My goal when I started the race was to keep a slow steady pace just so I would have enough to finish. I stuck to my gameplan pretty well.
The swim was better than I thought it was going to be.
Just kept my pace and didn't worry about others passing me. As I rounded the first buoy, the sun was glaring off the water and I couldn't see a thing! Had to stop and rinse my goggles so I could see where I was going. It helped.
Ended up getting pretty chafed under my arms where they rubbed on the wetsuit. They burned the rest of the race.

Not much. Just wanted to make it and I did. Practice more at the longer distances and do more OW swims.
Put more Bodyglide on my armpit areas.

I walked mostly to T1. Saving energy.
Wiped my feet and put my shoes on. Usually I have them on the pedals but since I wasn't in a huge hurry today I just put them on in T1 and walked my bike to the mounting area.

Stick with what works. Seems to work better for me when I put my shoes on while on the bike. Saves more time for me personally.
Find a spot on the rack where there's not a ton of sand and water sitting. I kept stepping back into the stuff!

When I first started on the bike I was actually a little cold, but that only lasted til I was somewhat dry.
Took my time on the bike, had a gel shot about 15 minutes in and drank lots from my 2 bottles- 1 with water, other had Powerade.
Asked a girl if she needed some help with her chain but she said go ahead and not ruin my own race. I said I was just out there for fun and no big deal. She got the chain back on.
The wind seemed a little gusty at times and the roads went from glass smooth to pretty rough in some places, but overall it was very scenic and a nice ride. Went by a kennel and all of the dogs were freaking out!

Not much. Maybe up the tempo just a little more. Maybe after more training, I'll feel comfortable speeding up on the longer distances.
Also, I think I drank too much. Paid for it on the run.

I was pretty slow in T2, probably because I was dreading the 6.2 miles ahead of me.
Decided to keep my biking shoes on, which didn't really work for me. Stopped and took my shoes off and carried them as I pushed my bike to T2.
Couldn't find my spot and had to double back after I passed it up. My bad.
Had to dig through my bag and find the Bodyglide and reapply it to my burning underarms where my wetsuit rubbed. Then had to dig it out again for my feet.
Finally got my socks and shoes on and threw on my shirt and racebelt. Took a deep breath and started on my way.

Keep the bodyglide out so I can use it if needed. Need a bigger towel to thoroughly clean my feet. There was sand everywhere.
Take my helmet off as soon as I get to my spot. Almost forgot to take it off!

Well, all I have to say is I did it. Wasn't great, but I completed the run.

Worst part was having to pee so bad the first 1.5 miles! Saw a portapotty on the course and decided to stop. Just as I was starting to head there, the girl in front of me got there first! Ugh! Had to wait for her to finish while I was stripping outside the port-a-potty. Finally, she exited and I entered while pulling down my 1 piece tri suit. Relieved myself and got everything back on and headed back out on the run. If I subtract my 3:10 for my potty break, I did better than my 10K run by itself that I did at Big Foot! Makes me happy even though I was last in my age group on the run.
Got to see CindyK and MarkK who were literally miles ahead of me. :-)
Was walking at every drink station to get 1 or 2 swallows of water. Felt pretty good and even my husband flew over in our small plane at about the 3 mile mark when I was heading out to 165. That was nice. :-)
High fived an older man who was great!
Started hitting the wall about 4.7 miles in. My calves were tightening up and my hips were getting pretty tight too. All I kept saying was "it's only another 15 minutes, you've already gone for 3 hours. 15 minutes is nothing." Well, I slowed to almost a crawl and finally saw the finish line and heard the crowd who stuck around to cheer on us late arrivals.
My friend Trish and her friend came on the course and ran the last 50 yards with me. Boy did that help!
I almost broke down in tears when I crossed the line, but I held it together. Gave Cindy and Mark a big hug and thanked them for having the faith in me to do an Olympic distance race this year.
Yay! I did it!

Run lots more for training. Lose about 15 pounds. That's about it. Drink according to needs. Last race I did was hot and I didn't drink enough. This time I drank too much and it was about 20 degrees cooler.

Had some water and Gatorade. Got stretched out by the Aurora sports person. Tight hips and calves.
Talked with Cindy, Mark and my friends.


Not training enough at the longer distances.


I will definitely do this race again. Well organized, on time, close to home.
Had a great time and hope to improve next year!
Oh, and I didn't finish last in my age group, yay!