Excellent swim for me - easily one of the fastest averages I've held in a race situation. This is despite the fact that on the return portion of the swim I went probably 50m off-course, and had to stop to sight and re-direct. I think I exited the water at about the 50th percentile in my AG. Not too bad, considering the caliber of the competition.

Learn how to swim a lot damn straighter.

T1 involved a 200m run up a sharp hill and then to the complete opposite side of the transition area. I think my bike shoes are 1/2 size too small, and I definitely fought with the right one for longer than I would have liked.

Eh, not much. Proper fitting bike shoes, probably.

And this is where the karmic smackdown came in. I got on my bike at the mount line, and within about 5 meters (really) something felt weird - sort of like I was trying to pedal through jell-o. A spectator shouts out to me that I had a flat...so I swear under my breath, and pull off to the side of the road. I am literally 20' from the mount line. Rip out the flat tube, stick in another one. Pumped 'er up, and I was back on my way. Made it about another 50', and something still felt F'ed up. I saw I was coming up on a volunteer in an intersection, and I screamed out "is my rear wheel flat?!?" Yep, it was. And I can only fit 1 tube in my spare kit - because who the hell flats twice? Let alone in the first 100 yards of the bike course. I think I rode my bike for a grand total of 15 seconds. And then it was over. My first ever DNF.

Not sure. For as much as this sucks, and as disappointed as I am, there is absolutely 0 that I can do about it. I've never flatted in a race before, so I guess I was due. I just wish it didn't happen twice. If nothing else, though, I'm thankful that I didn't flat way the hell out in the middle of the bike course and have to wait to be picked up.