Not too bad here. Seeded myself front and center and managed to pull away from the bulk of the wave within the first hundred yards. Made for a very smooth and un-congested swim, but also limited opportunities for drafting. I sighted decently even with buoys on my non-breathing side. Good decision to mix in a little breaststroke, since I haven't put in too many long freestyle swims this spring. That was the theme of the day in many ways: just tried to keep things on an even keel without any dramatic highs or lows. Stayed within my current limits thanks to good decision making.

Swim exit took us up a flight of wooden stairs. Heard various spectators and volunteers warning athletes to take it easy on the way up. Just after thinking to myself, "Of course, I'll be careful...Why wouldn't I be careful?" I face planted in a sprawled-out heap of soggy neoprene, eliciting groans and gasps from everybody who had a chance to see. Scraped up my foot and shin, but the worst injury was to my ego. Didn't want to be THAT guy, but I guess it was my turn. Oops.

Pretty winded after the debacle on the steps and the run into transition. Tried to slow things down and collect my thoughts a bit. Struggled with my wetsuit a bit, which was unusual. One of the early season kinks, I guess. Also had a little misfire clipping in at the mount line, but then I was on my way.

Not the best transition of my life, but certainly not a disaster.

Like the swim, my success here was modest, but it mostly hinged on staying within my current limits. Miles 10-15 included some long and steep climbs, and I spent a lot of time here spinning in my granny gear. Lost a lot of speed and power compared to the big horses, but it kept my legs fairly fresh for the back half, where I managed to open things up a bit on the downhill portions and on the flats. Hoped to see something closer to 20 mph, but I can't be too disappointed this early in the season.



Need to work on my turnarounds. Skidded a bit heading into the first barrel. Slow and wide at the next one.

Meh.

I always hope to see sub-50:00 on the run, but that's a rarity for me. This wasn't too bad, actually. I went out a little bit too fast, then mixed a few one minute walking breaks into the back half when I felt my HR heading skyward. It's discouraging to walk like that, but this was another good decision in the large scheme of things. Kept me from blowing up in the last couple of miles and took a little pressure off of my knee, which has been dicey recently. I wouldn't call this the most gutsy run ever. I definitely could have pushed harder. But again, I'm probably better off at this point in the season laying off a bit and sparing myself total exhaustion and/or injury. Endurance will come with continued training.

It's my second fastest OLY result, so I have to be pleased. Still plenty of room for improvement, but I'm satisfied to be racing in the middle of my AG at this stage in the season. We'll see where I am next month when it's time to line up for Musselman.