I started in the front and slightly to the right after talking with Steve (doughboy) as we waited for the cannon. I was lucky, in that, the guy next to me was a good swimmer. We had a deep water start and I was horizontal as the count down got to three and stroking by 1. I don't think I ever heard the cannon as I was already head's down in the water. I immediately saw 2-3 guys way to my left that shot out to the front. I didn't think I could swim with them so I stuck with the guy right next to me as he seemed to be going the same speed as me and straight. This was a good decision as the guy next to me was a very even match and we settled into a good groove for the first 2-3 buoys. Once we started getting into the wave ahead of us, I let him go and I dropped unto his feet and just followed him through the crowds. I thought I saw Marcy's Javelin jersey in the swim but wasn't sure. There is not much you can do in the swim to say hi so I kept on moving. I did swallow a few gulps of water in the slightly choppy water but was able to recover without much effort. Overall, I felt comfortable and was able to stay on some good feet the whole way. I just wish we were a minute or two faster. I think I could have gone that much harder (if I was drafting).

I am not sure, I have never swam well (for me) at this race. Perhaps next time I will race age group and get in an earlier wave?

It's a long run from the swim exit up the beach and into the parking lot. My bike rack was the 3rd from the end (on the opposite side of the swim) so the run was especially long for me. However, we were much closer to the bike exit. I was into my glasses and helmet quickly and running with my bike with the shoes attached without incident.

Nothing, it's assigned racking and I am just a slow runner. Once at my bike I was gone in 10 seconds.

Once again, my running mount was not good. My recent back/hip/quad issues have left me conservative in engaging my core so I did a modified rolling mount as graceful as possible for a guy 230lbs (ie, not so graceful). I was into my shoes quickly once on the bike and tried to just settle in a get comfortable. I had a hard time catching my breath and my legs felt heavy for the first few miles. Once I got to the first real right turn onto the Hwy I started to get into a groove. Before that, I struggled and just mashed the peddles harder than I should have. Once on the Hwy, I was cruising at a nice 24 mph and feeling great as I looked at the looming hill over the bridge. I was up and over the hill easier than I thought but still out of breath by the top. I took a shorter recovery at the top than those around me and was back into aero and hammering down the next hill passing people (women from the 4 waves in front). I took the next few hills as steady as I could and finally caught Kari on the top of the last hill before the turn. She was doing AWESOME and I was so proud that she was having such a good race. Once we made the corner I told her to have a strong ride and I pushed off trying to get back up to speed. I always remembered the 3rd side of the course as being a beautifully rolling section and lots of fun. It was beautiful and rolling but I was not having as much fun this year as I had in the past. I think my (lack of) conditioning started to show here around mile 11-13. I could feel my legs starting to tire and I was getting uncomfortable on the bike. I just kept pushing through hoping that I would come good again and catch a second wind. Luckily, I got that second wind in a most unlikely place, the last turn by the damn and into the slight wind! The breeze felt good on my face and was not so strong that it felt like you were battling just to move forward. It is also fairly flat. I always notice that people are really slow here and sit up and just seem to be out on a weekend bike ride. It is here that I pass a significant amount of people. It was also here that I was passed by 3-4 guys in my AG. Once we got on the last road back to the park I was feeling good again and wanted to really see if I could hold 24mph on the flat. The car traffic was heavy and I actually had to pass a van to not have to slow down. The last mile was tough as we come out of the shade and into the sun and then back in the park where the road gets a bit rough and slightly uphill. I was able to get out of my shoes and ride on the tops with ease but my dismount was more of a stop and step off since the dismount line was a wall of people standing around.

More time trial workouts (ie Wednesday Work Lunch rides) and just a bigger base of race miles without getting injured.

The long run around transition with my bike took longer than I wanted and I had to walk for 2 racks as I had a hard time finding my spot since there were not many bikes hanging on the rack. Once at the rack, my helmet was off quickly, I was into my shoes (no socks) and ran with my visor, race belt and PowerGel. I did stop briefly at the first aid station to wash the PowerGel down with a water and then I started to run up the long slow hill to the forest and shade.

Same as always: Run faster.

Almost immediately on the run I could feel my Achilles pulling when I stepped off my right foot. Typically, it loosens and the pain goes away so I kept running and waiting for the pain to stop. Once at the top of the small incline, I was able to settle into a nice pace and start to try and control my breathing. For the first time in years my legs felt great coming off the bike and I felt very "balanced" My right quad/hip has been so tight for so long that I didn't realize just how out of balance I had been. I had gotten used to my left quad burning that it just felt great to have both legs feel equally used and working. The rest of the run was basically battling the heel pain on the inclines (it never went away)and trying to make up time on the downhills. I saw Kari on course and we exchanged so inspiration and a wave. She looked so good I thought she was going to catch me on the run! Next I saw Marci (dogersmom) and she was coming up looking good as well. One of our long time friends and one of Kari's Tri Zones teammates, Pam, caught me on the run about mile 2.5 and I just couldn't get it back going up the last incline before the turn to the finish. I had also developed a blister on the back of my right neel to make matters worse with my heel. On a positive note, I was able to catch another Clydesdale that passed me and I stayed right behind him going down the small hill before I lit the jets and sling-shotted around him on the last straight away to the finish.

Opt for the massage therapist to dig deeper in my soleus on the Wednesday before a Sunday race. I had time to get over the soreness and decided to not go too deep before the race.

Walk around talking to all the other BT'ers (JeepFleeb, cbarnes, bear, dodgersmom, doughboy, etc) and then did an "interview" with Aaron for BT to help him get his press credentials for IM North America. That was fun! Then met up with our friends that we came with and watched as Richard picked up his 3rd overall award. It was awesome.


Recent conditioning and a very tight soleus.


As usual, the race swag was awesome and well worth the entry fee. Travel to this race is expensive considering it's just a sprint and there are alot of local races (Jack's Generic) one the same day. However, there is something about this race that just makes it special and one not to miss. I love the course (hate the water) and I still have some revenge to take at this race. I will be back for year #5 next year. Here are some the pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/mkmbharris/RiverCities2008