This was my first ocean swim and it was my biggest concern of this triathlon. And my concerns were well-founded, because the waves were tough and the current was strong. I was in the 4th wave, and I felt sorry for the guys in the 1st wave -- by the time they were halfway to the first buoy, the current had pushed everyone right between the two buoys. So I was thankful to learn from that, but also fearful of having to fight that current. I struggled just to get out beyond the waves, and I felt like I had no energy left by the time I did get past the breakers. I actually had a lifeguard swimming alongside me for several minutes making sure I was OK, I think mostly because I was screaming obscenities at the mighty Pacific Ocean. He even asked if I wanted to "opt out" a couple of times. Eventually, I actually swam a few strokes but for the most part I was doing a sidestroke. The goal quickly went from "finish fast" to "just finish," which I did. Eventually. The Pacific definitely made me its bitch.

More (as in, more than none) open ocean training swims

I was just glad to be alive and breathing at this point, so I wasn't all that concerned with a fast transition.

I figured that once I came out of the water, I could relax and enjoy the rest of the race. Unfortunately, this wasn't really the case. I had blown so much energy trying not to drown, I didn't have a whole lot of enthusiasm for the bike. But I think the biggest reason I didn't enjoy the bike was that I had made the mistake of adjusting my seat angle a few days before the race, so by the time I made it back to transition my ass was pretty sore.

Not make equipment tweaks so close to race day. Also, graduate to big-boy racing and get a road bike so I can leave the mountain bike for mountain biking.

For me this was a fairly good transition. I spent most of the time trying to pin my bib on straight. I spent a few days before the tri looking for a race belt, but none of my local sporting goods stores had them. Next time I'll look harder (or just order one online).

Use a race belt

ACU-5 is basically a giant slab of concrete, which for me is pretty torturous to run on. The run out of the transition area was up a hill, so that was a pretty crappy way for me to start the last leg. I got shin splints almost immediately, and spent the rest of the race trying to just keep my legs moving and not think about how nice it would be to just stop and watch everyone else finish. I really didn't like the run course for a couple reasons. First, it was on concrete 90% of the way, and for me that's just not fun. Second, the course was a winding mess that seemed very illogical. Maybe I was just in a bad mood. The only saving grace for me was the last 50 yards, when my 4-year-old son joined me and we crossed the finish line together. That was truly an unforgettable moment for me.

I walked down the hill to the transition area to pack up my stuff, then walked back up the hill to join my wife and son.


All in all, this was not a good second tri for me (thankfully it wasn't my first, otherwise I might never do another one). I think I psyched myself out quite a bit in anticipation of the swim, and even though it turned out to be as bad as I expected, I could have had a more confident attitude going in. What was frustrating is that I wasn't really all that winded throughout the race, but my body was NOT very cooperative on this day.


My only real complaint was the way the run course was laid out. The Marines were awesome -- on time, helpful and encouraging -- but I had a pretty rough day physically.