The bottom of the ramp was so slippery that they were having us sit down and slide in to the water. Now that was just pure FUN!! The water was 60deg, but I had a full wetsuit on, so I really didn't feel it except for my feet & at the small of my back where it was a non-neoprene panel. As soon as I stood back up and PEED!!! So that got everything to about the right temp inside the suit. The suit has now a mingling of Elln & my pee residue. Why I think thats so cool/funny, I don't know...but it put me in a good mood for the start of the race.

The horn blew (all the girls were in the 4th wave) and we were off. While my body felt ok, my face did NOT want to be in the water. Everytime I put my face into the water I would try to suck in air. Yeah thats doesn't work real well. I remembered the feeling from the Texas Woman back last Oct, so I didn't panic. I just worked with it. For about the first 1/6th of the course I didn't put my head in the water. I would try again every few strokes, and finally I was able to get in a breath per stroke. 1/2 way to the first bouy I was thinking there was no way I was going to make it. I was going to have to flop on my back and get fished out of the water. But of course that was just the stupid mental thing. I just kept on plugging. The other thing is most everything I do it takes me about 10 minutes to get in to it. I know that about myself, so I kinda just kept plugging waiting for my head to get right. I was into a good rythem by the time I turned the first bouy (no not JOHN bouy, he was safe in my car). There were only 2 bouys out on the course, one to make each turn...so I coudln't even see the second one when I turned. I just followed the other bodies and hoped they were going the right direction. Finally in this segment I was able to get in my regular breathing pattern...kinda. I would beathe every 2 stroked 3 times, then I would breathe on the 4th stroke. I got into the rythem, and I was even having a song go in my head with it, so I was set. I rounded the 2nd bouy and had a couple of guys behind me, so I knew I wasn't going to be the last out of the water. ALWAYS a good thing. The last leg I got down to my normal breathing, my normal stroke, I was good to go...there was just this thing about swimming in a straight line. I wasn't very good at that. I saw Welsh heading out of the water about 6 people before me. I was glad to see he hadn't built up too much of a lead. Actually I was just glad to see that he had made it all the way. It was cold in that water!!

At the water exit they had about 6 guys there to help us up out of the water. I'm sorry did I say 6 guys. I mean to say 6 HOT guys who were wearing jammers, and nothing else. Now even in my addled state I was able to appreciate that these hot boys were in the cold water to help me. Yeah baby....YEAH!

I pretty much walked to T1. My feet were number, and the world was spinning.

As I walked up to my bike, Welsh was there too. "I see you waited for me". Heh!! At this point the world turly was spinning aorund me, so I just squatted down and looked at the ground waiting for it to stop moving. I took my time. I got out of the wetsuit ok. No chafing anywhere. Planted myself on the ground and got my socks & shoes on. Pulled the shirt over my head, helmet on & buckled, and put my camelbak on. I was ready. The spinning had pretty much subsided, but I was still feeling a little wobbly so I just walked my bike to the line. Oh and I ate a gel.

This course was on the Devils Backbone & Purgatory, and a road called 306 which was a combo of both! I had seen the section on Devils backbone and 306 before, but purgatory was a mystery to me. I am really glad I had ridden parts of it before, because I didn't freak out when the hills that didn't look like they should kick my ass kicked my ass.

I turned on to the Devils Backbone, I was out there on my own. The hill that had gotten a "fu(k" from me in Dec pulled in to view. I knew I had to build up speed on the downhill before it. At the apex of the f hill, they had the photographers. Now I understand why this is a cool place to have photographers looking at triman50 & max's avatars however in my case it was more of a still life. So at this point I was about 7 miles in and feeling good. I only had a couple more miles till I turned on purgatory. I had passed the f'in hill, and I didn't get a flat on it which is what I was afraid of. Instead I got the flat a mile later.

I walked the bike about 200 yards till I could change the flat in a safe place. I had all the stuff in my camelbak, so I felt ok...just frustrated that it happened. I also flashed back to the thread on "do you carry tools on sprint & olys?" and I was glad that I did! I checked inside the tire, and couldn't find anything in there, so just pulled out the new tube and got it and the tire back on the rim. I pulled out my CO2 cartridge & nozzle and DISASTER strug. An o-ring in the nozzle popped out of place. My hand got pinched & frozen, but more importantly my tube did not inflate. Luckily I had a second cartridge sitting there. So I pushed the o-ring back in place and this time it worked. meanwhile about 8 people passed me...the joy of being a BOPer.

I jumped back on my bike but my mental game was shot. At this point I just kept telling myself "you're out for a Sunday ride...on Saturday, but you're out for a sunday ride." I turned on to Purgatory and the wind hit me in the face. I was pretty much just slogging away at it and watching the distance tick off on my bike computer. I did pass 2 people who had stopped at the bottle trade off...so there were 2 people behind me. Then right before we turned onto 306 I passed a TNT chick. Having the TNT chick as a rabbit helped me kick it up a notch. Then for the fun part. There was a SCREAMING downhill mile. I got up to 38 that I saw...I would have tucked in more if I had experienced that hill before...so next year I should get up to about 45 :)

The rest of the ride was just trying to bring her home. I passed 3 more people, one of whom was fixing a flat on the side of the road. I felt his pain!!

Gina was at the front of transition cheering for me when I got off the bike. Yes ladies and gentlemen her day was done, and I knew I had over an hour to go. Great job Gina! I in typical Kristen fashion greeted her with "You SUCK! Congratulations on being done"

I just took my time getting to my place. Getting my shoes on, sucking down a gel. I almost forgot to take my glasses of, but remembered jsut in time.

By this time it was nice and warm. I wish I had taken my shirt back off, but I didn't want to mess with removing it and then having to keep track of it so I just toughed it out. The little snippet of soung going through my head was "you hve to put one foot in front of the other put the other foot down down down" It pretty much lopped in my head the whole first lap. Every once in a while I would get a little company when someone on their 2nd lap would pass me. I guess I just put my head down and ran the damn thing. I don't remember too much of it. I was hot, I was tired. I saw the "HILL" for the first time at mile 2. It sucked, but I was able to run to the top. My HR was through the roof, and I was sucking wind, but I got it done. Now heres the part where it really kinda sucked. As I'm running in to the 3 mile/finish line, most everyone else was done. Everyone was cheering for me. They were telling me great job, you're almost there....but I still had 3 miles to go. So I loved that everyone cheered for me, but dude it sucked knowing I had another 3 miles to go. Gina was there cheering for me again as I stayed to the right away from the finishline...I had another loop to go. Once I passed the transition area I knew I was going to be all on my own for this loop. Just like training, but there was no one and nothing out here...no cars no nothing...so that was kind of a mental beating. Then I get to the 1st water station and the volunteers were already gone. Some sweet competitor had gone up to the table to get water, and my internal monologue was going " If you took the last of the water I'm gonna kill you" instead he asked me what I wanted and handed it over to me. A sweetheart! My mental game stumbled at about 4.75...I was runnin runnin runnin...then my brain said "fuck it" and I wasn't running anymore. I wasn't too upset because I knew that I was almost to mile 5 and I wanted to be rested for the hill. I got to the water staion at 5, and no one there, AND no water set out...so I found 2 cups that didn't looked used and tossed one on my head the other down my throat.

My fatal flaw when I'm running is that once I stop, its easier for me to stop again. So I ran up 1/2 the hill, then walked a ways, and I had another walking break in there. THEN I was back amongst people and hell if I was going to walk when all those competitors could see me. I just kept running. One guy was nahind me on the run and passed me about .25 miles away from teh finish. I picked up the pace a touch when I was in the last segment, then I heard Tom yell to me, that I had 10 seconds to get a sub 4 hour...so I kicked it up and got the sub 4 Oly!

I COMPLETED MY FIRST OLY!!!!!!

The race was good. The swim was hard, but doable, the flat on the bike SUCKED ass. I have to get better at running...but you know what. I got er done. WooHoo! It was fun racing WITH people. It was ice to have Gina and Tom waiting for me at the finish line. I got to talk to Welsh at T1, and Gina at T2. I'm so glad I did it, and now I am THRASHED! I took a nap and I'm still thrashed. Food it calling to me!

Thank you everyone for all your support and encouragment!!