I was expecting to complete the swim in about 37-38 minutes. After seeing my time of 41:12 minutes I also saw that I had swam a longer distance (2,285m actual vs. the official 1900m) This was confirmed in talks with other triathletes who also experienced longer times
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226298299

Work more on swim drills and technique to continue to get faster and more efficient.

Considering that after exiting the water we had to run up a hill into the transition area, I'm happy with my time.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226298300

Nothing

As soon as I started the bike segment I realized my HR monitor was not working well, so had no option but to focus on speed and perceived effort. I tried to maintain an avg speed of just over 20 mph and at the beginning it felt ok, but after a while the temperature began to rise quickly (up to 92F according to my bike computer), so I focused on pace and good hydration. If I could keep the pace I was expecting to finish in a time of 2:45 and I hit mile 56 in 2:45. However, the course was not well marked and I was 3 miles away from the transition, so we ended up biking 59 miles and adding 9 extra minutes to my time. This was confirmed by other triathletes as well. Overall, I was happy with my time and felt I had left enough energy in the tank for the run.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226298302

Continue to improve my speed and endurance since the bike is such an important segment of the triathlon.

Happy with my time and no issues
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226298308

Nothing

By the time I started the run it was really hot so hydration and keeping cool were key. I started running at an 8:30 min/m pace because I thought I could then improve it a little to finish in a good time under 2hrs. However after the first 2 miles and feeling the effect of the heat/sun, I readjusted my plan and focused on keeping as good a pace as possible while avoiding walking at all costs (I had flashbacks of several bad moments during the run from the same race the previous year).
I made sure to hit every single hydration station taking cold water sponges to cool my body and water bags to drink and also rinse all over my body. I know I did a good job trying to keep cool since my shoes were soaked and at the end I ended up with a big blister on the bottom of my foot, but better than not finishing or having to walk due to dehydration/high body heat.
The last lap of 6 was hard due to the exhaustion at that point, but my final motivation came when I was told by a friend that a guy that was right behind me and moving fast was in my age group, so I decided to give it my final push all the way to the end, just in case I had a chance to place in the podium.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/226298310


Continue to improve my heat management techniques and endurance

After a good final push into the finish line (with my new PR :-) I ended up exhausted and had to find a chair to sit down for several minutes. I then had several hydration drinks along with some food (fruit and pizza). After feeling a little better and catching up with friends I was informed that I had placed 2nd in my age group which was a nice surprise, especially considering there were several really strong triathletes in my AG (I learned that several ended up quitting).


The heat is always an issue, but I was way better prepared physically and mentally this time compared to last year. I was able to improve my time by almost and hour from 6:38 to 5:41 (and it would had been 9 min better if they had measured the bike course correctly), so I'm very happy with my performance and overall time.