The day prior to the event, I had made the decision to not wear my wetsuit. Of course, the day prior was pretty flat and calm. Not true of race day. The waves were up, and there was a discernable outward current after the last turn into shore. I lost 3 minutes over last year, but then just about everyone else did as well, so all in all, I think I had a good strong swim, just that my time was all conditions would allow for. I didn't fatigue one bit, and was and still am happy with my decision to swim sans wetsuit. Water was crowded, but not even close to Ironman so that was no big deal. No hits or bumps to speak of. Oh, I was able to see the bottom almost the whole way. That is a St. Anthony's first for me. I'd rather just not see the bottom. Freaks me out. :)

Nothing. Not wearing the wetsuit was a test. Next time the decision is subject to same conditions and circumstances.

My spot in Transition was not great, and transition is HUGE, so I am pretty happy with my time. No issues. No wetsuit to get off me.. which was good.

Have helmet strap unbuckled.. I lost a few seconds fumbling with that thing.

My best bike split ever in terms of average pace. First five miles I spent acclimating to the bike from the swim. Felt good, knew I could push it and not 'pay' at the end.. so I did. Big problem though. I took my bike to Maintenance the day before for some cable and derailleur adjustments. They did a great job with that. Shifting was perfect, and better than ever. Took my bike right from there to Transition. So what was the problem? Well, my bike seat was low.. way too low. All I can determine, is that they removed it while it was getting serviced, and put it back on too low, and I didn't think to check it... anyway, I could not get full extension on my leg. Only about 3/4.. so, the question became "is it worth it to get off the bike, adjust up, and get back on?" My answer was no, that the two or three minutes that could take would be too costly. So I adjusted my position, sat further back on the seat to get the leverage I needed, and upped my cadence in an easier gear at other times. I made the best of it, but I feel I could have done even a little better on my bike than I did due to that issue.

Other than that, bike was crowded. I was in a pack of about 10 other riders, and none of us could drop the pack.. even though we all tried at various times. No one in this pack was drafting. There were constant manuvers and decent positioning taking place. I was not unhappy with it at all.

One point.. while this is a flat fast course, there are some Silver Comet like grinders on it. Also, with 34 ish tight turns which require breaking and careful maneuvering in a crowd, these points make me especially happy with my time and pace.

Check seat for proper adjustments. Get it marked so a quick look will tell me if all is well.

Good T2. Getting off the bike, I knew my legs would allow me to have a decent run. No real T2 issues.

Nothing

This is where the fun started for me. I didn't really have a target in this race till this point. By target, I mean someone to beat. This is where I was the hunter, and Z was the hunted. Saw him about 500 yards ahead of me. Was not completely sure it was him, but was confident. The SF jersey stands out.. that and the red shoes. So I decided this would be more about reeling him in if possible, than about wearing myself out to catch him and then try to maintain. It was never my goal to try to beat him, but today.. it became my goal. So.. first mile. Stomache was not cooperating. Felt locked up. Had to force some burps and almost threw up in the process. Was not happy, but pushed through it. After the first mile, I looked at my time.. 7:27.. "ok, I can maintain this" is what I thought, so I continued on. Drank only sips of gatorade to try to unlock my stomache, and dumped water over my head at every stop. At about mile 2.5, Z stopped at a water stop. Fatal error for him. Even though he only lost MAYBE 5 - 7 seconds, I knew the animal was wounded. Heh. Ok, I knew I had a chance. So.. here is where strategy takes over. Z was aware that I was behind him. He knew, or would know how to pace based on where he saw me on the run course. I gained considerable ground on him by the turn around point.. It was me, another guy, and Z. I actually 'hid' behind this other guy by moving to the right angle. Once the turn was made, I actually settled in and moved to just behind Z. I allowed my HR to recover for a few minutes while he paced me.. unknowingly :) .. at mile 4, I got next to him and said.. "hey.. nice run" Z said.. I was looking for you.. I said Yeah, I kinda hid behind someone back at the turn. After that, I accelerated away and my thought process was.. if he is going to beat me, he is going to earn it. So I just did my thing through to the finish. Crossed at 2:24. Z crossed at 2:25. So, I was able to beat him. First time. He says he is not training as hard, so maybe it was a fluke, but still. I was happy with it.

So, the run was really fun for me. I made it an event in and of itself.

Nothing. Stomach issues will be addressed via nutrition.

Got the sweet ice towel and drapped it over my head. Headed to the NAMC tent and drank some beer. ok, lots of beer.


Seat on bike, Stomache on run.


St. Anthony's is a great event. I'll sign up again next year.