Ran into the water and got to the 2nd bouy before the waves really started to be a hassle. The swim conditions really made the OWS training that Amy and I used to do in the Chesapeake Bay and the Choptank River worth while. Riding the waves and finding my breathing rhythm felt natural, not panicked.

I did try and grab feet whenever possible and did a couple of long sessions behind one guy who was going my same pace. I've never been able to grab feet before and it was really a cool feeling.

As we were swimming in on the last part, the current was so strong that I kept wondering if they were adding buoys as I was swimming. The water was shallow enough that I considered just trying to walk in. I finally got to the steps and had to be helped up. I couldn't seem to steady myself on my feet.

Possibly a sleeveless wetsuit.

Grabbed a cup of what they said was water and turned out to be Gatorade. Salt on salt is a BAD taste when you just want to rinse your mouth.

Found my bike without a hassle and stepped on the wetsuit to get it off pretty quickly. Grabbed the sunglasses, strapped on the helmet, and took off running with the bike.

When I set up the pedals, I made sure the right shoe was forward so I could mount by just stepping over the top tube and right onto the shoe to start pedaling. It worked PERFECTLY!

Considering the size of the transition area, I'm really happy with this transition time.

I had two target zones for this race: 20+mph and 80-85rpm. Whereever those two zones intersected was the gear that I chose.

I made sure not to get caught up in the chase packs for 2 reasons; 1. because I didn't want to get tagged for drafting, and 2. because I didn't want someone else to dictate my pace. I found my happy cadence and power level and continued to push in that range. I did get passed by a bunch of guys but I was not racing against them. I was racing against the clock.

Whenever we had a tailwind or a downhill, I did make sure to move to a higher gear. I wanted to take advantage of all the free speed that I could get.

The time on the bike just seemed to fly by. As I hit the 20 mile mark, people started to sit up like their back was cramping. I will admit that I felt a mild twinge in my back but I wasn't going to slow down b/c I knew the clock wasn't going to slow down with me.

As we came back in towards the Vinoy, I was paying attention to other bikers to see when they were unstrapping their feet. I always forget to unstrap and end up running into T2 with my shoes on. This time, I unstrapped and got my feet out before transition and went running into T2 barefoot.

Nutritionally, I did really well. I was consistently sipping from my AeroBottle (water) and, every 6 minutes, I was taking a pull from my bottle of eFuel. I was drinking so much water that I actually emptied the AeroBottle about a mile before the bottle exchange. But I never felt bloated, I just felt really solid.

Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Nothing.

Racked the bike and grabbed my socks. I had to dust off the feet a bit before putting on the socks but got them on and got the shoes tied. I debated on Saturday night about putting in Yankz but decided that a more secure shoe was going to be more important than a fast-on shoe.

Put on the race belt, grabbed the visor and hydration belt, and started running for the exit. I put on the visor as I was running for the exit and strapped on the hydration belt as I was already out on the run.

Maybe use Yankz. Not sure, though.

This was where my day was going to be made or broken. The sub-1 hour run had always eluded me. My stomach has always locked up. I was always so tired that I wanted to walk. Something was always forcing me to be slower.

As I started to find my groove, I felt a hard twinge in the lower left part of my back. I knew that my hamstring was starting to cry out and I was still within the first mile. This was my gut-check moment; at the very beginning of the run. Either I could shut it down and run in comfort or I could be uncomfortable and break some records.

Today I WANTED that 2:45 time and I knew that I only had an hour to get it.

I blocked the pain, settled in on my pace and just kept running. I would walk at each water stop, but I would quickly start running again so I wouldn't lose too much time.

As the sun crept up, there was less shade to be found on the run. I started to bake on the 2nd half but I kept drinking from my bottle and kept grabbing gatorade at each water station. Most of all, I just kept running. My times slowed a bit on miles 3-5 slipping to 9:45-9:50 but, with just over a mile to go, I started to push it. Mile 6 was down to a 9:15, and I covered the last 0.2mi in 1:30.

My coach had always talked about keeping a consistent pace and then dropping the hammer at the end. This was the first race where I actually had the energy to drop it. And I DID!

As I came down the final straight, I saw Lisa and then the BT Girls (plus Jeff) sitting by the finish line. I was going to be finished and more importantly:

I BEAT 2:45!!!

More consistent massage leading up to the race and making sure all of my muscles are as strong as they can be.

Grabbed my towel and some fluids and headed back over to sit with the BT crew and cheer in some other racers.


General speed and endurance, which will come with training and time.


This was the first time I've raced in 7 months, and the first time I've done a race where I've had to set up transition in almost a year. It's like riding a bike. Once you get in the groove, everything comes back to you. It felt so good to be in a race atmosphere again.

This race was partly about setting a PR, but also about revenge; mostly, revenge on myself for being such an idiot at last year's race. Even on the run, I knew that I would easily set a PR, but once I sunk my teeth into the 2:45 goal, and knew it was in my range, I wasn't going to release. I was a pit bull.

It was a fantastic way to top off a great and memorable weekend.

Thanks to everyone who came out and made it so special.