First mistake was jumping in and not just sitting down and getting a good kick from the wall. I went out a bit too hard and I can feel the lactate buildup after 100yds. I let someone go at the wall and planned to draft her but got tangled up on lane lines and wasn't able to get there. A big log jam as someone was stopped and walking about 2-3 swimmers ahead so I ended up getting caught by 2 other swimmers about 10 yds from the wall so I let them go. Got to the wall and then didn't have any more traffic.
My form was awful for this swim. I wasn't able to stay calm and I can feel a lack of rotation and a lack of extension. I was actually about the same pace as last year which is interesting as I know I'm faster than this time last year. All the stops definitely hurt my performance.

Stay calmer and just swim my swim. I was also seeded 41 which seemed pretty high for a 5:00 300-yd time and I think a lot of people thought it was 300m times. I timed myself on Friday and I was at 5:07 (after running and doing weights) so I definitely didn't have a great swim as I would think I would be at least around 5:20 given the lane lines and having to duck under them, etc. I was probably closer to 5:50 before I had to climb out of the pool. I know I'm only swimming enough to keep swim fitness and not really improve but I need to focus on running. I do need to make my swim workouts at least 10 min longer moving forward.

Once I got out of the pool and the poor swim was behind me, I tried to make up some time on T1 by making myself run fast to the transition area. It was nice that the hallways were carpeted so I could really get a good run going! I did struggle a bit with my helmet again so wasted about 3-4 seconds there but otherwise, it was fairly smooth. 2nd fastest T1 for my AG.

Still need to work on getting my helmet on quicker but otherwise, I'm pretty happy.

This was probably my best triathlon bike leg ever. This course was not flat and had turns and I was still able to do a 22.8 mph average. I did have one incident - I dropped my chain to the OUTSIDE during the sharpest turn of the race course (I knew I had some problems the previous night when I was on the big chain ring and the largest cog in the rear and was going to avoid that gear but forgot). I spent last night moving a spare bike computer from my other road bike and put it on the aerobars and that helped keep me pacing and motivated right by allowing me to watch my cadence and heart rate - along with keeping my average speed displayed. I was always trying to get the "up" arrow to light up (which meant I was faster than my current displayed average). Fastest bike in my AG and also 8th overall!

Except for not dropping the chain, that's all I can do. I was able to get into my shoes without any issues and while I could've spent some time tightening the straps, I was pretty happy overall.

I had a pretty good rack location so the only thing I could've done better was get my shoes on a little quicker. I also started running out the wrong way so lost a bit of time there - at best, I could've been faster by 4-5 seconds.

Get my shoes on quicker and know exactly which was Run Out was going to be. Also, I need to make a better mental note on where I need to get out of my shoes. I was almost at T2 and had to scramble to get my last shoe off.

This was my hardest run ever. First off, I forgot to take my electrolyte pills as I was finishing up the bike as I was focused on keeping my speed. 2nd mistake was forgetting to at least grab the electrolyte pills before I started running. If it was a normal 5K, I think I would've been fine but I started cramping up about 2.5 miles in (nasty side stitches). The last one at the 5K mark was so severe I had to stop and walk a bit. I did have a lot of fun because I was racing the entire course with someone. We traded spots at least 6 times - for some reason, I was faster downhill and then he would gain some time on the uphills. He ended up finishing about 10 seconds in front of me. I did push pretty hard on this run, especially after a hard effort on the bike. Was breathing hard the whole time.

Have my Endurolytes on the run - especially on a hot and humid day. Also, it would've been nice to have my footpod on my shoes to check cadence. I suspect that it was on the low side at times. Finally, I don't know why but I had a blister by the time I finished. It wasn't bad but I had it on my right foot, which is not normally the foot I blister on. May need to look into new race shoes. 2nd in AG and 12th overall!

Not much, just walked around and had half a bagel with cream cheese, a banana and a bit of an orange, along with a bottle of water. Waited for Lesan to finish and cheered her on then we got a massage. Cheered on some people from work, 2 of whom were doing their first triathlon!


Not staying calm and focused on the swim - probably about 20 seconds there. I also need to get my bike ready sooner so I'm not rushing the night before.


This was very well organized for a local race. The only hitch was probably the PA system (couldn't understand a word from the announcer). His voice was just to low pitched and it was better when a lady with a more clear voice spoke. They also needed to make some announcements on the award ceremony as they took almost a good hour delay before they started the awards. Fortunately, I hung around as I thought I was in podium contention. Getting first was a bonus! This was my first time to win my AG ever so I was pretty happy.