The water temp was to be around 70F for the morning swim. A few of us decided it would be best to take this swim without a wetsuite. Well, that was a BAD IDEA. WOW, that water was cold. It was so cold that it would suck the air out of you. I normally breath every third stroke, and it was forcing me to breath every stroke on my left side. Every now and then, I was able to get three strokes in before needing air, but not regularly. There really was not any waves except when the boat would come around to check on everyone, then you would get smacked with the wake.

It was so cold that my wife said several people got about 100 meters out, before they returned to shore.

My swim was going fine, even with the cold water until around the 200 meter mark. I got my first kick in the face. Took it right on the bottom lip. Well, to say the least that threw off my entire rythme. Up to that point I was not feeling the cold water (great pace, good breathing, etc.), but after the kick to the face it gave me a joult. I was not drafting, so I did not even see it coming. I presume I either swam up on someone too fast or they changed from FS to BS. Either way, that was the down fall of my overall swim.

Nonetheless, my goal was just to finish the swim porition at this point. Which, of course, I did.

Bring a wetsuite. WOW, what a stupid idea was it to not wear one.

I really wish this event was chipped because my T1 was FLYING. Even though I could not feel my feet/arms, I was on the move if a flash. I made up for the bad swim in T1 on this race. I must have passed 20 racers coming out of T1. My last T1 was around the 3 minute mark, I would say this T1 was around 30 seconds.

Running from the water...goggle off, swim cap off, both in hand.
Get to my bike (T-zone), drop goggle/cap, grab glasses/helmet in one action. Grab bike, tell my brother "Au revoir" and I am off. This is the first race where I had my shoes already clipped to my bike, and I will do this in every race from now on. Granted, it took me a second to get going on the bike as I could not feel my feet to start pushing on the pedels. I was still frozen from the swim.

Nothing. I was moving so fast there really was not area of improvement. My hang up getting started was due to the cold water, so that is just part of it. No worries, and it only added 1 maybe 2 seconds.

Air Temp at the start was 44F. Thus, after coming out frozen from the lake, 44F air blasting by you on the bike was also cold (short sleave Tri-suite BTW). I was Very cold to say the least.

The first half of the bike I was trying to get some feeling back in my hands/feet. They were numb for about half the ride. I could not feel the shifters, so several times on they way out I was either down shifting when I meant to up shift, or up shift when I wanted to down shift. Plus, the first hill I came too I had no idea how I was moving up it. NO FEELING in my feet or legs.

Nonetheless, the way out was mostly downhill with a few hills to the mid-break point. Some of the down hills were huge, I looked down at one point and I was hitting 40 mph. A very fast out. I was realing people in left and right on the way out.

Turn around point, roughly 8.25 miles

It is not call The Beast of the East for nothing. On the way back it was mostly uphill. IMO nothing that bad except the hill at mile marker 12.5. I ride a lot of hills, but WOW, that was a tough one. It knocked me down to around the 9-10 mph mark near the top. After that, just up and down back to T2.

I had a great bike even though I was numb most of it.

I should have changed the inserts of my shoes out. I have the breathable ones in, as I normally ride in temps around the 80F right now. I should have put the "winter" inserts back in to help warm up my feet more.

Other than that, not much would I have changed.

Again, my T2 was flying. I guess the best part of the day, from a numb standpoint, was being able to run over the gravel barefoot. I unstrapped my feet about .5 mile from T2. Feet on top of shoes coming in, brake, jumped and off and running. We were able to undo helmet once we were off the bike, so when I got to my T-Zone I alreadyd had my helmet in hand, and dropped as I racked the bike, then threw on my socks/shoes. I set up my socks in case my feet were cold and needed them, and as you guessed I decided to go with socks for the run. When I got to my T-Zone, my rack was empty, so I leaned up again the rack to steady myself to slap on my socks/shoes. Grabbed my race belt and was off.

Again, I passed several people in T2 as well

Nothing

The run was great! I got the rubber legs out within .25 of a mile, and my feet started to defrost around the .5-.75 mile marker. The course started off flat, before working to the hill. IMO there was only one hill in this course. It wound up the hill, then back down the other side. The entire course was on a paved running trail of the park. Once you topped the hill, the course came down in a wooded area, then took a turn to cross the dam. The dam was AMAZING. Lake on both sides of the dam, mountains surrounding the lake, just WOW. The race is worth doing just to come around that corner to see that. The course went around half way out on the dam, around two cones, then back to the finish. After the turn around, I was really able to start hammering out the run. First half of the run felt like a 7:30 mile, the second half felt like a 7:00 mile pace. The race was not chipped, so I really can not tell.

The best part of the run (after the dam view) was cheering on the guys going out for the run. Say around the final one mile of the run part. I found myself in "no-mans land" with no one in front of me, and no one really behind me, so I decided to cheer on those guys/ladies going out for the run. It was great! They looked beaten down, and I would say "good job, keep it up" and their face would turn to a smile and they picked up the pace. That was awesome. A little cheer, and it make that much of a difference. It really made me feel good.

Closing in the final .5 mile, I returned to hammering out the run to the finish line. I crossed in 1:33 and change, 3 minutes out of third place overall.

Nothing

Walked around, cheered, light jog. Ate several bannanas, fig newtons, water, etc....

My wife and I brought our dog, so I played with her for a bit.


Being frozen.


The race was not a huge race, on the small size. I think the bike course gets a bad rap IMO. It was tough, but not that bad. I wish it had been chipped, but that is not a hang up. I really wished I had a wetsuit.

A great start for the 2008 season.

During the awards, they started with the older groups and worked down. So, when they got to the 25-29 age group and called out the time for third place my wife and I looked at each other. I had beaten the time of third place. Then, they called out second place and that was not me either. OMG, I had taken first. Then, my called my name for 1st place in the 25-29 AG. It was wonderful!!!