My swim felt very good. Many in my heat took off in sprint-like fashion but I held my own steady, sustainable pace throughout. I was able to catch all...or so I thought.

I did a good job of counting laps, talking to myself, reassuring and pushing at a good sustained, solid pace. When I got to 15 laps, I didn't see the signal for my last lap so I paused and asked the counter. He held up two fingers, indicating that I had two laps left. I told him he was incorrect but I didn't want to waste time arguing. I knocked out my last two laps, only to finish even with the young lady in the lane next to me; a young lady that I had been ahead of the whole time.

The good news is that they recorded my correct swim time. They just added the extra lap time to my tranisition. See below.

I probably should have just gotten out of the pool when I knew my laps were done and let them figure it out. Instead, I did what they told me and did an extra 50m.

First, I felt the swim was too short, so I decided to do an extra 50m. That added about 1:40 to my transisiton time. UGH!

Came out of the water and got my socks and shoes on relatively easily. I had flipped my shirt inside-out thinking it would go on easier. In my semi-fatigued state, it didn't. I took to long trying to figure out how to get my shirt on. I ended up just turning it right-side out and putting in on. Grabbed my reflective/ race belt and sunglasses and headed out for the run.

Just leave my shirt right-side out. I know I should consider going sockless but there are some other factors in that decision...like the fact that I have the sweatiest feet in the world. Oh, and I need to do JUST the race distance...no extra.

I did a fairly good job of getting up to speed but I had lost all of my advantage from the swim. With the extra lap, I was smack in the middle and my minor snafu in the transistion put my behind when it came time to run.

I started out as strong as I thought was sustainable and tried to make up lost time but soon I realized that it was no use. I was passed by a couple of guys about half-way through the run.

Now that I "Monday Morning Quarterback" it, I need to push faster coming out of the transition. My pace is a full 30 seconds slower than my open 5k pace and I think these paces should be closer. Hmm...maybe that's a question for forum discussion. Maybe my expectations are too high.

I ran a smart race based on my current training goals and fitness. There's nothing I would do different tactically during the race.

I walked around a bit disappointed. A mark I had set for myself in my mind was to finish in less than 40 minutes. My watch read 40:04; my official time is 40:03. I thought of all the places I could have saved four seconds and really felt like I let one get away from me. That coupled with the extra 1:40 or so I spent in the water and I would have been WELL under my goal.

I grabbed an apple and a Gatorade and went to see who was where. MAJ M was on the road already, P and B and had yet to swim. I mixed and mingled and then cheered for P as he swam. I then rode my bike alongside P for his 5k and coached him through his run. As he was standing around, B came out from her swim and so he and I jumped on our bikes and followed her for 5k.


I'm happy with my swim performance, other than the extra distance I did. My run suffered because I'm not doing the hard-core speed work necessary for a 5k. Of course, my weight plays a part in all this, too.


This is the kind of crap you get when you have Soldiers who are "volun-told" to support this event. My lap counter was a young PV2 who was probably ticked off that he had to be up at 0430 on a Sunday morning to count laps. End rant. That being said, I'm upset about a biathlon I did in a war zone. I need to get over it and just enjoy the day.