Yikes. I was actually "happy" with my swim given the conditions of the water. I could have swam much better than I did but I have a mental block for some reason when I get out in OW. I didn't free stroke, really, until the first orange turn buoy. I doggy paddled, back stroked, breast stroked my way out there. Surprisingly I was able to keep up with the BOP'ers in my wave for a while. I think everyone was having trouble getting out past the surf. It was interesting to say the least. It's not something I have experienced before, that's for sure. About ten minutes into the swim I could feel my time chip slipping and so I wrapped it on my wrist to ensure I didn't loose it. My neck was hurting from keeping it up the past however long so I started free stroking and I was making much better progress. DOH. Although, at this point my goggles were leaking big time and I had pools of water in my eyes. It was annoying but I just carried on. The shore got closer and closer and that was great! I didn't even think about the sharks or under water creatures the whole swim..now that is progress!!

Defintely, just suck it up and swim. I need to get over the mental issues I have. Put my face in the water and go. I will work on that.

Well, I think my T time is a little slower and my swim time is faster, but whatever. I stopped at the shower put my time chip back on my ankle and took my wetsuit off. Great decision. I rinsed off the salt water and then trotted to T.

Not much. I walked to the shower, but really there was no running in the sand.

I felt great in the first 5 miles and thought this is going to be a great ride. There was little wind at this point and the sun hadn't came out yet either. I intentionally held back a little in the beginning because I didn't know how hard I could push and still be able to race the run. So I kept my pace in check. As we rode out to the turn around, I held a great pace and it was comfortable. I didn't realize I was being "pushed". I saw Deb Schum and talked to her for a minute and was waiting for Ron to pass me as well. It was fun to see everybody on the course. I took in 2 gu's on the ride and drank half of my perpetuem and a bottle of heed before the turn around. I started taking gatorade and water at the aid stations as heed wasn't tasting too good. My stomach was doing something strange, again. Started cramping and hurting a little but I forced myself to drink. After the turn around, the wind was felt head on immediately. Holy shit, it was tough. My speed dropped immediately too. At times I was holding a solid 15.5. Not good. As I made the turn on the main beach rode the wind was gusting to the left, but I was able to pick my speed back up. The damage was done at this point. As I got off my bike I knew I was going to need to adjust some things as my stomach was just not feeling good at all. Also, I needed to find a bathroom. heh.

I could have pushed harder on the way out, but I didn't want to burn out for the run so I held back.

Other than that, I did what I could. I will say I made a few observations.
1. I saw 3 seperate crashes. All involving at least 2 riders. Two of the three had paramedics.
2. The men folk, yeah. There is no reason to pass me with less than an inch between bikes. Ther's an entire lane to my left. I was riding all the way to the right yet all these guys felt the need to pass ridiculously close. It's not my fault the race director wanted to start the women first.
3. Also, when I am passing someone on the left, and you come up behind me and yell on your left, I can't go anywhere. I am already passing. So you will need to pass me on my left or wait. But don't expect me to move because there is no where for me to go.
vent over. heh.

Time is okay here, it could have been a little better given where my rack was, but still not bad.

Run faster with bike.

Well, obviously this wasn't my best time. Given the conditions I feel like this was a sucess. Time wise, it wasn't close to my goal but I made excellent decisions out there. My stomach had been acting up since the bike and so I stopped about 1.5 miles into the run to use the bathroom. I forced myself to drink at the stops even though it hurt. After a couple miles, I knew I wasn't going to be able to eat any gels so I made a plan. I drank water at every stop and took a cup to carry in between. I ate oranges at each stop too. I took 3 electrolyte pills around mile 4.5 and continued to drink a bunch of water. My stomach calmed down and i was able to run between each aid station. I walked through the stations..giving myself as much time as I needed but got back to running as soon as possible. The sponges were golden. All around me people were walking and having a hard time keeping cool..it was a really cool scene out there. Just knowing we were all in this together. I was having a good time despite the suffering heat. I talked to people on the run and would make jokes with people along the way. I caught up with Heather at mile 11 and it was nice to see a familiar face. The last 2 miles were tough. Mile 12 was the most difficult..I have never wanted to walk so badly. I have a rule though, no walking in the last mile of a run. It's a self impossed rule. That last mile was brutal and long.

Not walk as much, but that wasn't really an option on this day. I needed to walk the stations to cool down.

Walked to the NAMC tent. Drank a beer and ate some snacks. Cheered for the rest of the crew and fellow racers.


The heat and humidity was definitely a factor. The wind on the bike slowed me down and of course the crazy waves/current of the Gukf didn't help. Otherwise, I'm not sure. I think I could have rode a little more this past winter but I'm not sure.


This is atop notch race. the volunteers were amazing. The best I have seen in any race. I have never done a hand off on the bike and they made it effortless. Not to mention the water/gatorade was COLD on the bike. The aid stations on the run were just awesome. Really, you could feel those people were out there to help you. They wanted to be there and were having fun too. They were well stocked with anything you could want/need. Truely an awesome experience.

With your entry fee you get a pre race dinner the Friday before, food after the race, dinner that night with free beer. I mean honestly, could you ask for anything more?