This TD insists on having really large waves because he thinks it adds to the 'experience'. Everyone hates it, but it is what it is. I started WAY wide to avoid the washing machine and it worked great - a little slip and slide for the first 50m or so, but I was on my own for most of it. My goggle got too tight on my left eye and I couldn't open it at all, which I tolerated for a little while, but finally fixed. A few navigation issues in the beginning, but really a nice swim for me. A massive improvement over the prior year, and I'm really happy.

Just keep swimming. I've made huge gains from training smarter and they'll just keep coming.

there's a good 200 yard between the end of the swim and the transition area.
My chip apparently died at this point, so I don't know any of my times for certain, just going on what I remember my watch saying. I walked a little bit just to calm down, in retrospect I don't know why, I felt fine. Great bike mount.

No walking. I'm talking like 10 seconds lost, but still, it was unneccesarily wimpy.

Man I wish I had the real split data here, because I just killed it. A buddy of mine who spectated it said he thought I was top 15 overall on the bike, and he was surprised by how fast I was coming. The calculator said 22mpg average, my watch agrees with a 34 minute time, I just wish I could see it.

Nothing. I took some liquids at the top of one hill which probably cost me 5 seconds, I was a little clumsy getting into my shoes, probably another 5, and was a little tentative on the biggest descent for another 5, but honestly I felt pretty beastly out there.

My feet were frozen and I struggled to get my shoes on as I couldn't feel my toes - it was all visual. My wife said I sucked on T2.

Not suck on T2.

I felt a little cramp in my calf right away, but my problem today was focus, 100%. I just didn't have a running head on until half way through, and it shows. I easily could have run harder and taken back 2 minutes or more, but I convinced myself the cramp was bad enough to warrant a walk up the bigger hill. Ultimately the podium in my AG is won in the water and the swim.

Just do it. This was a mental problem, not a physical one. I ACCEPTED people passing me, I QUIT in my mind. In a sprint, this is death. I re-engaged, but it was too late to save it.

Big hugs from my family and cheered on my friends as they finished.


My mind.


This is a pretty competitive race for the area, and a lot of really fast people enter to win, which makes it a great annual barometer for me. My goals were to finish under 1:20, and swim and bike well, which I did, so I'm very happy with my performance. I was crap on the run, wouldn't have mattered from a podium perspective, though. Gives me something to work on, which is a great gift to get from a race. The mass swim start is unnecessary, but the RD is who he is. It will always be my hometown race, and unless I do Quassy's half one year, I'll come back every time.