this was my first OWS. panicked in the first 50yds when i saw all the open space around me. i've done this distance in the pool a gazillion times but it was so different in the lake. finally found my rhythm around the 500yd mark. didn't do very well with sighting. didn't get way off course, but i know i wasn't going in a straight line

more open water practice just to get a better feel for the difference between the lake and the pool. it was pretty scary at first

since this was my first tri and i didn't feel comfortable with the "flying mount" i put on my shoes in the transition area and ran to the mount line. was happy that i didn't crash getting clipped in!

could have eliminated a few things in T1 to make me faster - drank some water (which i could have done on the bike), wore socks (because i had never practiced without them). but for my first transition i guess it wasn't too bad

the roads were pretty bumpy in places, but not unbearable. only 2 right turns on each loop so that wasn't a problem. was worried before the race about getting penalties but for the most part i was riding alone so that wasn't a problem either

should have pushed harder. stayed at about 14-15mph for the whole time, which was a very tolerable pace. got passed by a LOT of people, but i was concerned about not having much left for the run. did a lot of training inside and i think i could have benefitted from more road rides and group rides.

came to a stop before dismounting the bike so i didn't crash. got unclipped okay and ran my bike back to the rack. legs were pretty stiff coming off the bike

should have done more brick workouts. did a few but they were mostly short ride/short run combos, not the full length. legs weren't so happy about coming off the bike

SLOW... the run killed me. i'm not a very fast runner anyway, but coming off the bike made that about 10 times worse. did a lot of run/walk for the length of the course. right calf was in kind of a semi-cramp state for the first mile or so. oddly, i felt much better the last mile than i did for the first two. drank too much water at the first 2 aid stations and was pretty sloshy.

so many things.... obviously running is my weak spot so i need to put a bigger emphasis on that while training for the next one. more brick workouts will help considerably, but beyond that i just need to increase my distance and frequency overall.

walked around a little. had some oranges and water. was craving salt so i had a few potato chips


my fitness level and inexperience


don't really have anything to compare it to other than 5ks and 10ks that i've done, but i felt like it was very well organized. the volunteers were extremely friendly and helpful. the lady that did my body marking even gave me a pep talk when she found out it was my first race. overall i was very satisfied with the location and the event. i learned soooo much that will help me next time