I stayed nice and calm during the swim; went out at a reasonable pace, so didn't get that "out of breath" feeling. On the swim out, the waves were noticeable - not really a problem, except for sighting. Except at the very beginning and very end, I stayed on a pretty good line. I didn't really get in a groove, though, until the swim back.

swim harder. I think I could have trusted my ability more to swim hard while sighting.

putting on socks & gloves took time, as did having some water & putting sunscreen on my face. It didn't seem excessive until I compare my time to others..

maybe should try biking w/o socks - with all the water dripping off me, they were soaked before I even left transition.

It was a bit of a disappointing ride. I was comfortable riding in the slick conditions, but not so much about trusting that the riders in front of me wouldn't wipe out & leave me no where to go. I really just rode it safe & didn't take good advantage of the downhills since it was so crowded. I could have pushed it more on the return trips over the bridge, though, as that lane was wider - it had grates every few yards, though, that I wasn't really keen on riding on.

I could have pushed it harder on the uphills.

I had covered my running shoes to keep them dry, but I left my socks out... I really hate running in sopping socks, so I took the time to dig through my transition bag to find a dry pair. Changing socks ate up a lot of time.

I also forgot to put my gel out & again ransacked my bag to find it. Once I found it, I took it on the way out & was done by the time I reached the run out exit from transition.

double check my transition layout - everything that was set out went on really fast but having to dig back into my bag was costly.

I was watching my pace - checking it at each mile marker - and thought I was on my way to a good run (11:36 M1, 11:04 M2) but the time for the last mile & a bit was way off. I've since found out that the (modified) course actually measured 3.5 mi, so I maintained pace after all! My plan was to run w/in myself for the first 2 miles & then push the last one. I felt good & ran strong the whole time, but could have upped my effort. I ran it more like a training run than really racing it. As crowded as the bike was, there was hardly anyone else around on the run.

go all out on the last mile

not sure. I never got that "race" sense of urgency - odd, since I feel very competitive in training (in a good way, pushing myself to keep up with others). I was a bit too relaxed during the race & didn't really go all out.


1) the bike course was ridiculously narrow & crowded with one sharp turn and two sharp turn-arounds
2) the event timing was very forgiving, helpful perhaps for a first-timer
3) the information provided in advance could have been better
4) race staff was nice
5) this was an expensive race unless you signed up really early (before they even had their permits)