AG 14/45... i get really nervous and feel a bit intimitated at the start of races... this was no different... i knew that i would not be leading this pack out of the water so i kind of hung towards the back a bit at the start... actually noticed that most were lined up out wide and so made my way more towards the inside (left side)... which i figured would be the better side anyway, especially considering that the wind and waves would be pushing us to the right out there... prior to the start i gave joshua a little fist bump and shortly after we were off... i thought i had somewhat placed myself out of harms way... but i was getting thrashed pretty good for the first 50 yards or so... water was pretty rough... which made this a bit more challenging... i probably swallowed 5 gallons of it out there... was hoping to find someone to draft off of but never was really able to... felt like i sighted well through the first 2 buoys... but never got into any sort of rythym or comfort level out there... so just kept plugging away... sighting towards the shore was a little more challenging.. but i just aimed for the middle of the swim caps ahead of me... that section from the last buoy to shore always seems to take forever... maybe because the bottom always looks closer than it is... anyway... finally got there... and although its a short swim... was thankful it was behind me... started getting the wetsuit off as i made my way towards the transition...

my time was 31 seconds slower than last year... however the course certainly raced longer than last year... in looking through last year's results it appears that most times were 30 to 40 seconds higher than the previous year... so overall not to bad... definitely improvements to made though...

practice ows before race... pacing seemed okay... just need to get stronger in the water...

AG 12/45... was trying out a new wetsuit for the first time... which was really tight... so i was having a hard time getting it off... however i had an ideal rack position - last row on the side facing the bike exit/entrance... so this should have/could have been a bit faster...

practice getting wetsuit off...

AG 7/45... inaugural ride with the new race wheels... after popping 3 tubes in the past 2 days trying to get them set up... and then realizing i needed rim tape... and finally getting them ready late the night prior to the race... and unable to even test them out... i was somewhat expecting some sort of debale to ensue during the ride... thankfully they worked out great... really enjoyed the ride... the rode very smooth compared to my normal wheels... a bit of wind out there - which always hurts a little more than it helps... but a really strong ride for me... even with the wind i averaged about 0.4 mph faster than last year... which was a bike mph pr for me... being in wave 5... and having 2 novice waves sent off prior... means that there really isnt much of a chance to benefit from 'legal drafting'... so i just kept left of the crowds and pushed the entire way... got passed once on the bike... and he was from my wave... but i reeled him in pretty quick on the run... ;)

nothing really... i raced this hard and posted a strong time for me...

AG 3/45... coming into transition i decided to go for the flying dismount... let's see... my previous 2 attempts at this include - pleasant prairie last year when i didnt unclip my left foot... nor take my foot out of my shoe... dont ask... and flipped through the air still attached to the bike - with it then landing on top off me... was trying to block this out of my mind... and the other time was one practice last week where the shoe came unclipped as i was coasting in.. and i stumbled off the bike... so i figured this would be interesting... this did go better though... as i managed to come off the bike in a vertical position... which is a plus... however i somehow managed to bust off my rear bottle cage as i was kicking my leg over... oh well - getting closer... besides a minor shoe issue the rest of the transition went well...

see above... practice i suppose...

AG 2/45... come out of transition knowing that this is my part of the race... which craig reminded me of as well as i ran past him right after the start of the run... also, i was thinking to myself... "time to make this thing hurt"...!!! really thought i had a sub-18 PR in me... and was certainly going for it... right away i could tell that my legs were feeling the bike... which generally makes for a more compact stride... which is fine... just keep the turnover fast... i settled in to a 5:40ish pace right away... and was really hoping to keep this strong through the whole race... obviously i was pushing hard... but at the same time i felt surprisingly efficient... so while i knew this would hurt... i also thought it sustainable... as such... i felt like i had maybe a half gear left in me if needed... decided not to push my luck too early though... anyway... caught the guy who passed me on the bike around mile one... and just keep bearing down on those ahead of me... must admit that the pace certainly quickens a bit every time you see someone from your own wave ahead of you... i managed to catch 1 more guy from my wave right before the turnaround and one other shortly after... definitely used that extra half gear here as a wanted to look strong for the ones i had just passed... and put a little distance between us... didnt want them hanging around for a showdown late in the race... after passing these 3 on the run i was feeling pretty good about getting top 3 AG... after i hit mile 2 i may have been able to kick it up a notch.. however i wanted to save a little something for if someone came up on me.. also i didnt see anyone close enough to track down... anyway, maintained pace through mile 3 and then picked it up into the finish... ran it in hard with someone from wave 4... crossed the finish and was pumped to see a 17:27 on my watch (which would be a 57 second PR)... This was a really a great run for me... especially off the bike...

[okay... I've deleted my rant about feeling that the run course was a bit short... i've heard measurements of 3.05 to 3.12... So while I think it may have possibly been a bit short, its uncertain and close nonetheless... will need to just validate this with a stand-alone 5k now... but going to take this as a new PR...!!!]

race wise - nothing... probably get some different racing shoes at some point... these tore up my feet from going sockless...

not much... chatted with friends.. ate.. and cheered on others...


I pulled off a strong race... always room for improvement though...


I always love this race... two years ago at lake mills was the first triathlon i ever did... 87th that year... 45th last year... and 15th this year.. so have to be pleased with that...

so my 5 goals...

1) Sub 1:10 - Not too far off at 1:10:41...
2) Top 30 OA - Very suprised by a 15th pace finish...
3) Top 3 AG - Thought I had it but finished 4th...
4) Top 5 run split - Snuck in at number 5...
5) PR all legs - PR'd the bike and run... probably swam as well as last year but the conditions made it tough to PR...

aside from the nagging question in my mind about the distance of the run course... it was a great day and a fun race..