Before getting in the water, I realized that my ear plugs were in too deep. I was fiddling around with them trying to get them out so they wouldn't go even deeper during the swim and I wouldn't have to mess with them after getting out. This delayed me from getting into the water. Little did I know that across the river and on the 8th floor of her building, my Aunt Jill had found me. She had located me with her binoculars and told me later that she saw I was one of the last people in the water.

I got into the water and waded until they let us start. It was warm, and we had to move backwards to stay behind the start line as the current was trying to carry us downstream. They finally sounded the horn and away we went.

I immediately settled into a smooth rhythm. Not fast by any means, but comfortable. I wanted to avoid any anxiety since I was without a wetsuit and I had been anticipating this swim for a long time, so I was probably a little anxious to begin with. I had to keep the HR low so the panic cycle didn't start. The buoy line kept us pretty close to shore, even though I wanted to move closer to the middle where the current was stronger. The passing scenery and the fact that I was thinking about my line told me that things were going well.

It was apparent that the current was making a huge speed difference. I was only sighting to make sure I didn't run into a bridge or other obstacle. I had wanted to kind of take time to appreciate the unique experience of swimming in the river that I had seen and driven over my whole life, but honestly, the angle of the banks made it difficult to see anything outside of the channel other than the bridges, so I wasn't missing much. I just kept swimming. When bridges and other objects in the water approached, the flow of the water changed slightly - other than that, this was pure downhill.

In what seemed like no time, I approached the swim exit. As the volunteers helped me stand up, I heard a male voice yell 'Go, Brian'. I was a little confused, since it sounded close but not entirely familiar, and I didn't think my Dad should or would be walking down the slope to where the exit was - must be for someone else. I heard it again. I finally got my bearings, looked around, and saw that it was my Uncle Rick - surprise! I gave a wave and started jogging up the ramp to transition.



I likely could have pushed the pace a little more and increased my cadence. I also wasn't focusing too much on the stroke mechanics - just swimming naturally - I might have been able to be a little faster but didn't want to risk increasing my HR into panic range without a wetsuit. All things considered, however, I am very happy with the swim.

I waved to the family (in addition to my parents and Jenna, Julie had accompanied Rick as well) as I entered, and without a wetsuit to mess with, I had a much faster than usual T1. I looked down at my watch as I entered, and saw that I was at around 20 minutes. Holy crap, could that be right??? I was expecting at least 30 for the swim. I was starting to bank some time to work with for my goal of sub-3. As I ran to the mount line, Rick yelled a reminder that this was my best part. I spent the entire bike ride reminding myself that I needed to make the bike count - it would build the cushion going into the run that would determine whether I made my goal.


Nothing - it was a pretty speedy transition for me and I was well in control heading onto the bike course.

Since my ability to run was iffy due to a calf injury, and my training has been very bike-focused, I wanted to hammer the bike and see what I could do. I may end up paying later, but since the run would be a wild card anyway, the bike would allow me to get some time to work with if my running ability was limited by my injury.

From what I had seen online, there was only one real hill on the course, and it was the exit ramp of Columbia Parkway, right at the beginning of the course (with two loops, you do it twice). The rest of the Columbia Parkway segment was rolling hills, but nothing too steep. I took the turn onto the ramp and saw the hill - whoa - that's a monster. I could already see at least one person off the bike and walking it, and a couple of others weaving back and forth like they were on switchbacks. I dropped into the lowest gear and started grinding away. Even though it was steep, it was fairly short. It reminded me of the Three Sisters hills from the Silverman course, as well as a few hills that I ride regularly in training. While I had to push the pedals hard to keep them turning, I made it up without getting out of the saddle - small victories, I guess. I settled back in, knowing the worst part of the loop was over, and went to work. It would all be manageable from here until seeing the hill on the second loop, and it was time to make up for any time lost climbing it.

I got down in the aerobars and reminded myself to drink Infinit and Nuun occasionally. I knew it was important to stay on top of hydration due to the stifling weather that was only going to get worse as the day went on. I was keeping a good pace and feeling good at the turnaround, and I saw on the way out, with no steep downhills, that the trip back should be fairly uneventful. I hit the turns coming off the parkway and wound into the heart of the city. I saw Jenna facing away from the road and shouted her name. I saw her turn around in just enough time to see me go past. Since it was a nice straightaway after a downhill, I was going too fast to be able to pick anyone else out of the crowd. I got onto the segment past the stadiums and it was pretty flat and straight. It was great riding an urban course - something different, in a place where I have a history. I made it to the last turnaround and was coming back through to start my second loop. I hit the lap button and took a look - I was at around 35 minutes - perfect - if I kept the pace, I could finish in less than 1:15, which was my goal for the bike course.

I started loop two knowing that the hill was coming. I started up the hill, dropped my gearing and pedaled on up. At the top of the hill, someone passed me. It was the first time I could remember getting passed in the race (not saying much, since I was in the last swim wave and I'm a comparatively slow swimmer, so really, who wouuld be behind me?). Even worse, he looked like he was also a Clydesdale who I had passed earlier. Not good - I might have been starting to relax a bit. I picked it up, and within a mile or so, I had passed him again - as one of the slower uphills started, I took a look behond me and he was pretty far back. I know he would probably pass me again on the run and likely finish in front of me (they usually do), but I need to take a little pride, at least in the bike segment. I kept ticking off the miles, to the first turnaround and back, and through the turns and into downtown over the chewed up pavement.

It was going well, and at this point, I was only worried about flatting or wrecking. I kept a solid pace through the rest, but took one last look at the football and baseball stadiums and the arena as I rode in and tried to bring my HR back down. I noticed later that my HR had averaged 164 for the ride, which is very high and had maxed out at 180 on the Columbia Parkway hill the first loop, which is the highest I have ever recorded on the bike. Whatever the clock ultimately said about my spilts, there wasn't a lack of effort, at least where HR was concerned.

I dismounted and headed into transition knowing that I had done what I needed to do on the ride. I wanted to take a look and know what I would have to do on the run to break 3, but things were looking good. It's a good thing, too. For the first time in a race, I had worn my aero helmet. If I was going to look like such a dork (aero helmet and tri suit on a fat guy), I had better be able to back it up!

Not a thing. After I put the bike away, I really felt good about it and felt that I had raced it at my potential. I just wanted to see some numbers to bear it out. I had the best bike split of the day in the Clydesdale division, and the 21st best overall. That did it. Wow - banner day for me.

There was a lot going on in T2. First things first, I needed to assess where I was with regard to my time goal. The total time was reading 1:38 - leaving me 1:22 to finish the 10k and still come in under three hours. Great! No problem providing my calf holds up. Second, Jenna came over - I had not told her my expected split for the bike and she had expected me in sooner. I got a little defensive since I had just crushed a bike course like I never had before, but we got things straightened out. Last, I needed Jenna to bring my Mom over. It was only a few days before her birthday and I wanted to give her a card as I was leaving T2. She was on the phone but Jenna got her attention and brought her over. I told her I love her, wished her Happy Birthday, and gave her the card as I left transition. I knew it would be a memorable day for a lot of reasons, but I wanted the first race that my Mom got to attend to be even more memorable, and celebrating her birthday during the race seemed like a good way to do it.

Nothing - even though there was a lot going on (it was an exciting two minutes!), everything was necessary, and I didn't lose much time at all.

The swim, bike, and T1/T2 had left me in a great position. I could run at an easy pace annd still come in under three hours. The calf injury scared me, however, and the heat/humidity combination made the air soupy and it wasn't getting any cooler as noon approached. I decided to get going at a reasonable pace, assess each mile, keep an eye on the big picture, and adjust as needed.

I felt okay leaving transition, but could feel some fatigue in my legs immediately - not surprising after pushing the bike segment. My calf was a little sore, but not painful - just present enough to remind me that it was there. As long as it wasn't the limiting factor, I would be okay. After mile 1, things were in good shape. There was a hill in the park where I had to walk a few steps, but whenever I checked my pace, it was in the 10:30 - 11:00 per mile range, and my HR was in the 160s, which is about as high as I would want it for anything longer than a 5k.

I hit the turnaround and started back. It was getting hotter, and my HR stayed consistently high. I stopped at each aid station, drank water and poured some over my head. I just had to keep from overheating. Monitoring pace and staying on top of hydration and temperature was the best way to go. After mile two, my pace was just a little over 11:00 - I was still okay - keep doing what I was doing. Mile three included the segment over the bridge to Kentucky and back. I got to the base of the bridge and the uphill stopped me in my tracks. I started walking toward the crest. Just before it started to level out, I saw familiar faces ahead. It was my Aunt and Uncle, Jill and Bob, walking across from their home on the other side of the river! Seeing them boosted me, snapped me back to reality, and got me to pull myself together and get running again. I told them I only had about 35-40 minutes left and I would see them soon. Seeing them was a much needed mental boost. I got the end of the bridge and turned around. Loop one was almost over. I said hello to Jill and Bob again as I passed them while coming off the bridge. When I got to the end of the loop, I saw Jenna and told her that they were on their way. As I made the turn, I saw that there was around 45 minutes left in the march toward three hours. Providing I didn't have a catastrophic meltdown in the last 5k, three hours was going to happen. I just couldn't slow to a walk.

As I started loop two, I now knew where the hills and trouble spots were, and negotiated with myself to allow breaks for them. Run during the downhills, walk an uphill - run to the next aid station, walk through the aid station. As long as the breaks were brief and not too frequent, I would be fine. My mile splits were getting higher - now consistently between 12 and 13 minutes per mile, but nothing to cause alarm and really make myself push. My HR reading was consistently in the 160s, so I was putting out as much effort as was wise under the high heat and humidity conditions. I was relieved that I wasn't getting into a situation where I would have to decide whether to take any chances.

I passed mile six with about 10 minutes left to make the goal. Even though I could coast in, I wanted to finish strong, so I ran it the rest of the way (as it turned out, at around a 10:30 pace). I saw Jenna as I closed on the finish line. After I cleared the line, I stopped my watch and saw 2:52. I was elated - turned in my chip, got a bottle of water (they passed them out with finisher's can coolers) and found everyone standing along the fence. After saying hello, I drank a can of cola, grabbed another water, and headed out of the athlete's area to see everyone.

I think my approach was good. I didn't take any unnecessary chances, made my goal, and didn't come out of the day any worse than I went in, injury-wise. It was the right balance between aggressive and conservative.

Sat down for a little bit and talked to Jenna, Mom, Dad, Jill, and Bob. I drank some water and G2, packed up, and headed back to Dad's to break down the bike for shipping.


Excess weight right now. However, under the external conditions and with my current conditioning and body composition, I was as fast as I could have been on that day.


Tucson Racing did a nice job with the event. It was well organized, safe, and events ran on time. There were enough aid station and they were well stocked. There were plenty of volunteers. They did a great job with the necessities. Other races and companies offer more frills, but this is a well run race in a great venue. You don't get the opportunity very often to race in this setting. It was entirely urban, through downtown streets of a big city, past landmark sports venues, with the swim taking place in a major river and a fast swim. I highly recommend the race as a unique experience. With a very fast swim, and fairly flat course, it is also a course where PRs can be set.

On a more personal note, the race meant a lot to me. It was an opportunity to go back to my home town to race in front of my family close to my Mother's birthday, set a PR and reach a goal that has eluded me in five years of doing triathlons. It was a great day all the way around.