So I am a really good swimmer.... in the pool that is. I can swim forever. Well, not forever, but I can swim for at least 4 miles or more on a (really) good day. Average day, I can swim this distance no problem. But, this isn't a pool and this isn't an average day. This is my first Tri and this a race, and people are going to be in my lane...Ha, this is not normal!
OK, so a mosey-on-up to the front-..ish. Hey, I'm a good swimmer, I certainly don't want to be in the back, but, I don't want to be in the front either. So, I'm getting really nervous because I'm getting cold with no wet suit and my wave is up next and the angst is all over my face.
The announcer say to get ready, go! So I, and a hundred of my age groupers take off and as soon as I get out over my head all hell brakes loose. I can't swim, I'm panicked. I am so freaking out and dog paddling and looking for a guy on a surf board or a boat or anything because i think I'm going down. I don't think I'm going down, I know I'm going down. $hit! I am not kidding when I say I freaked the hell out. I start saying help and then worry about looking like an idiot for saying it. I'm somewhat worried how I'll look to my wife and daughter but at the same time i think I'm going to drown. I start to do a dog paddle, and try to not drown, but I'm getting pummeled by all the people passing me because I was in the front! How stupid was I? This is really not going well but my dog paddling has got me thinking I might not die and there are less people running me over now so it's looking up a bit. I somehow tell myself to try swimming and I do and it works a little bit but I continue to dog paddle between swimming and freaking out. Eventually everyone is past me and I'm swimming more than I'm freaking out and then I start to figure it out and I'm starting to think maybe I can do this for sure and then I'm off. OK, now I'm feeling good and it just took a Little freaking out and every single person to pass me first before I could swim. I'm catching people and see other peoples feet and I am swimming around them. So I'm not turning on any heat or anything because I still have no idea what I'm doing but I'm starting to pass more people and I'm coming close to the last buoy and on to the home stretch. The last part of the swim I'm starting to feel good and then I'm starting to get the heart rate up and feeling my confidence grow and then BAM!, it's over! OK that was good and bad, but I'm alive!

Well, I have since done lots of open water swimming with a wet suit and I'm not as freaked out with drowning. That would have helped then, but like I said, this is a old race but I wanted it in my race log.

I thought this time was pretty good since I had no idea what to expect. But I found I didn't do half of what I thought I was going to do. No bike shorts, no socks, no extra this or that, just get the shoes and helmet on, grab bike and go.

Nothing.

Like the swimming, I thought this would be easy, but it wasn't. I've done the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride a couple of times, so I thought not problem, but really I wasn't in a race then, it was a ride, Duh!. I need more time in the saddle with the intent to going faster. Anyway, I thought the bike course was kind of longer than it said it was, it wasn't though. I got tired on even the smallest hills and didn't go very fast on the flat part. But soon after I started it was over and I was on to T2.

Work on speed and intensity.

I did this pretty well I thought. I again, did less than more. Forget the socks, the gels the shorts the blah blah. I put visor, glasses and shoes on and took off.

I had never experience (at this point) the effects of coming off a bike and then trying to run. It's not that easy. I did manage to have under a 10/ mi., which is fast for me. It was a hot day and I'm not used to running up hills and this Little hill they had just about killed me. The run could have went a lot better, but I still think I did pretty good for me..

Train on hills more.

I got something to drink and sat with my wife and daughter. It was a nice time. My wife had no idea that I thought I was going to drown during the swim. Funny, I thought the whole world saw this one guy who was going to drown.
I saw John Curley from evening magazine and asked him if I could get a picture with him and he said sure. Interesting point I was embarrassed to ask for the picture, I think I said something like "hey, I don't know why but can we get a picture together?" and He said "because it's fun." Well I got my picture and hung with the family a bit more. But I got to thinking and you know what, he's right! I thought, this has been, and is a lot of fun. I had a good good time. I'm going to do this again.
Anyway, I'm glad I didn't drown and die so I can do another TRI.
.....Lots of vender's and food, but we left after a short bit to get the baby home.


Not having open water swimming experience. Not riding my bike enough. Not doing bricks, and not running enough.


Great race! I would do this again. It's a great short course with lots of people and activities. I will hope to do this next year to see how I do against this year time.