It was really really hard getting out to the far buoy. I was waaay off course and I saw the guys on waverunners trying to flag me down! I also got stung by a jellyfish!

When I finally rounded the bouy to come back to shore I felt like I was moving a lot faster. I was squeamish about getting kicked and I had some contact but no especially hard blows!

Everyone said later that it was a really hard swim and almost any other long course swim would be easier and faster. That made me happy... if this is comparably hard then I can hopefully perform better in other swims.

My time was slow but considering the conditions and the fact that I started swimming in Jan, I have come a long way!

I need to just keep up with swimming and I know I can improve a lot. Also, I might start swimming w a masters group. I'd like to knock off about five minutes (or more!) for next year.

run faster... hr was High after the swim though.

This bike was really flat for the most part which was nice. Parts of it were really fast and some parts there was a strong headwind.

One of the things that I hadn't really planned very well was taking in calories. I was eating shot blocks and taking endurolytes every ten miles but I don't think my body knew what was going on, since I've never eaten on the bike. I felt like I had a full stomach full of endurolytes. Yuck!



I was most concerned about the bike bc I have never ridden more than 50 miles and that was only once. I had no idea whether I could maintain 15 mph or 20 mph! Also I have made myriad adjustments to the bike but it just kills my shoulders to stay in aero. So yeah bottom line is I haven't really been biking very much, I am planning to up the volume considerably.

Get some more biking experience under my belt. I got my bike in January and have ridden 2-3 times a week since then. I don't think a few months of even hard training can make up for years of not biking! Considering my inexperience I am happy with how it went!

This was prob the highlight esp compared to my other races transition disaster! There was no way I was wasting any time today!

Yuck! This did not make me happy! My "plan" was to run a little bit slower than normal half marathon pace. So I estimated it would be like 7:15 miles.

First mile- 7:15. Then I have to walk for a minute! Horrible cramps from all the food and pills I forced myself to consume. About then I realized that no decent running was in the cards and I would be lucky to jog the thing.

It was really hard and I don't think my "training" had prepared me for the difficulty, namely lack of bike training. It was soooo Hot and sunny and I was basically living for the aid stations.

I managed to stumble from station to station and just hoped that I wouldn't have to walk the whole thing. I did see like everyone from my tri club either on the bike or the out-and-back run, which was fun. So yeah, the aid stations and seeing people kept me distracted enough so that I didn't just sit down and rest at the side of the road.

More training and experience... should be able to run w/in 10-15 minutes of open half time, I'd think.

Managed to kick it in for the last 400 meters and then met up w my cheering inlaws and hubby who were sooo supportive the whole week. Then went to watch everyone else finish.


It was a bit over ambitious to attempt a half so soon but it ended up turning out okay. Overall, it was fun and I know the next one will be much faster if I keep training!