This swim was actually really good for me. We started off with the rest of the 39 and under guys. Some went out fast. I tried to stay consistent. I started out sort of in the middle of everyone and was bumped around a bit, nothing major. About 1/3 of the way through people started to fall off the pace and bit and I was able to get out in the open. There were a group of 3-4 guys out in front, maybe 40 yards or so, that I could just see. I figured I would try to get up to them. I spent a few minutes going hard after them and was able to jump on the last guy's feet and just hung on really easy the rest of the way and let the other 3 guys pull me in. I think we were about the 2nd small group out of the water from our wave. I was breathing easy and felt like I could have gone harder, but was pleased to see my time and was ready to bike.

Not much.

This transition was sort of long. Up the bank out of the water and around a building then cross the road and then across the field and into transition. My damn wetsuit was so stuck on my foot I could not stomp it off at all. It gave me a calf cramp trying to get the stupid thing off too.

Knowing my training up to date, I decided before the race started that I would keep it together on this bike course. The distance is easy to blow up on and I knew I would need good legs for the run. I spent most of the ride going at a moderate pace and never let my heart rate come up much at all. I think I got passed by two guys total on the bike and came into T2 with relatively good legs. I also used one water bottle to just spray myself. I never got hot, but this water really helped keep me comfortable.

Once I get some distance back in my legs, I will push harder at this distance.

Racked the bike, threw on socks and shoes and dumped the rest of the water on my head and ran out.

No socks....just didn't want to risk blisters without the running lately.

I went into this run with the mentality that I would break it up into 3 parts. First 2 miles would be like I was just going out for a normal training run. I would do this to keep the stomach cramps I have been plagued with at bay. Then after mile 2 I would pick it up to a pace that I knew my lunges could handle and for the last 2 just try to keep the pain out of my head my concentrating on breathing and push into the finish.

Well, it seemed like a great plan. I started out all by myself and was cruising along very comfortably. No cramps, not breathing hard. I probably made it about a half mile before I got passed. I checked my watch. Current mile pace was just over 8min/mile. I was feeling completely fine so I continued. Same feeling right after the first water stop. I was hot, so I dumped a cup of water over my head and had a drink of Heed. ...right passed the first left turn we had to make. Luckily a volunteer back at the aid station noticed and yelled at me. I'm an idiot. I was feeling so good that I thought there was a good chance I would actually be able to pick it up after the two mile mark. Well, mile 2-3 was gradual uphill and I watched my pace slowly decrease to about 8:30. I hit the end of the the 2nd mile and my heart rate had definitely come up a bunch...I'm guessing 10-15 bpm. I continued at that effort thru mile 3. I felt the cramps coming, but for some reason they never got bad. Mile 4-5 was out in the sun. This is when I started to feel like this was gonna suck. I got to mile 5 and my pace had fallen. I knew my heart rate was thru the roof and I was running just under 9 min/mile. The last mile had really sucked. I hit the aid station at mile 5 on the uphill and someone stepped right in front of me, enough so I had to come to a complete walk. I grabbed a cup of water..on the head, water to drink just to get rid of the viscous saliva in my mouth and continued. I probably walked for 10 seconds through the transition. Although it made me feel better, I lost the will to push hard.

The next mile just blew. That's really all I can say about it. I basically quit and wouldn't push my body to do what I wanted. The last 1/3 of a mile I decided I wasn't going to go out of the season without pushing it, so I picked up the pace and tried to catch the guy out in front of me. He was a good distance off when he turned to go into the woods. I knew I was gaining on him and I had another guy hunting me down as well. As we ran down the finishing shoot, I was on a dead sprint, sub 5 min/mile with the guy that had caught me just to my right. About 10 yards from the finish we caught the guy I was chasing. He was right in front of me with the other guy on my right. I had nowhere to go without just running him over. We all crossed the finishing line within what seemed like a second....with me at the back. Although a fun sprint to the finish, I wish I had sprinted one second earlier to edge the guy right in front of me...who was also in my age group of course.

I need to learn to suffer and not give up.

Stretched and waited for Kate to finish.


The run....just general lack of training lately.