SO as the line is slowly creeping up and I realize that the race was about to really start, I slowed everything down and was just within myself for a while. I needed to relax, swimming always stresses me out. But before I knew it, it was my turn to start. I love it when someone says "Go": at that point, everything just turns off and shuts down and I do exactly that: GO! First 100 was pitch black due to the stirred up lake. No bother. Course should have been easy to navigate, but I kept pulling to the left way too much on the way out and back. I personally think the buoys were too far apart. Either way, didnt really encounter any good feet till on the way back in, played draft hop-scotch. My breathing was all over the place, but then again I did what worked for me at the time. Anytime I started to get a little panicky or breathing got off, I just calmed down and dialed in on my stroke and breathing. Seemed to work fine. At the finish, swam as far up as I could, got up and with 2 good high steps I was on to transition

More swim practice, better sighting. Bested time by last year by a minute, so nothing too major to complain on.

I normally have extremely fast transitions, mainly because I keep it so simple, but I was a bit disappointed this time. HR was at 184 when I looked at the Garmin, so I immediately knew I needed to slow this T1 down so I wouldnt go too crazy. Struggled with wetsuit on ankles, almost fell out. Said some dirty words, you know, the normal :) I think that the extra time I took saved my butt in the long run, so an extra 10 seconds isnt going to kill me.

Just relax, do what you gotta do and move on. If you trip, so sweat, its not going to kill you.

Quite honestly, I cant remember too much from this ride. Started out really hot, slowed down for the first 3 miles then went to work. Now I know I could have crushed this and worked a lot harder, but I was trying to stay smart and keep some in the tank for the run. Looking back on it now, I like the level of effort I put out. Strong, but smart. Stayed with one group of guys pretty much the whole time, passed and overtaken numerous times by the same people. Passed a ton in the first 7 miles, but after that, was pretty quiet. First race on the go-fast wheels, which was nice. How much they helped, I dont know. But still fun :) Passed Darrel (Mc Q) late in the ride. Looked down and his left crank had completely fallen off. Apparently he finished the ride doing 7 miles of one legged drills. Way to go, youre a lot tougher than I am!

Flying mounts and dismounts went well: practicing them was key!

Push more? Attack the hills more aggressively? Hard to say, but I am happy to finally post a 22 mph average :)

I love having a fast T-time, especially in a race with a transition area as massive as this event. Made a good decision this time to pick up the bike instead of running with it through transition. More work, but faster since my shoes werent hitting the ground. Keep doing this strategy.

Nothing.

Started out hot (like always) but tried to settle in as best as I could. If the run had not been on the golf cart paths and in the shade, this would have sucked. Took in water at each aid station, I knew I needed it. Saw Cody about 5 minutes ahead of me when we got to the turn around, and I knew that I was close to catching him. Since it was a time trial start and he was a lot further ahead of me in line, I tried to do math to see how much I needed to gain on him to get 1st. He beat me by 2 minutes, so I was close but no cigar. By the time I got to the turn around, I was hurting bad, but I knew I still had work to do. The list 1.5 miles is where it got interesting to me, new territory. My HR was in Z4 for about 12 minutes as I brought it back in. I was in pain, I couldnt breathe, but somehow I was able to let it go and run. I stopped 1 time for about 5 seconds, which I feel bad for, but it didnt hurt me in the long run. Finished strong and with a good fist pump. When I crossed the line, I knew that I had nothing left to give.

More run training, duh. Not have slowed down and stopped at the last minute.

Gave back the timing chip, slammed 3 bottles of water/Gatorade. I was hot....frighteningly so. Got a bag of ice and put it under my jersey for 10 minutes to cool down in the shade. At that point, I knew that I worked hard enough to PR, but just didnt know of how much. But honestly, I didnt care. I didnt go and immediately try to see the postings like I normally do. I didnt need a number and ranking today to prove to myself that I did a good job. In the end, I PRed by almost 14 minutes, top 9%. Unfortunately not fast enough to qualify for AG nationals, but next time I will be there.

Did a lot of mingling after the race, discussing performance and the day. Hung around for awards, got a nice visor, said congrats to the ones that I knew and went home.


The whole theme of the day was "Trust your fitness" and "Dont be afraid to let yourself go." I tried to race within myself and it seemed to work. Can I go faster? Of course I can, but I need more time to train for that. Have I gotten faster? Damn right I have! I want to improve my run a bit more, I know if I do that I can really be a force to be reckoned with. Well enough talk, time to get back to work!


Its Tri PTC, of course it was a good race. These people know how to put on an event. Even though it was almost 750 including the super sprint that day, you wouldnt even know it. Very well organized and accommodating for each athlete. The course is flat and fast, so it is as hard as you want it to be. Will be back again next year for sure.