About 2/3 of the way to the first buoy I realized I was sighting the wrong buoy. I probably swam 50 to 75 yds, maybe more, off course. After correcting course, the rest of the swim went smoothly and I was able to draft some on the way in.
I finished a 13 seconds behind a training partner that I would normally finish 2 minutes ahead of for this distance.


Not be a dumbass

Spent the extra time to wipe rocks/grass off feet and put on socks.

I went too hard on the bike leg in my last race and think I over-compensated here a bit. I could have pushed it harder, I didn't make some passes that I probably should have and several times thought to myself that I felt like I was riding, not racing.
I did consume more electrolytes on the bike this time and avoided cramping on the run.

Push it a little more.

Man it was hot by this point and I could have gone for another water station or two on course. The lady spraying people w/ her garden hose was a God-send. I felt like I was shuffling along, so it was nice to see sub 9:00 minute miles and the race pic doesn't reflect the level of fatigue I was feeling.

Found wife and kiddo, drank a bunch of water and HEED (??). Ate some watermelon and chatted with friends new and old.


Being sick and travelling the 1.5 weeks prior to race day didn't help. Eating out while on the road and not training much due to illness resulted in 5 lb weight gain since 8/1. Up to the day before the race I was considering a DNS because I was still having respiratory issues from being sick. Went to the doc the day before to get checked out and my lung capacity was down 25% from normal peak flow. He said it was ok to race, so what the heck.
This race demanded more from me menatally than the last one. Pushing through the run and not walking the hills was an achievement.


This was the first year for this race and went off very well considering. We didn't stick around for the post-race activities, we were all pretty tired.