This was my longest OWS to date, and probably my best overall performance in a race. I was faster in other races, but not comfortable. After the second turn, I was comfortable and swimming without much effort. That is the first time that I can say that out of the five tris that I've completed.

I loved hearing my BT pals shouting at the turn. Thanks Jenniferlyn.

Oh yeah, some dude chucked in the water. Luckily, I didn't have to face it first hand.

Not much.

That was the 19th fastest T1. That's pretty good.

Get the dang suit off the ankles faster. I really lubed up this time and it was even harder. Grrrrr. I think I'm going to trim it.

Well, I got out on the bike course somewhat quickly. There weren't a ton of people in front of me. I got passed quickly as I was getting into my shoes, but I caught him later. After that it was a while before anyone passed me. I hit the big downhill and carried a lot of speed into town. I think I slowed down a bit after a couple turns, and that seems like when I got passed more frequently. It wasn't until about 2-3 miles to the turn around until I saw the leaders coming back. Man, those guys were flying.

I didn't have the same problem starting out, like I did in Ann Arbor. I felt like my legs were ready to go as soon as I got on the bike. Later in the ride though, they were getting heavy. Borderline crampy. I think I lost a lot of speed on the third quarter between the oly turn around and the sprint turn around. Then I faced the uphill section from the sprint turn around until the end.

All in all, I did pretty good. Its a massive improvement from last year, but still not where I want to be. Losing a couple more pounds will help, but there is no substitute for spending time on the bike.





Bring more liquid with me on the bike. I ran out shortly after the turn around. I underestimated how thirsty I'd be after the swim.

I thought I would have been a little faster here. I only beat my previous ride of this route by 3 minutes. I felt like it took a lot more effort to accomplish this though. So, I need to get better at gauging my effort against my speed, I guess.

I'm starting to get the hang of racing on the bike though. Legal drafting, choosing places to take nutrition, when to pass, etc. I'm actually very inexperienced, but I feel like I'm getting better.

T2 ranked 21st overall. Still decent. Must go faster though. :)

Get sunglasses that go under my helmet straps. Be more deliberate in racking bike to make sure it is secure, instead of going back to double check.

My legs weren't wrecked coming off the bike, but they weren't rocking either. I made it out of the park, and took a water at Sawmill Rd. I was moving slow, but steady. The plan was to do my best to start out and get my legs under me, then start to stretch it out miles 2-4, then try to hammer 4-end. Ya, right. That didn't happen.

I was heating up quickly. I didn't get enough liquids on the bike. I was already having to will myself to keep pace at the sprint turn around. That's a little too early for me. I was feeling weak, but doing my best to keep going. Right after the sprint turn around, the hills started and they hurt. I was slowing down quite a bit on the way up, and not making up for it on the way down. I was struggling. I took a water and a heed at every station from there to the end.

The struggles continued to the oly turn around. There was an uphill to the aid station and turn around. I barely jogged up the hill, but walked the station, drank what I could and started jogging again.

From that point on, I walked the uphills, and ran the rest. I was just cresting a hill, when I saw a familiar jersey way down the road. Robyn! That girl is strong. If she was hurting, I couldn't tell. She slapped me five and kept going. That lifted my spirits a bit. I think I saw Jackie a little bit after that too. Honestly, I'm a bit foggy on that part.

For the rest of the way it was a struggle. There was a volunteer/employee of 3D at the corner of Sawmill and Hadley. He was a great cheerleader. That helped when I passed him. The course was starting to get pretty lonely.

As I came into the park, I passed a lady that was really struggling. I slowed for a second, told her we were almost done, and that we'd be able to hear the crowd in about 100 yards. She smiled, and I think that gave her a little relief.

I tried to pick it up for the end, but I was spent. Nothing for a kick at the end.

TRAINING! This is where the lack of training in the last month took its toll. Seriously, I was one second away from being on the run for an hour! Thats gonna have to improve drastically.

Drink, and drink, and drink. Smile and try to talk to trix. Nope, needed to drink some more. :)

Went over and talked to Jamie and the kids, plus my dad and stepmom. Then the cramps started to kick in. I was sitting at the time, and I rolled over and mom and dad each took a leg. Wow, what a lifesaver. Hung with family for quite a while, then cleaned out transition, then hung with BT crew for awards.


Training. For the last month, I've been bombed with work, family, and personal responsibilities. Knowing what my priorities in life are, I let training slide. I was really excited after my first tri of the year. I carried some of those expectations into the following races, but I wasn't physically in the same shape. So, I wasn't in the best shape to race, but that's okay. I'd make the same choices over again. :)

Overall, I successfully knocked out my first Oly. It could have gone smoother, but hey, I did it and I'm happy overall. I underestimated the distance and figured I could just go out and do it based on previous fitness.

I think its good that I was really challenged on this. Now, I won't be able to underestimate the HIM in the fall.


The race was run better than last year. The food was worse than last year. I wish Michigan races would quit using HEED though. Its gross.