I'm estimating my splits, because they didn't have any new-fangled timing mats at this race and I kept forgetting to hit my watch on time.

I was certain that I would limp through the swim, or not be able to breathe from the cold, so I seeded myself a little bit back and a little bit wide. That was a bad idea, as a big space of empty water immediately appeared before me. I have finally gotten the hang of drafting so I wanted to be able to do that. Also, I was able to put my face in the water without gasping, which was good.

I tried to cut across and find some feet, but I don't remember if I was successful, because the swim was pure chaos. 250 meters is an all-out sprint, so I couldn't even tell where I was or who was around me. When I reached the rowboat, a guy ahead of me actually overshot the turn and was going to continue. I grabbed his leg and swung him clockwise to help him out. I'm sure he didn't think it was a good deed though.

After the turn the swim was uneventful. I just kept swimming like a maniac. I think I exited around 12th place overall, based on who I saw on the bike course. I don't know for sure though.

Always bring a swim cap to races. In fact, bring extras, in case there is another idiot like me around.

I should have had confidence in my swimming ability and seeded myself front and center.

Finally, I think I should have sprinted even harder. I was going fast, but it wasn't all-out.

I was very disoriented. The fast swim left me very dizzy and I could hardly stand up when trying to get my shoes on. It must have happened to other athletes, and none of us seemed to have the coordination to clip in at the mount line. The other thing that made T1 difficult was that the bikes were very close to the swim exit, so I was extra wet. I put my snazzy aero helmet on and about a quart of water was suddenly squeezed out of my hair.

Clip in better. My wetsuit removal has never been better than today, but my clipping ability has never been worse.

I'm really happy with my bike performance. I held a very steady 21.5 mph while still holding a little back for the run.

After some initial sorting of the bikers, most of us were left alone. It was kind of nice to not have to worry about passing and being passed often. We could take up the whole road, and I could concentrate on holding just the right pace.

Since it was out-and-back, I saw the leaders coming the other way. One...two...three...four...oh, there's the turnaround! I suddenly realized I was in 8th place and I had been gradually gaining on number 7. I passed him just after the turnaround. This is significant, because the overall awards went 7 deep. On my way back I was working on a strategy to hold onto my 7 spot. I have never been in the top 10 of anything ever, so I was pretty excited. After the turnaround, I could see who was behind me, and there were some fast guys. One of them caught me pretty quickly and then got a steady 15-second lead on me. He looked back at me very often, so I could tell he was nervous about his position too. That aspect of the bike leg was kind of fun. I was no longer racing for time but instead racing for position.

Another guy passed me in the last mile, putting me in 9th place. I actually relaxed a little bit after this, because I decided I could catch them in the run.


Probably nothing. Maybe I would push harder, but this is actually a big PR for my bike leg. I don't think I have ever averaged even 20 mph before.

Oh, here's something. I either wouldn't bring a full water bottle on my bike for a cold, overcast race, or I would avoid squirting it out in order to save weight. When I was ejecting this excess weight the guy ahead of me probably doubled his lead. I need to concentrate on the race and not 10 ounces of fluid.

The road was very bumpy during the bike, and I didn't have gloves on, so my hands were numb when I tried to tie my running shoes! Otherwise everything was fine.

It was funny, because people weren't racking their bikes in T2. Instead they just threw them randomly onto the grass and then ran off. I love these small races!

Nothing.

For the first time ever, my legs felt heavy after the bike ride. Running is my strength, so I usually have no problem. Because of the brick effect, the first half was a little slower than the second. I found my legs probably a mile into the run.

Since I was going for position, I ran pretty conservatively. I also have shin splints so I was afraid of aggravating them with hard running (they turned out to not be an issue today, though). I spotted two guys up the road and focused on taking them down (figuratively, of course). I passed both of them somewhere in the first mile, and by the turnaround I had moved from 9th to 5th place. It was cool because I could count the leaders again just like in the bike leg. I moved into 4th place at about the two-mile mark. I have no idea where the 3rd place guy was. I didn't see him, so I just cruised in to a comfortable finish. Later I got a nice little award.

Probably nothing. If I were concerned with a PR I would have pushed the run right from the start. But I wasn't.

I felt just fine after the finish, so I kept on running for a half-mile more. Then I ate some donuts for some reason, stretched, and then jumped back into the freezing pond for about 10 minutes. The pond was probably too cold, because I was shivering uncontrollably for about a half hour after I got out. Still, my legs will thank me tomorrow.




My own pacing, I guess. I'll go faster next time.


This was a very informal, small, no frills race. It was inexpensive with no taxes from USAT. We only got the final time, there were only a few volunteers out on the course, and the transition area was very small. After the race there were sandwiches and pop and donuts, which were low-key but awesome. I really liked how informal it was, because races are usually little stress factories. The only bad side was that they gave me an extra-large tee shirt, and I'm definitely an extra-medium (yeah, you read that right). I think it's the perfect race to get the triathlon season started with.