this was a much better swim than my last race at this venue. first, I lined up directly in front of the first bouy giving myself the shortest distance to the first turn. I started by doing about 100 meter sprint to put some distance between myself and the others and avoid any contact...this worked perfectly and I managed the entire swim without and bumping. I started sighting on a normal pace, every 10 strokes, without being concerned about taking in a clear picture...I only needed a snap shot of the bouy. my new goggles are great when used with the defog, perfect crystal clear vision. after the rounding the first bouy I changed to my long distance stroke that is less spm but a longer reach, faster over the long distance and more energy efficient. this is where I think I got really out in front with the aid of the tail current. after the 2nd bouy I got behind a guy and drafted him to save some energy...not too close, just follow the bubbles. next thing I know it was over before it had really started.

nothing, a great swim.

however, it is possible that I gain some drag from my usual tri-suit...a 2 piece short and top. I've noticed that most guys either go shirtless or wear a one piece...not sure if I want to go shirtless so I may make a change to a one piece tri-suit.

there was a long run from swim exit to the east side of transition then for me all the way back to the west where my bike was...and the ground was rocky in some places so this was not very comfortable. but once I got to my stuff I was very quick for me...just toss my swim gear off, throw on my glasses and helmet and off I go. good running mount of the bike and easy going to get into the shoes.

just keep practicing, I think I can shave some more time.

this was a good ride despite the strong wind coming from the north east. my first bridge climg was good, I did the whole thing out of the saddle and managed to catch 2 guys who had passed me earlier. then on the 2nd climb it seamed that otheres had blown out their legs on the first trip while I still felt fresh...I pased 3-4 riders on the way up and several more on the descent. then came the big head wind going east but I kept the pace at about 18.5. Virginia Key was hard but after the turn around the tail wind kicked in and I was cruising at about 23-5 mph. for the whole ride I only got passed a handfull of times.

get a new bike

a nice fast transition. made one change that worked out well...in the past I have set up my trans with my hat and number belt on top of my running shoes. this took extra time to put on then get my shoes on and leave. this time I put my shoes on top of the hat/belt...so I put on my shoes then picked up my hat/belt and started running out of trans, then put them on as I was running. probably not a huge difference but it could mean 10-20 seconds.

continue with the new set up.

I was feeling very good coming off the bike but rather than kill myself I stuck to the plan and did the first mile at an easy pace. I let a few people pass but didn't panic. after the aid station/start of mile 2 I picked up the pace to a good run and started some chi running. after 2nd aid station/start of mile 3 I picked up my pace to an all out run...there were some guys running along side and behind me that couldn't keep up. during the entire 3rd mile I wasn't passed at all. this was an all out effort but I felt great and could have kept going past the finish line. a really good run.

on a side note I didn't have the gut cramps that have bothered me on the last few races. probably a combination of the endurolytes, drinking more water on the bike because of my new aero-drink bottle and the extra water I drank on the drive to the site.

just keep training and getting faster. also I need to remember the good changes I make and make them habits

walking, drinking and eating. chated with the Christopher Bean guy for a while, hung out to see my results then packed my bag. saw Velo in trans and headed home.


my sh@!*y bike. a bike is supposed to be an asset, a team member that helps you go faster/easier...my bike is a liability that fights against me. when I saw Robert and Velo in the parking lot they were amazed to see that I had been riding a bike with only 7 speed casset...welcome to my world!! the fact that I've made such big improvements and am competetive despite all this makes me very excited to see what I can accomplish on a real bike.


thank you Mulit-race for fixing the port-a-john problems from the last race. the swim direction change was nice too as it had us swimming with the current rather than against it.