to clean, loose fitting clothes.


Hot on the run. Insufficient run training. Stopped to give tube to rider in need. Transitions weren't bad for first time, but I can improve. I spent 1:05 more in transitions than the average of the top 10 overall finishers.


I felt very good about the results of this, my first, triathlon. Finished 2/12 in my age group; might have been first if I hadn't stopped to give someone my tube kit. Finished in the top 25% overall. I was within seconds of all three target splits with no pacing assistance (GPS watch, bike computer, stop watch, etc), using only "Perceived Effort" to regulate my output. Surprised with how competitive my run time was, especially given my minimal preparation in this discipline (40 miles in 8 weeks). I think that was indicative of a reasonably smart overall race plan that was well executed.