This race only has two waves and the first wave is definitely the largest one. Because of that, and the short course, the swim is very bunched up pretty much the whole way. I decided to swim a little further out from the buoys to avoid the worst of the crowding. I added an extra 100 to the swim, but I knew I could make that up on the bike.

Maybe move to the front of the swim wave and let others pass me instead of starting in the middle and dealing with so many slower swimmers.

Nice transition, the parking lot was very clean of any pebbles or other debris that would be uncomfortable to step on.

Nothing, this was a great transition for me.

This course was different from last year due to construction. This course was much flatter than the previous year, but had several turns which limited my overall speed. Especially with the wet pavement which limited my ability to really attack the turns and be aggressive.
My speed was slower than last year, but I mostly chalk that up to the weather and the different course.

Try the course on a dry day?

Not much to say, sped into transition and quickly changed my shoes, grabbed my hat and race belt and ran out of T2 with a gel in my mouth

Nothing

So, I know that my running has been really bad this year, so I knew there was no way I could replicate last year's performance. That being said, my goal was to run a consistent pace and not walk any of the hills (which I did last year). I definitely appreciated the cloudy, cooler weather! I hit my goal and ran a very consistent ~9:00 pace for the entire course!

Nothing, I think I am accepting of being a slightly slower runner as long as I'm going to carry the extra weight.

Did some light stretching after crossing the finish. Grabbed some food and a Gatorade before packing up my stuff.


My own abilities


For a small, local race, they do a nice job of putting everything together. The event is organized and run very well. The post-race food is pretty bad, but that is to be expected of a smaller race.