Even though I took a Sudafed in the morning, my nose was stopped up within a few strokes, so I couldn't suck any air in through my nose and had to breathe through my mouth. This led to lots of gagging on lake water right off the bat. The kayakers kept asking me if I was okay. So embarrassing - I'm sure I looked like I was drowning! But I plugged along, and before I knew it, I was able to touch the bottom again and ran the rest of the way in.

Much, much more open water swim practice, of course. I'm not sure what to do about the allergy/ nose blockage thing - it's something I continue to struggle with. At 300 yards, I probably would have been better off just doing the whole swim sidestroke and avoided having my face in the water at all, since the breathing thing continued to affect me the whole race.

This was a benefit race, not USAT. The transitions weren't timed, just a part of the leg times. I was a little clumsy getting my shoes on, but didn't do too bad.

I'm sure if I practiced this more, I'd get more efficient.

This was such a gorgeous ride! Very enjoyable! My one big problem here was that my hands became very numb, so much so that I was unable to hold on to things, so I couldn't drink water, eat my shot blox, or blow my nose. I was having a lot of fun on the ride, so I wasn't really even paying attention to it, but I think not taking care of myself here contributed highly to my terrible run.

Here is the big thing I would have done differently - double check my bike at the rack. Didn't I learn my lesson at my last race? Guess not. When I first got out of my car, I lowered my seat a little because I was going to be riding it over some downhill grassy knolls with a dangling tote back at my side, and never raised it again when I got to the rack. I realized this almost as soon as I started riding around the lake. Now what I should have done is to pull over and raise my seat. But did I? No. I thought about it now and then through the ride, but never did it. I'm sure I could have shaved at least a few minutes off the time had I taken a few seconds to do this. Lazy.
As far as the hand numbness, I'm not sure. I'm thinking that riding a road bike might help (I was on an old mountain bike.) Dunno.

The easiest T2 ever! Volunteers took my bike and racked it for me. I was already wearing my running shoes, so there was nothing to do but pass off my bike and go.

I hadn't hydrated properly on the bike, so I had to make up for it on the run. Luckily, there were A LOT of water stations - way more than I've ever seen in a race. It was a dangerously hot day (my mom said that there were quite a few people who were taken away with heat stroke) so they were much needed - thank you so much, volunteers! I especially loved the little kids handing out water, the people who put ice down my shirt, and the sponge girls.
Off the bike, I kept trying to run, but felt myself staggering. I decided that if I planned on finishing the race, I'd better not push it. So I mostly walked. This was disappointing because since I'd just done a half marathon last month, I figured the run would be my best leg. Not so, but oh well, at least I finished.

Hydrate on the bike.
Also, I think if I'd started the swim earlier, I would have avoided some of the worst heat later in the race, so it probably would have been worthwhile to be a little more bold during the swim cap grab, as that determined when you started the race.
More practice running on very hot days.

More ice down the shirt, and a shady spot in the pavilion. My family brought me a Vega Recovery drink to the finish line.
I was not even remotely sore the next day - how the heck did that happen?


Heat.
Not enough training.
Allergies.
Probably equipment (mountain bike).


Overall, I loved this race. I loved that it was a benefit (for Disabled American Veterans Transportation Network), the course was beautiful, and the post-race party was so enticing that my family actually joined me at the finish line and had a great time. There were also quite a few kids participating in the race - very cool to see them out there having fun!
Also, a shout out to Just Riding Along in Bradford, who fit me in for a last minute tune-up on my ancient mountain bike, which definitely contributed to a happier race for me. They also donated the bike for the benefit raffle. Thanks, guys!