Not a bad swim for the first time in OW. I lined up in the front and took a bit of a beating, but that's OK. At least I wasn't stuck in traffic. About halfway through, I got a couple mouthfuls of water which kind of sucked. Some coughing. Blech. The exit with the steps is a huge improvement on the old venue with astroturf and rocks.

Nothing much. This was a good swim and a decent pace for me. Looking forward to improving in it for the rest of the season.

Wow, we were all stubling around like a bunch of drunks. Cold water is so disorienting. I had bought earplugs, but forgot to actually use them. Doh! I took extra time to dry off with the Shamwow; you'll be saying WOW! every time. It was just too cold to go out dripping wet on the bike. Bike gloves didn't cooperate with wet hands, so they stayed behind. In the end, after all that thought about clothing, I ended up with my WBG beanie, yellow jacket and shorts. I was a bit chilly at first, but it got better.

Remember to try the ear plugs.

I really wanted a repeat of Thursday's ride, but realistically knew that wasn't going to happen. Going out (with a tiny tailwind) I felt very strong, but didn't pass many people. The field was very strung out and there weren't many people to reel in. Maybe that kept me slower. Had some gel and water and just kept a nice cadence. I noticed some horses with their blankets still on from the night chill. Nice. Toward the end of the course, I got to thinking that this was the longest distance I'd raced this year and no wonder I couldn't hold onto that pace. Need to do some longer-faster training rides.

Maybe push it a bit more. Not sure.

Better transition. Decided at the last minute to ditch the jacket.

Plan that transition in my head before getting off the bike. I trotted into T2 with no plan in place.

Right out of transition, I started running with a guy and we stayed together the whole time. Our first mile as around 9:30 and I wondered if I could hang onto that. He seemed like he was out for a light jog, but I was working a bit. I didn't want to go too hard since I'd had some shin pain earlier in the week. My plan was to hang with him until he was ready to leave. I had no desire to try to go faster. Having a pacer really helps me since I can be kind of unmotivated on the run.

Nothing at this point. Later in the season, I will try to run harder, but I was being conservative about my shins. I'm going back to RR tomorrow and get this shoe nonsense sorted out.

None. I was starting to get a bit chilled on the last bit of the course. Jeremy got me to the car so I could change clothes and get warm. Ate a banana and had some water.


The usual. I'm just kind of slow.


The venue change was great after yesterday's fiasco of not being able to find it. Much better transition spot and swim spot. It's bloody cold, but I keep coming back. They said that the weather was the best yet in 5 years, even if it was a bit cold. It was great to see so many TriRochester people there this year too. Oh, forgot to mention, I got first place Athena again this year. Reigning champ second year in a row. Yes, I was the only one again. I actually forgot that I registered Athena until they called my name. Also won a jug of Hammer gel, apple cinnamon. Yum!