Had a great swim. Usually I just try to take it easy on the swim and conserve energy for the rest of the race. This time, I pushed a little bit harder and was even able to draft a bit, which is a new thing for me.

Was hoping to get a good quick transition, but I forgot my race belt, and I safety pinned my number to my tri top, so I had to put this on in transition instead of wearing it on the swim. This took some time as this thing is super tight and a pain to get on and off.

Started the bike out great, cruising around 23mph. But just as I was settling in, I notice the ride is starting to feel a little bumpy. Look down and sure enough my front tire is flat. I took all my spare tubes and stuff off of my bike the day before thinking that this was just a quick race and wouldn't need it(mistake #1). So, I flagged people down and someone gave me a CO2 cartridge. Pumped it up and immediately went flat again.

Flagged another person down and they gave me a tube plus CO2. Got my tire pumped up, checked to make sure it held air, and back on the bike! About a mile down the road, sure enough, flat... This is where I realized I made my second mistake. Check the tire for sharp objects. Sure enough, there was a tiny shard of glass poking through. Oh well, at this point I decided to call it a day and got picked up by someone in a truck checking on riders.

First time I've had to change a flat while out on a bike ride. I've read advice that you should check for objects in the tires, but didn't take that advice on this day. Now I know! Good lesson to learn at least, especially on just a training race.

Told the finishing tent that I DNF the bike, and they asked if I wanted to run, so sure enough I went to my rack and got ready for the run.

Was a solid run. Disappointed about the bike situation, but was still a nice day for a run.

Learned a valuble lesson that day, and even though the race was a bust, I still had a good time. I love the atmosphere of triathlon.