This just went terribly wrong for me. After months and months of working hard on my swim and really seeing a lot of improvement, I had expected much more. Open water swims are just messing with my head. The swim ends with a left turn over to the exit. I got caught in the plants & just lost it. Ended up breast stroking some to get back on course.

Need to do a ton of OWS practice.

My time was pretty good (4th in my group). Had a little trouble getting my bike off the rack. The rack was a little low & I had to wiggle my bike out.

Keep practicing my routine

I knew I needed to make up a lot of time, so I really pushed hard once I got onto the main road. I passed a ton of riders and felt really good. No one passed me during this leg. I ended up with the fasted bike leg in my group, so I was very happy. I eased up on the last section leading up to transition & probably should have just kept pushing. I did the same thing leaving. Should have got up to speed a bit faster.

Be more aggressive leaving and entering transition.

My time was slow compared to most, but I'm not sure why. Probably just running too slow to my area.

More hustle

I was a little worried about the run. I have barely been running over the last month due to a lingering calf strain. My initial plan was just to take it real easy and not aggravate this. However, everything felt fine coming out of T2 and I rolled along at a nice pace. The hill was hard but I made great time & passed quite a few runners along the way. I was only passed by one person during the run. I didn't want to push my luck with my calf, so I decided not to sprint hard at the end.

Nothing really. Exceeded my expectations.

Ate a hot dog & drank some water & coke. Stretched, walked around & watched the remaining finishers.


Awful swim. Cost me the win in my AG.


Great early season race. There are a lot of first timers, but still some good competition. The race ran on time and was well organized. Distances are way off on the swim and the bike. Will definitely do this next year. Overall I am happy with my first podium finish, but still disappointed about that swim (coulda, woulda, shoulda I guess).