swim started out pretty well, even though it was real hectic. I was next to Neal and we were trying not to bang each other. The trouble started with the dude backstroking even before the first buoy. Neal went right and I tried to follow, but got caught up in some crap. I had to pull up and breaststroke a couple just to find some clear water. Then, rounding the buoy, I wasn't too sure of myself so I held back a bit. Once I regained confidence, I swam a straight line down the backstretch. I rounded the second buoy much better than the first and had a decent swim into the wind and chop to the finish. I never was comfortable, though, with the 3 stroke breathing and wound up only doing it for a short distance before reverting back to every 2.

I've got to get stronger. More upper body work so I can hold my own when it's a washing machine out there. I'm no longer swimming back of pack, so I have to adjust. The long training swims have been nice, but without a lot of congestion.

Well, considering I was digging my shoes and stuff out from inside a plastic bag, not a bad time. But, I could have been slightly more organized and I did lose several precious seconds messing with the number belt and garmin (which I didn't want to just leave out in the rain during the swim).

not bring a towel, load the garmin on the bike and cover it with something. Also, considering keeping the number belt tucked in on the swim for easy access when it's needed.

Given all that, I love my Kuota. How else to explain my good numbers? When I could see the garmin, I once saw 23 mph. What? In those conditions? I couldn't believe it, either. I wasn't even going to ride the race bike but figured it could be raining in Austin next month, so I'd better see how she handles. Perfectly.

I'm not sure. This was my best race avg. speed, ever, I think.

I could have been a little faster if the dude who came in behind me wasn't so chatty. It's T-2! Let's visit after the race.

In these conditions, nothing.

I started fast and just kept it going. I had not previewed the course, so I didn't know where the turns would be. I did have a couple guys to follow, so that helped. Splashed through some mighty large puddles (mini lakes) and high ground was hard to find at first, but I felt strong on the run. I kept thinking of the track work we've been doing and, since there were no serious hammy/arse issues, I kept pushing. Finally passed one target with less than a mile to go, but just couldn't catch the next guy. This may have been a PR pace, too.

keep training intervals and hills. Even though this was a flat course, having those T and Th workouts in the back of my mind was very helpful.

More like warm up. After a nectarine and a pit stop, they let us into transition to clean up our gear. I had worn an LS shirt and light rain jacket pre-race and they were still decently dry, thanks to my bucket and bag technique. Later, grabbed a couple slices of pizza.


screwing around with the swim. I've just got to put my head down and dig in.


Gotta shout out to the volunteers. There were tons of them, including a freakin' armada of kayaks and other boats. The weather was downright nasty, and these folks, along with Grand Prairie's finest, stood or floated in that rain for hours. They were awesome. Jack owes them all a shirt or something. The events were slightly late in starting, but that was due to the weather. No worries, there. Jack even did a great job getting us short course folks out of the park during the bike of the HIM, even though he had to reroute them onto the same road due to flooding elsewhere.

On another note, I tried the bucket method of carrying gear. I knew the backpack would be soaked so I packed a couple garbage bags, one for the transition gear and the other to cover the bucket. Guess which one worked better? Not the one on the ground. In fact, today, there was no need/use for a towel. Ironic isn't it.