Not sure what happened here...I was feeling like this was going to be a good improvement on last year...turns out I swam more slowly. WTF. I felt good, I felt like I was passing people, and I felt like I was swimming strong. My sighting wasn't too awful, and I don't think I swam in zig-zags like I normally do. I rounded the bouy pretty wide to avoid the clumping, still ended up kicking a lot of people in the face. :-/

Not sure. I'm really bummed about this one. Well, I'm moving to 4dy/wk swim practice starting this week...I'm going to work really hard on endurance swims.

So, I've been racing with my cycling shoes--which I love. They are very nice cycling shoes, but my, I struggled with them during this transition. I think I'm going to have to get tri shoes.

I had forgotten how painful this transition was, with having to run up that steep steep hill to get to the transition area and all. But, that's no excuse for this awful transition time.

have layout of my transition area better, get tri (one velco strap) shoes, learn to jump on the bike

Both a little disappointed and a little happy with this segment. I should preface it with: last year I did the 18mi in 1:20...got a flat tube (I think) that year...it was miserable. So, this year was a definite improvement.

Overall, the ride was good. It was at this point in the race that I realized I was going to be garmin-less, which shouldn't have been a problem, but it's nice to know what my pace is so I can tell whether I need to pick it up. I didn't let anyone pass me permanently (I re-overtook anyone who passed me)...and I passed a lot of people, so I was feeling really good about the ride.

When I got my time, though, I was disappointed. The course was kinda hilly (or I felt like it was), but, I rode more than 1 mph slower than I did in my last olympic. If I can ride 25 miles at 19ishmph, I should be able to ride 18mi in that. But, different courses, different days, etc.

The big moment of the race today: I RODE IN AERO. Which is a feat for me! I've been avoiding aero because it scares me and every time I tried before I nearly (or actually do) run off the road. But, I rode most of this bike portion in aero! And now, I wonder why I was ever not riding in aero.

I'm still struggling with drinking while riding, though, at least I didn't lose my aerodrink this race. But, consuming nutrition and fluids on a ride is really not something I'm able to do without landing myself in a ditch.

Also, I'm noticing that I thrive on hills. I know that supposedly people built like me (i.e. tall and solid) are supposed to be better for flat stretches, but I love me some hills.

Charge my garmin. Learn to drink while riding

ah, just when you thought my transitions couldn't get any worse...I was all pumped from my bike and came into the shoot and dismounted. I started jogging along to get into the transition area, I saw Giorgia and Giuseppe, said hi...then was on the ground. Not really sure what happened, but i ended up with two pretty big gauges in my leg. I was bleeding pretty profusly, but I didn't notice at the time. But the fall over my bike knocked both tires out of alignment so they weren't rolling. At that point i had to pick up my bike and carry it into transition on my shoulder.

not fall over my bike. notice when i'm bleeding all over my shoes.

The run is really where I mentally break down...but, this time, the run wasn't sooo bad. After a mile my legs started loosening up. Before that, though, I was about to stop and slow down to walk up a hill (bad penny), and then Pip Taylor comes up behind me (warming down on the course b/c she had already finished) and was like "come on, you can keep running..." and well, when Pip Taylor tells you to run, you run. So I ran.

I need to get more brick workouts in so that I can get more confident in my ability to overcome the jello legs feeling.

I walked over to talk to ATC-ers. that was it. Oh, and I cleaned up my bloody leg (though, not before my right running shoe was turned a bloody pink).


MENTAL. I raced pretty conservatively because I was scared that I was going to bonk. I don't feel all that exhausted now, so I think I could have raced harder. My brain gets in the way a lot telling me "you are tired, you are going to die, you can't do this" But, I can. I can do it. I really need to work on my mental prep more than anything.

Other than that, get more efficient on transitions, be much more aggressive in the water...and well, much more aggressive racing in general.