I thought this was a fast swim... I was pulling strong, passing people, sighting well, got out of the water and saw that I had cut a minute off my time from last year.. but it turns out my watch was lapped part way through the swim so it was actually a minute slower than last year; not faster! Oh well, it felt good and gave me a boost getting on the bike thinking I was ahead of last years time.

Hey - I improved my T1 time by 2 minutes!! All that training certainly paid off! [why doesn't sarcasm font work in RRs!?!?]

This is where things started to go wrong.

I was cruising along the first 3 miles, averaging 20.0.. getting warmed up for a good bike. Was flyin by folks down in aero. Came up on the right turn from 108 onto Homewood. Thought, eh, I can stay down in aero and take this turn, I'm not going that fast. Then before I knew it, no wobble, no skid, no nothing, it was just like someone pulled a tablecloth out from under me and I.went.down. Crashed going at least 20 mph down on my right side. Landing palms, shoulder, hip down [with lots of people standing around]. Got up, assessed the damage - Gus (the bike) was okay.. realized perhaps I should check myself for damage too.. just really dirty and scratched up.. no one was saying anything from the crowd so I must appear okay.. eh, I'll get the HTFU award for this one.

Got back on the bike. Then I hear from the crowd "are you okay", "I guess!" I say and I'm off [re-passing all those folks I passed on 108]. I have to say I felt like the jerk in the fast car who flys past you then you see him getting a ticket a few miles down the road and you just laugh.. yeah.. that was me.. taking the turn apparently WAY TOO FAST.

Whatev! Keep going. So I'm off. Then about 1.5 miles down the road, I hear it.. the dreaded thump, thump, thump.. SHIT! It was a flat - back tire. Okay. It has to happen to everyone at some point right (I was just super afraid I had hurt my Zipps crashing). SOOOO, I'm on the side of the road, changing my flat, trying to stay positive, thinking of Wellington... James goes by, CJ goes by, they are encouraging (and will be my rabbits to hunt down)... changed in just under 7 minutes. and we're off again...

Another half mile down the road, just past the folly quarter circle.. thump, thump, thump.. no more tubes, this just ain't gonna happen today. I'm out...

So I walk back to the circle.. tell them I'm out, they call the SAG vehicle at 9:05, said it will be a little bit, okay fine. I kept my sunglasses on trying to conceal the few tears of disappointment.. then got over that and realized better this race that I was already feeling blah about racing anyways given all the weird stuff going on the past week vs Eagleman or Ironman Kentucky.. and now I'll be able to go get my camera and see everyone transition and finish, right??

...10:00 still no sag vehicle. I'm FREEZING standing out there. Saw Steve, James, and CJ go by and the confused looks on their faces when they saw me. There was an ambulance and a few cop cars at the circle so the ambulance driver offered for me and my new friend Josh who had flatted as well to go sit in the back of the ambulance while we wait since it was a little "warmer". So we're sitting there, making conversation, not really any warmer.. then suddenly pain in my right hip, I look down and there was a wasp sitting in my lap that had just stung me!! I didn't even provoke it and WTF was a wasp doing in an ambulance!!

Wow - karma does NOT LIKE ME TODAY!!

So, 10:45 the SAG vehicle finally arrives, they open the back, and the very kind, ever smiling Scott [jsselle] was in there! Heard his race story [broke a spoke and through the better of continuing on after the wheel started to deform itself] and the stories of the others in the van of shame as we were carted back to the transition area.

So, this race was a bust for me! But, as I was walking with Steve to the transition area in the morning, we agreed that the #1 goal was to have fun out there, and I have to say that despite the crash, double flat tires, and wasp sting, I still had a good time.. all the way through the post-race lunch at Strappaza [which next year we need to plan better so more of us BTers can meet up out there!].

Now, after a nap and some time for the crash to settle, my hips hurt like hell - mostly the left even though the 5" round bruise is on the right hip. I feel like someone grabbed me by the hips and violently jostled me around way beyond the point of me screaming bloody murder. I'm pretty sure it's just soreness and will go away in a few days. I'm very thankful that I'm only scratched up and sore from the crash - it could have been waaaay worse!!

No crashing, no flat tires, and no wasps!