I got out in front and to the left side of the 100+ person women's novice swim wave. As soon as I hit the water, my instincts kicked in and I started doing breaststroke. I felt good in the open water, I got jostled a bit, but not hurt, and I got so excited I forgot about everything else and just focused on getting to the buoy. Once I turned the last corner to head into the beach, I switched to the crawl and the (very light) current and waves made me feel like I was flying to shore. I was pretty winded by the end of it and had trouble jogging up the beach.

Practice salt water swimming, breathing, sighting. Trust the wetsuit and work with it instead of against it.

This was fine. I was a little more winded than I expected to be, but jogged out just fine.

Get both of my shoes on correctly. The tongue slipped down and though it did not prove to be a problem, it was a slight annoyance for both the bike and run.

Had the most fun on the bike. This place is so scenic, and it's just a really interesting course with rolling hills, fun corners and changing views. I was passed by a lot of people, but not as many as I expected. This was really fast for me.

Buy a road bike. Learn to ride it. Go fast. Also, eat and drink on the bike to prevent feeling woozy on the run.

Trouble racking the bike. Didn't know if I was going over or under. Just wanted to ditch it and get out of there. Already had my number belt on, so I racked the bike and helmet and was off.

Grab my hat. Got burned on my forehead, even though I put sunscreen on pre-race.

I felt like I could have done better on the run, especially if I had kept up my running volume earlier this month. I walked a good chunk of this because I was plodding along so slowly that I knew I could power walk faster, and get my heart rate back down to a reasonable level. So I did that three or four times for about 2 minute intervals. It was frustrating, but the small hills were getting to me.
By this point in the day, it was 80 degrees, and I brought my water bottle with me.

Run more frequently in training. Start doing speed work.

paced near finish line. jumped in the water without wetsuit and bobbed out in the water for a bit.


Nutrition: I should have finished my water bottle on the bike. I was also really hungry this morning, and probably would have been fine to eat an extra granola bar.

This is a race I would love to do every year. I wasn't too nervous, and really had fun. My family was out to cheer me on, and I actually saw them and waved at each transition and finish line. I think this race will go a long way in boosting confidence at my other races this summer.