I tried to take it nice and easy in the beginning, but was frustrated by some of the swimmers nearby because they kept running into me. I swam with my face out of the water for the whole race - very comfortable for me, but not very fast. I cranked up my pace for the second lap and ended up passing 15-20 people. I did get in some good drafting, but also shied away during the 2nd lap after getting my sore finger kicked a couple times.

Swim a lot more. This year has not been good for swim practice due to the earthquake and my finger injury.

I did the jog up from the beach nice and easy and basically took my time in T1. My wetsuit came off really quickly, but I putzed around a little tucking it into my basket to get it out of the way. I had put my shoes/socks into a plastic bag to keep them dry and that took a little longer. I also wore bike gloves (first time for a race) to give me a little more protection around my right ring finger which was taped.

Actually, not a lot. I could move a little faster, but I will take the extra time for the comfort of dry shoes/socks. I will probably also wear the gloves for my HIM, but only because of my finger.

I was happy with my ride. I handled the u turns well and usually passed a couple other riders at those points by coming out of the saddle and quickly ramping back up to speed . The course ran through some rice fields and there were a few places where the headwind and/or cross wind were intense. It did drizzle a little every now and then, but that was about it.

Nutrition/hydration: I put 2 gels into a normal size water bottle with about the same amount of water. I took half about 15 minutes in and the other half an hour in. I also had one bottle with 50% diluted sports drink and drank all of it over the course of the ride. This combination has worked really well for me at the Oly distance and I only end up taking in a little water on the run.

I had some new toys for this race and I think they all helped a little: Rudy Project aero helmet, SRAM S60 front wheel, aerodisc cover on the rear wheel (a new DT Swiss rim with powertap).

Nothing really. I think I hit a pace that was optimal for my run given my current endurance level. I know I have lots or room to improve on the bike and another year of consistent training should knock off at least 5 more minutes.

Slow again. I had my running shoes/hat in a plastic bag and that cost me a few seconds. I think I was also a little slow getting the bike racked because the bike next to me was pretty tight. Anyway, I did take my helmet off this time :-)

Just move a little faster.

I screwed up something on the garmin again trying to use multisport because I wore it on the bike too (and I really did not need it on the bike). Anyway, I did not end up resetting the garmin until about 4 km into the course.

I started out at a pretty good pace and pushed until my breathing was rhythmic (two breaths out, 2 breaths in). 3-4 minutes out of T2 and a younger guy and his wife came past me at a slightly faster pace so I followed and tried to hold on. I struggled a little, but settled in and was hanging with them for about a kilometer. His wife dropped off and after another km or so I passed him. About 4 km in I decided to try and reset my garmin - it worked and I could see that I was holding a really nice pace ranging from 4:35-4:50 depending on the slope (never very steep, but even a gentle incline would push me towards 4:50). To make a long story short, I concentrated on keeping an even pace and held on wondering all the time what my pace was for those first 4 km.

I know that the weather was the single biggest factor in setting a 10k PR, but I also think that the advice from Birdy to "run right on the edge of being crushed" helped a lot. I think I was pretty close to the edge and the cool temps allowed me to stay there.

Nutrition/hydration: I drank about half a cup of water at aid stations 3 and 6. I walked about 15 steps or so while taking those drinks. No sports drink or gels.

nada for that race. I am pretty sure that another year of consistent running will knock off a couple more minutes under those same conditions and will also enable me to run harder under hotter temps.

Drank some water, ate some watermelon and peaches (fantastic local produce) and watched the rest of the runners come in. It started to drizzle again shortly after I finished and continued on through the end. The parking lots were blocked by the course, so nobody escaped until the last finisher came in.


They did a great job on the race organization. If they had used the previous course, I would have given them a 4 or 5 this year.