I started the race in the middle of the pack near the left hand sided, probably about the fourth or fifth row back. I believe I would have been better off starting in row two or three as in the first 200m I had a bit of trouble getting around the others in my wave. I actually had to stop swimming and look for a clear path. Despite all this I was quite happy with my first open water swim.

I am also questioning my time a bit. I used my iron man watch to time the event and everyone of my other splits matches (within a few seconds) of the official times. However, my official swim time is about 1:30-1:45 slower than what I had on my watch. I know I hit the start when the buzzer sounded or slightly (within 5 seconds) after so I have no idea what cause this discrepancy.

Start closer to the front of the pack.

There is about a .25 mile run between the swim ends and the transition area begins.

I am stilling having a bit of issue clipping in on my right foot so I was a bit slow from the mount line. I am also not the most graceful bike mounter.

Practice Practice Pratice so that the bike mount goes smoother. I also need to invest in bike shoes that do not tie (maybe next year).

The ride felt great. I think it was a good mix of "active" recovery and racing I needed between the swim and run.

Need to pratice shifting my front gears. A while back (while on the trainer) I had my chain slip while shifting the front derailleur and am always a bit hesitent. So I get to a point where I need to shift for optimal performance but am scared.

I also think I need to move my seat position back a bit.

First T2 with my easy laces and I love them!!!

Mile 1 to 2 still remains to be the hardest for me. I make my goal splits at Mile 1 and Mile 3 but the distance between mile 1 and mile 2 seems to take forever.

Probably skip at least one of the aid stations. I really didn't drink the water from all the stations, I just played with the cup which I am sure took some time.

A bit of walking and my stretches.


Still not sure how hard is to hard on the bike and swim.


I really enjoyed the race, especially that it was all women!!! All the participants, volunteers, and fans were very supported. A definite race for all triathletes in the Chicagoland area.