So I get about 100 meters out and go to sight, I see a guy clinging to a kayak so I make a move around him. Well he must've launched off the kayak right as I was going by him because I took his heel to my face. Popped me straight up and fu**ed up my goggles. I thought of Mrs. Crowny who said, before the race, `Only one pair of goggles??? You KNOW what's going to happen, right?' I fixed and moved on, but the left socket kept filling with water. Sigh. I swam the last 200 or so with my left eye lopez closed. Oh and it wasn't wetsuit legal!!! Grrr ...

Tell 'em to fuggoff and wear my wetsuit and not get kicked.

I was trying to get my vision back in my left eye lopez. After swimming with it closed my vision was blurry and I thought I lost a contact. Nope, it was there, on the back of my eyeball.

Part Un:
Well this nightmare started at about mile 12 when, while cruising along and passing people left and right after my disastrous swim, I hear `Pop! PSHHHHH.' I thought `Great. I just pewped myself Jo-style.' In fact it was just a tire that blew, not my O-ring. So I pull off for the quickchange. Not gonna happen without tools. I had a tube, two CO2s, two crackpipes and zero tools.

So after trying to manually get it off, after about 15 minutes, some dude stopped and gave me his tool. His tool was bigger than I was used to but I managed to squeeze it into that super tight spot. It kind of hurt when I put his tool in but only because of the pinching. Anyway I got the old tube out and the new tube in.

Put the crack pipe onto the CO2 and ... nothing. Hit it again, nothing. I decided maybe it was screwed (like me) too tight so I backed it out a little. PSHHHHHHHH there goes all the air. I tried to close it off but it was too late. CO2 cartridge No. 1: Gone. So I get the second crackpipe and put it into the second CO2 cartridge. Hit it, the tire fills and the CO2 ring pops and I'm done. Right? No. The crackpipe won't come off the valve so all the air is slowly leaking out of the tire. I manage to get it off and then hit it lightly to refill the tire and am good to go. Put the wheel back on the bike, pack up all my sheeyot and off I go -- after more than 20 minutes.

Part Deux:
So that was the first half of the nightmare.

I was flying at this point trying to make up any time I could and was coming down a hill into a corner hot, doing about 25ish I'd say, when I went to get on the brakes and realized I had none. Use the front brakes to slow and get around the corner and stop. Look back -- brake assembly is basically hanging there. I must've knocked it loose when changing my tire. Frick.

Get off the bike and, with the help of some random construction worker who was at the intersection, get the brake assembly back on and tightened down (thank god I carry my allen wrenches with me) and adjust the pads so they're not rubbing. And off I go, after another 10-15 minute delay.

I saw Crowny who'd just finished so I stopped and chatted him up for a couple minutes. I figured my race was fuckered by then so I didn't care. Had some water, took and Endurolyte (it was hot!) and off I went.

Saw NRG42 just out of transition (she was doing the Oly) and she looked a little pekid so I walked with her for a minute or two to make sure she was OK. She assured me she was so off I went. Pretty uneventful. The calf was bothering me greatly and the knee kind of hurt but it was all good.

Grabbed a couple bottles of water and chatted up JoWisc (Jon) for a while and then saw the Crownys off and then ate. Found NRG after her finish, got my sh*t and left.


Oh ... kicks to the face, water in the eye, a flat tire, a broken brake assembly. You know, the usual.


Good race. But that lake was NASTY!