This was my best OWS to date. The water temps were perfect and there were only about 15 of us in the wave so none of that struggle for open water. I swam the entire course without having to revert to breaststroke which is a major improvement over the rest of the year. I had a little trouble with sighting but overall stayed more of less on course. After the race, consensus seemed to be that the swim course was a little long - maybe closer to 1600m. If that's the case, I'm even happier with my swim performance. Either way, it's my best ever pace in an OWS.

It probably wouldn't hurt to go for a swim every once in awhile. Swim workouts have been few and far in between these days.

It was a long run up a steep hill into transition. I did a good job of getting the wetsuit off and getting helmet, glasses, and shoes on. It was a long run with difficult to navigate hill/ditch to the mount line.

Pretty happy to have made it up the hill without walking and to have made it to the mount line without falling down. I give myself an A+.

I'm pretty sure the bike course was a little short. Probably more like 24 miles but I'm still happy with my pace and with my pacing. I did a good job of pushing myself without redlining and ending up with nothing left for the run. It was an open course so traffic was occasionally a concern but the intersections were all policed so for the most part we rode unmolested.

More time in the saddle is always the answer for a better bike split. Time to start pumping up the bike milage

I'm sort of impressed with my T2 time. I got out of my bike shoes and into my run shoes. Grabbed my number belt and headed for the run course.

I felt pretty good right at the start of this run. Due to the small number of participants and the fact that the women were in the last swim wave, I ended up spending a lot of this run all by my lonesome. As I approaced the first mile I realized I was going to come in well under my goal of 3 hours. I did some quick math and decided to try for 2:50. Luckily the course was well marked and I was able to use the mile markers to pace myself. Once I got out of the neighborhood and onto the path around the lake I concentrated on not tripping over the rocks or falling in a hole. It actually helped me stay focused on my pacing instead of drifting into la-la land and forgetting that I was in a race. The final 200m or so was an uphill battle to the finish line. It took all my effort but I made it to the finish just under my goal time.

This was the first time I've ever put together a good all-around race. Solid swim, bike, run. Good transitions. I feel energized by my success and am ready to start training for next season. Imagine if I actually stick to a training plan. I might actually be competitive at one of these things some day!