My wave was mixed men and women, but I lined up pretty close to the start anyhow because everytime I line up further back I get annoyed at having to swim around people. When the gun went off, everyone went nuts - I've never had such a rough swim start. Someone swam over me and I stopped for a second to get my bearings, then got going. Once I got out of the pack, my swim went great. I stayed totally on course the whole time, and didn't lose concentration at all (i.e. no breaststroking etc.). By the time I got to the turn around buoy, I was running into people from the wave in front of me, but didn't have any problems getting around people. Overall, got in a good rythm and kept it up through the length of the swim. I think all the open water swimming at Chatfield lately has helped me with navigation and concentration and it payed off. Oh, FYI - the time above includes the run up the beach to transition.

Nothing really - this was probably my best feeling OW swim yet.

I'm usually pretty disoriented out of the water, but this time I felt fine. Pulled the wetsuit down and goggles/cap off while running up the beach. Got my socks and bike shoes on without any big problems, then ran out to the bike start with my bike. Some guy starting in front of me was all over the road trying to get his shoes clipped in, so I had to stop once to avoid running into him, and start again. Once he was out of the way, I was on my way!

Practice, practice, practice - I haven't practiced my transitions much, and think that would help a lot.

First of all, I would like to note that this is first time EVER that I have averaged over 18 mph on a bike ride - WOOHOO!!!!! That said, there's definitely room for improvement... Starting out on the bike course, there is a small hill, and then a long, very gradual uphill on Jay road to 36 - my legs were cold from the swim at this point, and were burning for these first few miles. At about mile 2, my mouth was really dry and I realized I had forgotten to put my camelback on at transition - DUH. Didn't have a spare bottle on my bike, so I had to deal until the first aid station. Luckily there was an aid station at about mile 5, and I grabbed some gatorade which helped. This is the same point that the course started to get fun with some screaming downhills on Hwy 36 and Neva Rd. I had a great time for the next 10 miles, and really tried to push it. A couple of times I caught myself looking at the scenery (beautiful views from this course!) and had to remind myself to knock it off and RACE. I got passed by A LOT of people, but almost all of them were on tri bikes or aerobars, so I didn't get down on myself about it. Passed some people on road bikes, but not a lot. Stacie and Brett passed by during the last part of the course and I watched them both zoom away =)

Ride lots!!! I really think I still have quite a bit of room for improvement on the bike, and that riding more is the first step. Also need to start doing some tougher rides (hill work, etc.) rather than sticking with my usual route all the time. Aerobars would help too!! Still, this was a big improvement for me, so I'm happy about it for now.

My transition area was as far from the bike finish and run start as you could get, so this probably includes a good 45 seconds or more of running. My legs were jello off the bike, and I felt like a moron trying to run in my cleats. Got the shoes on and tied, and headed out.

Need to buy some freaking yankz for my shoes so I don't have to sit there and tie them!

The hill out of transition was a bit bigger than I as expecting, and definitely not fun right off the bike. The course was exposed, and it was starting to get hot, so I struggled through the whole thing. My left foot was also aching a bit (been having problems with it lately), but I pretty much ignored that and just kept going. Just kept going at a steady pace. Talked to Erik a bit after the turnaround, when he caught up to me. At some poing on the way back, I heard some guy yell to a guy behind me, "Stop smiling and get running!!" - got a chuckle from that. Thank God the finish was downhill, so I could at least pick up some energy before the end. Overall, this time is OK, but I know I can run faster so I'm not happy with it - definitely room to improve here.

Mistake 1 => I only drank about 8 oz. of gatorade on the bike, and think I was feeling a bit dehydrated by the time the run came around. Mistake 2 => Haven't done any track/speed work on the run in months, and it showed. My legs just didn't want to pick up the pace.

Grabbed some food before the line got too long, chatted with some of the BT crew and hung out with Nate. Didn't stick around too long since we had a bunch of stuff to get done at home.


Lack of ability on the bike - will be working on this forever. Lack of hydration - I had a splitting headache all afternoon, and am pretty sure it was caused by not drinking enough before and during the race. Lack of speed work on the run.


Thought the race was well organized - I had a great time!! My goal for this race was 1:50, so I'm really happy that I managed 1:43 - my swim and bike were faster than I had expected. Now I'm excited for the rest of the season!!!