Felt really good and relaxed in the water. I actually caught myself relaxing too much and had to remind myself that this was actually a race. I didn't really start pushing until the last 500m. In the shallows near the exit, I landed on a big seaweed bush and my feet got a bit tangled. It was gross!

I tend to drift a bit outside the buoy line and could probably find some extra minutes if I could swim a tighter line.

It was a bit of a hike from the swim finish to the racks. There was lots of debris on the asphalt and you had to watch your step.

I need to get over the feeling I get every time I am leaving T1 that I forgot something! It always slows me down.

I think I did the best I could. I forgot how hilly this course is! There must be over 2000' of climbing I'm sure! I definitely started to lose some steam in the last 10K or so...

I think I was over confident in my bike training. I was so worried about improving my run that I think I neglected some focused bike training.

For the first time I tried stepping out of my shoes before dismounting. It worked well and I had a quick dismount. Unfortunately, I got stuck behind someone who was running (slowly) in their bike shoes and the transition area is so narrow that I couldn't get around easily.

Nothing.

Thank god for the ice at the aid stations! I don't think I could have finished without it. The heat had climbed past 100* and I was suffering. I am proud of the fact that I never stopped running. My best half marathon ever was 1:58 so 2:27 in the heat, after a tough bike leg was a good result for me.

Nothing.

Popsicle.


The $%&#ing HEAT!!!


Not bad for my first HIM. I now have a benchmark. Looking forwards to a flat, cool HIM to see how much faster I can go.