I didn't get a swim split time, so I don't know what my rank is. My watch showed 32:43 so I added 17 seconds to my "official" time to account for the run up the beach to the mat. I didn't hear the chip beep, but couldn't worry about it at the time.
Here's the frustrating thing. In order to compete in my AG, I have to swim so much faster. Most of the finishers ahead of me were swimming 5-7 minutes faster. WTF??? I know I lost the pack at the beginning and didn't have the start I wanted - for some strange reason the entire race started much further down the beach than they ever had before. I chose to stay to the right and swim a straighter course (and stay out of the weeds - helluva sight to have people walking the shallows 1/4 of the way into the lake!) Anyway, I never really got anyone to draft off of. My navigation was pretty good, but I had to go it alone. Still, a fast time for me, but clearly, I have to be able to swim faster to compete.

Stay with the pack and find a draft. Work to get stronger in the water. Do I need a weight training regimine? Keep the negative thoughts out of my head during the swim. They just don't help.

I didn't get a T1 time due to the chip not working. I felt I was pretty fast once I got into transition. Shoes went on quickly, as did helmet and glasses.
Learned a painful but valuable lesson for T1, though. Keep a water bottle handy to clean off the back of your heels. I thought the sprayers on the way from the beach had gotten it all - not. I felt the grit in my cycling shoes, but it didn't affect me until the run.

clean my feet better.

This was only my second ride on my new bike. It was fun! I felt like I was really flying, but in reality, I wasn't going all that much faster than on my old bike. Having a tri bike does make a difference, though. Hills were easier as were long stretches. It may need to be tweaked some, as my left hand and arm tingled a bit in the last 1/3 of the race. Also, I wasn't sure how hard to push my legs on this ride, since I just didn't know how they'd feel going into the run. I could have pushed certain areas harder and need to get better at eating, but overall, I really enjoyed this ride and was only passed (and couldn't catch) one person. She happened to be riding a sweet Cannondale *ahem* road bike, and after repeated passes of one another, I decided it wasn't worth chasing her down. She was strong - and at least 5 years younger.

Obviously, ride my new bike more. I'm not "one" with the bike, yet.

Since I now have tri-cycling shoes, I tried the feet out/shoes in pedals trick. I liked it, except for the tingling I had in my feet when I hit the pavement. I need to stand and stretch a bit before executing that move again, especially at Longhorn.
Overall, I felt like this was a fast T2. Here's where the sandy heel played a role, though.

If not done before the ride, make sure feet are clean.

I knew right away there was a problem with the sand on my heel, but decided to run through it and deal with the abrasion afterwards. I was trying to turn that sand into a pearl. All I got was a blister-type bloody heel. I learned that my shoes transfer moisture from the inside to the outside, as the bloodstain was much larger on the outside of my shoe than in the hot zone.
I ran a decent run, 9s going up and 7s coming in for an average 8:20s or so. I know I can run faster, but haven't been doing any speed work, focusing on Longhorn's HIM. I think right after that, I'll get back to basics and work on increasing the speed. I need to make up lost swimming time on the run, too.

push a bit harder on the outbound leg.

jumped in the lake for a cleanse. Ate pizza and drank what water was left.


probably mental in the water, not knowing my bike too well yet and feeling restrained on the run. Perhaps staying out until 2 after soccer on Friday had a negative effect, too.


Chip malfunctions set them back and didn't get many of the swim/T1 splits. Also, they always seem to run out of refreshments for the olympic athletes. There was no vitamin water by the time I finished. Hats are getting boring. Give visors to the guys, too. I like Tom's humorous approach, but the schwag and post-race food and drink have dwindled from the high of Disco '07 where there was plenty.