long and strong, long is strong, strong is fast.

is it raining again, yes, yes it is. fun.

this time trial is nice, people are not too clustered together.

shoulders feeling a little tired, but not dead, keep it steady.

frick, where is this first buoy?

hey, there we go, time to go around...oh, oh no, don't do breaststroke in the middle of the course!! ow.

just keep swimming.

big buoy? here? is this half way? i guess so.

is that neal? does he have black goggles? should i stop and ask?

frick, where is the second buoy? oh, there it is.

time to go into the beach. let's kick those legs so i don't get dizzy and crash into the fence.

what happened to the arch?

that's was a good swim in a downpour, i'll take it.

a nice little uphill jog to my bike. let's take my wetsuit off a little bit, well not that much. wonderful, now i got to hang on to this thing.

nice to see all the bikes in the rack still. nice to be a swimmer. okeydoky, let's have some fun on the bike.

fffffrrrrrriiicccccckkk. this is going to be a long day. this rain is hurting like a mother.

wonder if the rain will constantly fill my aerobottle.

and my hr is way out of control. don't think i'll be staying in the zones today. meh. hope i don't explode.

alrighty, a little turn here before we go south again and....ohh, that's nice! west is very nice! too bad we are not going west for long before we turn south again. and here we go.

this wind is having it's way with me. i can't see very well with my sunglasses, but it beats having my eyes cut into pieces by razor drops of rain.

i think i'll say something funny to this guy, "nice day, huh?" what did he say? "what?" i can't hear what he is saying over the wind. "uh-huh"

i wonder how far we go south. is this the turn? no. frick. ow.

here is the turn! oooh, that is ssssooo much better. a nice little ride into town, and then we turn north with the wind, yippie!

bottle exchange, i could use heed and water. wait, why do you have them both within 10 feet of each other? crap. oh well, got a clif bar, right?

and, here is the tail wind. oh my. this is sooooo nice. oh man, i am haulin' ballz here. oh, here comes the elites. pain all over their faces. this is going to be a tough leg back.

another turn, the half way is coming up.

and back, time for my clif bar treat! time on the bike so far...1:30. i'll take a 3 hour bike in this weather.

and back in the head wind. what did that sign say? seven miles of pain? oh well, should be done with the winds after this.

enjoy the tailwind while you can people.

knee is starting to hurt, wonderful. time to stretch. and i almost got knocked on my a$$ by the wind. awesome.

this is going to be great when i finish a him in gnarly conditions.

almost to town and no more headwind. just keep going.

my hr hates me right now.

what the h? my shoe just comes unclipped? keep an eye on that, don't want to plant my face into the handlebars.

aaaahhh, headed back east. no more tailwind for me.

time to grab some heed. not that i need it, i just like the water bottles. ah nutz, it is in a cheep looking hammer gel bottle. meh.

nice thing about riding in the rain is that i can pee on the bike and not worry about riding with wet socks...they are already wet. i am excited to change into the other pair i brought.

course is a little more spread out. didn't see too many people pass me, wonder if the wind blew away all the skinny kids.

bring on the tailwind, oh how nice is this? feels like i am flying!!

last bottle station, who's got water? and frick, dropped it, let's try that again. and, yay, got it.

i remember two years ago my back hurting like a mother at this point. feels okay today! legs are singing a little bit, hope i didn't fry them.



pray harder for less wind/rain.

don't fall off, don't fall off, don't fall off.

guess that went okay, where the h is my rack?

oh boy new socks! well, i should say, oh boy one dry and one wet sock! shoes are dry though, huh.

am i still wearing my helmet? yes, yes i am.

screw the visor, doesn't fit anyway.

make sure both socks are under the tarp i brought.

okay, hr back to your zone. slow down.

slow down.

slow the frick down. okay, good.

feel pretty good. don't blow it by going out too hard. just keep in your zones.

this downhill is nice, the way back is going to suck.

is it getting hotter?

knee feels okay. so let's stop thinking about it and not jinx ourselves.

hey, is that birkie? "birkie? hey, um, good luck" well put noz. eloquent as always.

keep it under control, enjoy the gentle sloping downhill.

there's justin, he looks like he's hurting.

almost half way, just up this stupid hill.

sign says "turn around", anyone else singing total eclipse of the heart right now?

chic in pink wearing no pants. yeah, she's going to catch me.

hey, there's neal, high five buddy.

hey, there's sean, low five buddy.

frick, can't get the altoids container holding my salt tabs open.

mile 8, new zone, time to get nasty.

save a little for the big hill.

just around this corner..nope, nevermind.

just around this..damnit, no.

okay here it is. here we go. ow ow ow ow ow.

quads to brain = we hate you.

done with that frickin hill. and here's the pink chic. see you later.

one mile left, just keep the run going.

last stretch of hill, i don't feel like i'm going to die, just stop working.

there is the finish, didn't do all that not to showboat a little at the end.

stick more ice in my suit.

hobble around the race enjoying all the food and friends from the race.

got an ag award, 5th in the group. you have no idea how huge it is to get an ag award in a HIM for a swimmer. well, to me anyway. i don't mean to toot my own horn, but beep beep.

photos are HERE


the sick weather conditions


this is a great and challenging race for all to enjoy. the organization is great and it is a real confidence booster.