Felt good on the swim. Stroke was good and breathing was right on. The problem I had was sighting. I had tinted goggles and had problems seeing the bouys. I just followed the guy in front of me at first. That was a mistake. Got to the first turn and I was probably 30-40 meters wide of the buoy. My guess is that added about 45-60 seconds to the swim. After the first turn felt pretty good. I still cut about 4 minutes off my previous 2 olympic distance swims.

Bring extra goggles to be able to sight better.

Felt good with T1. The transition area this year was very tight. I made the decision before the race to stop after I got out of the water to remove my suit and carry with me into T1. With the mud and cramped area I figured this would be easier. It worked well because a lot of the other guys were struggling with their suits while others were trying to get by with their bikes.
Once i got to my bike it was sock, shoe, sock, shoe, helmet, race belt and out. My spot just was not very good so it cost me some time.

Consider not wearing socks. With everything wet and muddy socks might have been more trouble than they were worth.

A little diappointed with my ride. I wanted to be under 90 minutes and was very close. With the wet conditions I was overly cautious which probably cost me at least 5 minutes. I must have been really tense on the ride because my back became very tight (which never happens) and my neck, shoulders and hands have been sore since the race.
Overall, my fitness and nutrition was good. With dryer conditions or more experience in wet conditions I could have easily put up a better time.
I have no regrets about being cautious, especially seeing the dude that crashed hard on the back part of the course.

More experience in wet condiitons.

Saw Ethan in T2 and spent a few seconds chatting, then missed my rack and had to back up. Those 2 events probably cost me 30-45 seconds. Oh well.

Racked the bike, shoes off, shoes on, helmet off and then start the run.

Know which row I'm in. :)
I would still have stopped and talked with Ethan. It's not like I was up for an award.

Started out well but was feeling it in my quads. The first 2 miles went well and I had a thought that I might be able to break 3:00. Then I hit Gatorade hill and then the cramping started creeping in. Slowed way down,and kind of shuffled through the next 3 miles through the neighborhood. Finished the last mile pretty well.

I always blow up on the run in Olympic races. I know I have the run fitness to put up the times I need. I either am not getting nutrition right or just don't have the mental toughness to push through the pain to keep going. It's something I need to figure out (I think I have it figured out but it's the answer I don't like).

Tricia was in the chute to congratulate me and give me my medal which was AWESOME!! Ran into a bunch of BTers (Josh & Becky, James & Erin, Shane, Christy and Amy)and talked about our race day.
I mentioned in my blog that I really enjoy the community of the local BTers in this area.


Me. It's all in my head.


This is my second time doing Columbia (first time in 2007) and I beat my last time by 20 minutes. I'm making progress in my tri career but know I can do much better.
The race was fun though the parking was a mess this year.

Thanks also to all the volunteers out there, especially BTers Amy, George, Melissa and Tricia.