After getting started, I felt comfortable for a little bit. However, after rounding the turn buoy, the swells were coming from my right and I started getting into trouble with my rhythm. In addition, I could hear wheezing with every one of my breaths - it sounded like static from a radio with no reception. As much as I tried to cough, I couldn't clear my chest and get good breathing. This made dealing with the swells insurmountable. I tried breathing on the right and would get hit in the face with the waves. I tried breathing on the left and the swells would drop me 3-4 feet down and break my rhythm. I had no answers for how to make forward progress.

I continued to struggle with some breatstroke, as I wheezed my way forward. I was constantly considering calling for a kayak and taking a DNF, but silly pride and not wanting to travel all that way to not finish the race prevented it.

I finally reached the last turn knowing I was among the (and possibly) the last person in the water. I knew I had not been healthy enough to be out there but had given it a shot. It was disappointing to have put so much work into swimming over the winter and not be able to show it in the season opener, but my health and my lack of experience in the conditions were too much to overcome.

I reached the beach and talked to J about whether to continue. After all of the trauma of the swim, I knew that cutting my losses and stopping would have been understandable, but I wanted to give the bike ride a shot if for no other reason than to get the bad taste of the swim (saltwater and defeat) out of my mouth. I knew I would regret taking a DNF and it would have been a long ride back to Arizona if I had.

I should have gone to the doctor a week earlier. I might have gotten a second round of antibiotics and been healthy on event day. I'm not sure if I would have dealt with the waves and swells better, but I would have had more of a fighting chance.

The positive aspect of finishing the swim last is that it is really easy to find one's bike in transition. The negaative is that it gives the bike more time to blow or get knocked off the rack. When I arrived, my bike was on the ground and all of my drinks had spilled. I'm not sure if the bike was blown over (the new wheel cover could have caused it to get blown more easily) or knocked over by someone on their way in or out (if that is the case - not cool). I was about to start a ride in the rising Mexican heat and humidity with very little in the way of fluids. I chalked it up as a continuation of the misery that the swim had wrought.

Hurrying through would not have done any good. I needed to check the condition of my bike and re-assess whether to continue.

One reason that I wanted to continue on to the bike was that I recently got a wheel cover and wanted to try it out under race conditions. Despite an occasional coughing fit, I was able to pedal away and stay down on the aerobars. The first out was great and I was holding a great speed. I was able to do some passing, which was encouraging, since I finished the swim and T1 completely alone. The bad news is I was passing people who were on their 2nd or 3rd laps.

The first turnaround provided an opportunity to face the wind, and it was a drastic change. I held a good position and just kept spinning through it, trying to ignore the decease in speed. I started lap two feeling a little better and having seen the whole course.

The crowd thinned out on lap two and was desolate by lap three, but my pacing and discipline were strong. I kept coughing intermittently, but unlike the swim, I was able to get a strong enough cough to get some stuff up and out.

I rolled into T2 knowing I had a pretty good bike split despite the increasing winds. The wheel cover and aero helmet (as well as a having spent a lot time on the trainer over the winter) definitely made me faster. My bike split was the 43rd best of the day (top 1/3), which took a little of the sting out of being last in the swim and near last on the run. At least there would be a bright spot.

Solid, disciplined ride.

I re-assessed whether continue again in T2 and decided that I might as well give it a go. I would walk when needed and at least on dry ground I would have the ability to control my coughing and breathing

Nothing - needed some time to think things over and knew I would have the run course pretty much to myself.

After the swim, I knew the run was going to be a struggle. I really didn't have much left at this point, and it was hot and humid. Also, my spilled drinks on the bike had left me dehydrated and I wouldn't have much opportunity to catch up.

The course was hilly and wound around the golf course on the paths. Under healthy conditions, it might have actually been fun. There were no long hills - it was up and down for about 30-60 seconds at a time the entire way. Nothing was flat. I ran as much as I felt I could, but needed a lot of walk breaks, which obviously killed my overall pace, along with the uphills which came along frequently.

I took water at all of the aid stations, but it was a little late to start implementing a hydration plan. I am grateful to Red Rock and the volunteers for still being out there for us stragglers. They hung in there to the very end.

I finally made the last turn and started heading back toward the resort. It had been a long morning, but I finally made the turn around the building and onto the beach. Red Rock was still announcing finishers and I felt a little bit of a lift (the first time I had felt like I was part of the event since the second loop of the bike course - it had been a lonely slog since then) and headed for the chute. The announcer was goading people to hit the slip and slide they had set up in the chute, so I decided even though I had a rough race, I would play along and slide. At least I would be soaked in some water in addition to the seawater and sweat that I had already accummulated.

Not much - I was finishing out the string on a long day and narrowly avoided my first DNF.

Grabbed my bike and equipment and I was about 10 feet from the elevator that took us back up to the room - after the morning I had, it was nice to be that close to the room and shower.


Illness - my training leading up to the race had been good and I have dropped a little weight over the winter.


Red Rock, as usual, did a fantastic job. This is a great destination race, my issues on the swim notwithstanding. The resort is very nice and being able to stay so close to the venue and transition cannot be beat. The volunteers were great and the aid stations were well stocked and open late, which was great for those of us in the BOP.