Can't be for sure but I swear it was a bit longer between waves than last year. Seemed like I was wading forever before the race started. This was easily the biggest wave I have ever been in to date. Everyone was kicking each other and moving around trying to find race prior to start. Once the horn sounded and we were off I was feeling better than usual as far as breathing. Usually I am gasping a bit but didn't have that feeling this time around at the start. I was a bit more satisfied this race that I was drafting more and sighting less. Still couldn't find anyone to consistently stay with to draft. But was finding different victims throughout the whole race until the last turn.
At the first turn I took what I thought was a 90 degree turn to the next bouy but was definitely off course. I took more of a 110 degree turn and was right of the other swimmers. Easily got back on course but I'm sure it cost me some seconds. Strangely enough I did the same thing in practice a few weeks before on this same course.
Rounded the second bouy and my shoulders started burning a bit. Unlike last race I know my arm turnover was a little faster as I felt like I was racing more than just a steady pace. I still don't feel any glide in my stroke though as I fight with the water way more than I glide through it.
About halfway through the backstretch after the second turn I might have drifted a bit torwards shore away from the bouys as a lot of swimmers, which now included the thrid wave overtaking me, were to my far right. Sighting dictated the same and I tried to compenstate a bit back to the right and back on course. Don't think I was too far off course, it might have just been perception. Need some of those eye in the sky helicopter shots to be sure, lol.
Coming up on the last turn bouy I was fighting to keep form as my arms were really getting tired. I had found another swimmer about my speed but I think I may have just slowed myself a bit trying to draft him as he was just a tad slower than me at times, ie I was hitting his feet.
Last turn I plowed it out, again I was probably fighting against the water more so than gliding through it but I felt strong coming up on shore.

Technique training, arm strength. Probably my best swim to date but just need to train more in order to get my swim rank on par with my overall time.

A lot of this T1 time for the participants is the 200 yard run from the beach to transition. I felt the best I ever have coming out of the water so my pace was faster running to the transition area. Had a bit of trouble getting into my shoes (see bike comments) but it didn't affect my speed to much. Couldn't ask for too much more this time around.

Hmmmm, not sure this time.

Been pretty happy with the bike all year but this race didn't have anything too special. Oh one BIG gripe. NEVER again will I have bike shoes that strap to the inside! This is my last year with these. Just like last race they would come loose as the straps would rub just enough against the chain or bike crank and come loose. Tack on a few seconds here and there througout the course of me fiddling with my shoe straps trying to keep them from coming all the way loose and affect my pedaling.
As far as the course got a lot of the usual for this year. People about my speed were passing me on downhills. I would pass them on uphills. Overtook a lot of people during the course with the only ones overtaking me at a huge rate were the ones with souped up bikes and tires. In accordance with the posted times, it looks like the shorter course lopped off about 9-10 minutes with the shorter course this year. If that estimation is correct. I was about 6 minutes faster than last year when I didn't train that much, and about a minute or so faster than two years ago when I was training a bit.
Took a gel right after the left turn on to 115 after the Midway Lake hill. Right where I wanted to, glad I didn't lose it this time around.
Also with about 2-3 miles to go at 115 and Beaty a downpour hit. This would also be my first race, albeit a small part, in the rain. Cornering in the rain makes me paranoid so I know I was a bit slower when the rain hit, especially in the corners.

New bike shoes, definitely! New bike? Hmmmm, maybe. I am starting to get more and more bike envy every year.
Need a bit more training with the high cadence leg power/speed. Something to not keep losing time on the downhill flats.

Best transition to date mostly because I felt pretty strong coming off the bike. Shoes were a bit harder to get into as the downpour a few minutes earlier had soaked them. Had a slight cramp in my upper quad as I bent over to get a shoe on as my legs were transitioning, only lasted a second though. Running out of transition is uphill. And plowed through it to get it out of the way and moving.

Not much, was very happy with it. If my transition is ever worse it's because I had a great bike.

With the way this run felt, I was kind of suprised my run time was only 20 seconds faster than last year. This was the first time for the Lake Norman Tri I didn't have to come to a stop because of hamstring cramping. As a matter of fact they gave me zero trouble the whole race. My calves were cramping up just a slight bit coming out of T2 but was never an issue where I was feeling less than tempo. Also felt pretty strong the middle third of the course which is usually where I feel the weakest (steady incline up Victoria Bay Dr).


A little of everything training wise. Was hoping to be around the 23:00-23:30 range. At least I got a goal for next time. But this was a good step in the right direction as I felt stronger this run than I have ever on this course.

Collapsed for a bit. When Mark came in we talked a bit about the race before Steph tended to his bleeding ankle from his new shoes. I ate about half of a half of a pbj sandwich they were giving out before packing up the gear and headed out.


Swim-speed, bike-speed, run-speed. Endurance and power I feel pretty good, it's all about speed.


One gripe for setupevents I thought of. Grabbed a water running on the run course just to get my mouth saturated and the water was lukewarm/hot! Too much to ask for iced down coolers of water on the course? Minor gripe, everything else was great.