Started at the front middle left. Did well off the start, got hit and kicked a few times but uneventful. I kept sight of the buoy and stayed on target. What did occur is I could not get my breathing under control and found myself coming up for air every 2 strokes. I tried to calm down and breathe every 4 strokes but I found myself gasping for air more, so I just settled on 2 strokes and then a breath on right side. Swallowed water 3-4 times but was ok.

Still working on technique, speed, drills, breathing, all the above. More OWS.

Ran from the water a long way, I think almost 300 yards to my bike. Ran with bike to mount and was off. Felt like it was a good transition.

Run harder

Coming out of T1 I had to ride on the grass to pass the group in front of me but I rode like a bat out of hell out of the park, jumped the ramps like I was 10 years old. When I turned on Friendship I passed lots of folks and was passing a person on a downhill just before a bridge, coming towards us was a casual biker and a F 350 Truck with extended mirrors who decide to pass the casual biker and come into my lane just as I was next to the biker I passed, and I frankly thought I was going to get hit head on. He missed me by 2 foot maybe, or at least the morror did. I was a little shaken because there was nothing I could have done different except take out the biker on my right, and thus me, at 29 MPH. For the next 3-5 miles I went back and forth with a guy in my category, he'd get me on the hills and I'd take him back on the flats. Since he was in my category I knew he was probably a better runner, (my weakness) so once we turned on Avent Ferry, ~ 8 miles left, I knew I had to gain ground on him so I cranked it to the lowest gear possible and opened it up, once I passed him I never saw him again. I was only passed by 1 person and I passed maybe 60-70 people.

Hill Work. Be smarter, life is worth more than a triathlon so anticipate drivers moves more. That guy in the F 350 was traveling too fast to be around so many bikers, no regard for safety. Get me a tri bike so I can get faster. My Cannondale r600 is good but I need to get a bike and be more serious about this.

Pulled out feet and rode on top of shoes, dismounted a moving bike and kept running. sat down to get shoes on (slowed me down) turned on foot pod for Polar, and pulled Polar watch off the bike, fumbled with that to get it on my arm while running.

Forget the Polar, use regular watch, lost probably 30 seconds doing this.

Started out slow and stiff so I tried to get more foot strikes and started to push faster. Only had 4-5 people pass me. Ran the whole thing and getting faster..still slow, but getting faster from my previous races. I am so slow right now, it's so frustrating compared to what I use to be. At 5"9" 205 pounds I know once I get back to ~ 170 I will get my speed back.

Need all kinds of work, speed, hills, strides, endurance, pixie dust,a dn get the darn fat off. Of couse the root of my isses still linger, plantar fasciitis in both feet so every day I deal with icing and stretching. Once I can lose more weight hopefully it will not be as much an issue.

I was spent, I went to the picnic table and sat down, drank 3 cups of water, ate some beans and rice and drank a coke. Hosed off and felt better.


I simply need to lose 30 more pounds. Work on running drills, OWS, all swimming techniques, hill drills for the bike and running.


Setup Events did a good job. Nice event and great volunteers. The one dowturn was that parking was terrible thus spectators could not attend unless they came with the participants. for families with young kids like mine, it's almost impossible to ask that of them or if they were to have tried to coem later and walk or ride in on the "shuttle"..no way. Need to rethink the parking mess.