This was my first OWS since IMCdA in June '09. I knew it would be rough, but I wanted to finish without taxing my body too much. I started off in the second row and focused on settling down, finding some space and getting into a rhythm. At the first turn buoy, around 300yds in, I took an elbow to the face and a mouthful of water. I panicked momentarily and had to get to the side and backstroke for about 30s in order to calm down. After that, I was able to start swimming and find my stroke. I wasn't able to do much drafting, but I actually felt very comfortable in the water. I didn't push the pace too much, but I finished feeling strong and ready to jump on the bike. I know I lost a lot of time on the swim, but considering how little swim training I've done, I didn't expect much more than this.

More OWS training and more swim training altogether. I knew this going in, so there was no surprise.

I knew this would probably be a tough transition. It was in the 30's and I struggled to get stuff on with numb hands. I made the decision to put on a long sleeve compression top and full fingered gloves in transition, both of which were impossible to get on. My socks were also impossible to get on despite practicing with wet feet and having them rolled up so they would go on easily.

This should have been closer to 2 minutes. I'm glad I had the socks on, but I need to figure out how to get them on quickly.

Started off with a flat right out of T1. I stopped about a 1/4 mile into the bike to change the rear tire, and with the numb fingers and full fingered gloves, it took a lot longer than normal. I can normally change a tire in 2 minutes, but this was easily 6-7 minutes on the side of the road. I was mad about the flat and pushed too hard for the first 20 miles of the bike. I thought I would have been much faster on the bike, but I felt like I was struggling. I did well with the water hand ups and kept the fueling going as planned. The second half of the bike was painful and I was starting to get worried about how my legs would handle the run.

Butyl tubes? I don't know about that, but because the flat was right out of transition, I need to check my equipment better before the race. No excuse for that. I also messed up by using a new computer for the race, and I had some problems with the display/seeing my power output.

In and out as planned. Kept it simple, so no problems could crop up.

None.

The first few miles were a little rough while I was trying to get my legs used to running. I was worried about my legs giving out during the run, so I took a gel and gatorade and kept it easy so that the fuel could settle in. At the end of the first loop I really started to feel good and the second loop (mile 4-8) really seemed to go well. At the beginning of the last loop I was hurting a little more, but knowing that I was on my last time around I was able to stay motivated. My pace kept slipping, but I really tried to focus on keeping the effort up and not slowing down. This wasn't a fast run, but it was pretty strong considering how the rest of the day went and the lack of run training that I've done.

Maybe not wear racing flats due to the off road section. The rocks and terrain were rough and it was really difficult to run with racing flats.

None. I walked around and got some food.


My training leading up to the race was inconsistent and execution was below average. Both of those things are things I have direct control over.


Really thought this was a well run race. My only criticism is that one of the bottles I was handed on the bike still had the foil on it! I had to rip it open with my teeth and ended up spilling half the bottle on my bike. Otherwise it's a great course and a good location. A little chilly at the beginning of the bike, but otherwise the weather was perfect!