I probably took off from the front of the pack and maybe a little too fast but I honestly think that its better to be swum over than have to swim over other people. That said..it was your typical washing machine out there. Felt there were a few people that seriously had no business doing a half. One girl literally zigzaged in front of me about 4 times in the first two hundred yards..Im not talking about cut me off little zigzag she was swimming perpendicular to the course on two occasions..Ummm siting much????...was ready to smack her upside the head. Then there was the girl who was doing breast stroke already at 200yds..I don't know, even if I had great bike and run skills I wouldn't waste my time doing a half if I had to breast stroke a 1.2. Anyway aside from those issues in the first 200yds I pulled away and was having a great swim. Shook most of the riff raff and was on target to pull in around 37-38 minutes..that went to pot about 200yds out from the finish line.. Some dude from the previous wave yanked my ankle mid kick and I got a calf cramp..ended up floating on my back with my knee to my chest for a little bit until it loosened up...but it made me very fearful of what that would do to biking and running as I have huge calf issues. I Still made it out of the water in 40 which isn't that bad.

I don't know swim test everyone in my wave and put the sucky non swimmers in the back, oh and also kick the guy that grabbed my ankle in the junk!..I did turn around and yell at him..I mean seriously dude wtf?

I love wetsuit strippers..my time wasn't great mostly because I had to walk/run around people in the transition area and my bike was as far away as possible from the swim entrance.

Not much I could have run faster to my bike maybe.. but the grass was wet and muddy and it was an obstacle course to get to my bike.

I didn't push the bike just enjoyed the ride. Was a little worried about the calf being a problem and wanted to save myself for the run. Saw Cat pass me at mile 6 then Aquagirl shortly after. Repassed Aquagirl when she dropped her chain but she blew by me again shortly after.I really can't wait to try out the new shoes and pedals..my middle left toe/foot goes numb and hurts in the current shoes. There is a possibility that I drank too much as I had some problems later in the run. I can say its a little disheartening being in the 3rd wave and have like the whole race pass by you on the bike, but I was doing my race so not that big a deal to me.

Not really much with the possibility of drinking less..

I threw a tea party and changed my socks, combed my hair put on some makeup... knew there was no way I was going to catch the 6:30 I had hoped for so just decided to enjoy myself.

nothing..wasn't concerned with the time

There was a ton of support along the route..not just the aide stations but the neighborhoods that is goes through really know how to throw a party..lots of hoses to run through lots of cheering. High 5s to the aid station with the pile of snow. It was the bomb. It was a very hot and humid day by the time I got off the bike. I grabbed two snowballs everytime I passed them(4)and stuffed them down my shirt..I don't think I sweated much out there at all!

Anyway that said...Ugh I fell apart..I started out as I planned SLOW was probably running btwn 10:30/11min pace. My left middle toe was killing me but that and everything else started to loosen up around mile 2 and I started to pick up the pace a tiny bit. When I got out to almost the turn around there were to girls handing out orange slices. I was all over that..but then realized after I downed them that that might not have been a wise choice cause I usually dig orange slices AFTER I race not during..anyway oops to late damage was done. I headed back on my first loop and was still haning in there in the mid 9s if I had to guess when my shoe lace came undone right at the bottom of the only magor hill on the course..decided meh I'll walk up it most everyone else was...the rest of the way back in was down hill and I picked it up a bit in from there then headed out for my 2nd loop...and thats where the run went to hell in a handbasket. As soon as I got out a started on a 2n pack of sports beans and just realized that meh I didn't feel so hot. Not in pain just felt like everything I had eaten and drank up to that point was still sitting in my stomach. I burped a bunch of times and then finally did a selfcontained minor heave..if ya know what I mean and started to feel much much better. The mile 7-10 were probably my best miles of the whole run. Was definately doing 8s passed a bunch of peeps..blew through a few aide stations..PASSED on the Orange slices this time!! then at almost mile 10 I came to slight rise and that was the end of my run. My ankle/achilles cramped up. I walked up that short hill and tried to run again and could tell that if I kept at it I would be sorry later so I made the decision to walk the last 2.5ish in. The time didn't really matter at that point anyway because I had known going into the run that the only way I'd catch my goal was if I ran a 2hour 13.1..and that wasn't going to happen in a HIM fer sure.

get new body parts and change the weather so it wasn't so hot and humid!! I made the right decision making cause both of those are out of my control!!:)

Talked to Erica and G a bit..said goodbye to G..went in the lake for a quick swim..Found Aquagirl in the transition where she handed us off the crack. Bumped into my friend PJ and her fiancee...then hung out in parking lot hell...We finally decided to get in the loooooooooooooong shuttle line and bumped into Tritoy and Rcberto...Big thanks to Rcberto for coming back to the park and taking Erica and I to our car so we didn't have to stand in the loooooooooong shuttle line.


I need new body parts..some of Chrissie Wellingtion's might be nice!


The only reason the race wasn't on time was because of the accident on the bike course; it wasn't their fault..Highly recommend this race to anyone..only thing is get there early and park your car in the Ellacoya park lot...not at Gunstock so you don't get stuck in the shuttle madness.

I can also say the ride back to Ct was the SUCK...Many thanks to Erica for driving through all the rain and traffic while I endlessly chatted about mindless race drivel...I never pulled into my driveway until 10pm.