I didn't quite have the swim I hoped for. This was technically my fastest time on the swim at this race (my 3rd time racing it), but it was only about 30 seconds faster than last year when I didn't wear a wetsuit. I did my best job of sighting/navigating the course, shortening the distance by 65 yards. But this course seems long to me, longer than any other Oly swim I've done.

The swim went OK, but as I was nearing the end it felt like I was getting a cramp in my quad. I'm not sure how that happens on the swim, but my fear was confirmed by the time I stepped onto dry land.

Train better. My swim training has been very inconsistent for about 2 months now. If I had felt better about my training, and knowing what I know now about my cramping issues, I wish I had done the swim without the wetsuit.

With the cramp in my left quad as I hit the beach, I took a lot of time getting through T1. I had some trouble getting my suit off, but part of that was due to the cramps and having to sit on the ground to do it. I took a few drinks of my electrolyte mix and took a few hits off my salt lick. My T1 last year was 2:23, so this was a huge change with the cramps.

Nothing I could do about taking so long in T1. I had to get the cramps to calm down. Without the cramps, it wouldn't have taken nearly as long.

Maybe I went a little too hard on the bike? I don't know. Surprisingly, the cramp in my quad didn't come back on the bike. I started off going at an easier pace and trying to take in plenty of water and hitting my salt lick on a regular basis. Easing into the bike was my plan from the beginning, but it was more necessary because of the cramps. In the end, I was only 9 seconds slower than last year's time. That felt like a win given that this was my longest ride of the year this year (sad, I know). It's possible I pushed the pace too hard given how poorly my run went, but I have no way of knowing.

Nothing really. Only losing 9 seconds to last year's pace seemed almost impossible to think about before the race. My bike training this year is definitely not as good as it was last year, so to be that close was a surprise. Also, in terms of ranking within the race, this was my best sport.

I shaved 31 seconds off my T2 time from last year, so that's good. I already had my race bib on, so it was mostly take off my bike helmet, shoes, and gloves and then put on my running shoes. I may have changed socks last year, but didn't this year, so that is another potential area of time savings. Relatively speaking, it felt like a fairly quick T2.

Nothing. Saving 31 seconds over last year seems like a big improvement (20%). It's hard to argue with that result.

I thought I was off to a good start. Out of T1, I felt very stiff in the glutes and I was trying to keep my effort level a little lower as I waited to loosen up. I was surprised that I didn't suffer from the usual calf cramps that always come up about a 1/4 mile out of T2. I finished Mile 1 in 8:32, which was a little ahead of pace despite my stiffness. About 1.6 miles in is when disaster struck. That's when my quad cramps came back with a vengeance.

From then on, it was run a little, walk a little. I was hitting my salt lick fairly frequently and taking a couple cups of either water or Gatorade at the aid stations. At times, I completely stopped and tried to either stretch my quads or massage them to get rid of the cramps.

I ran out of salt just about at the 1.5 mile to go mark. I was able to mostly run the rest of the way, with only one slow down over that stretch. My pace wasn't great, but my Garmin has me finishing Miles 5 and 6 in 9:34 and 9:13. So I was still having to take it easy, but at least I finished without the cramps returning.

Nothing I could do differently here. Maybe I was a little fast out of T1, but I don't think going a little slower during mile 1 was going to make it so the cramps didn't come back. Perhaps a combination of a slower pace and more salt could have helped get me to the finish a little faster. Maybe not. I did as best as I could to try to manage the situation and to get across the finish line, which I did.

Grabbed a water bottle, dumped some of that on my head and over my chest and walked around some as I let my HR come down.


Training and nutrition. Although, it would seem the nutrition was a bigger factor than my training. I feel like I would have lost minimal time to last year if it wasn't for the cramps. And I feel like the cramps must have been due to low sodium in my system before the race. Next race, I load up on salt in the 1 or 2 days leading up to it!


I like this race and this is my 3rd consecutive year doing it. It's a good, fair course in a good location. They always seem to have plenty of volunteers and a good turnout. The swim seems like it always measures considerably longer than the advertised 0.9 miles, but everyone is swimming the same course so it isn't like it's unfair. I'm sure I'll be back next year!