The swim went well. I didn't overdo it at the start and got into a good rhythm. Someone was drafting off of me on the way out and constantly touching my toes. Coming back, I started to push the pace some and got going really well with one interruption, when a guy criss-crossed in front of me. I really concentrated on form the whole way.

I'm going to have to learn how to swim harder, the way I bike hard and run hard.

Had trouble getting my shirt onto my wet body.

Not roll up my shirt, as the rolls got stuck unevenly.

I'm happy with the ride, although I could have squeezed a bit more out of my legs? The women started first and my wave was the third men's wave, so it was kind of crazy racing with the people from my wave while constantly overtaking the slower people from other waves. A group of guys would come by and I'd get boxed in for a while. There weren't any pacelines, but it seemed like you were always coming up on someone. I had to go into the gravel when a pick-up truck with a trailer went wide at an intersection and then had to slow down behind it later, only to pass it with the group of guys I had just shaken off my tail.

Bring my effort a little closer to my slobber-flying time trial style.

This went well.

Nothing.

Starting was better than last time, but still a bit slower than I'd like. Not as many people passed me, and I passed more. The second half felt much better and the last 1.5 miles were quite a bit faster than the first few.

I always feel like I'm going as fast as I can at a given moment, but, especially looking at my HR data, I need to experience a whole new level of pain and discomfort in order to pick up the pace. At the sprint in a couple of weeks, I've got to be mentally tough enough to push a good pace through the 5k, as there won't be enough time to wait until I feel ready.

Eating cookies, drinking Gatorade and Endurox, walking around, taking a quick dip in the lake, some stretching.


Some traffic on the bike leg slowed me down a few times. On the run, I need to learn to push through the discomfort, especially when my HRM says I have more gas to give.


This race used to be called the Great Lakes Triathlon Championships and is under Gazelle Sports for the first time this year as Tri Del Sol. Gazelle is a great local sports store that did a wonderful job on this race. I love the rolling hills on the bike course, and they're okay on the run. If you live near here, this is a great race I highly recommend.