This was among the roughest starts I have experienced. Lots of contact. I started somewhat near the front, but still kept having to move laterally to try to get by slower swimmers. The first couple of bouys were OK, but when I rounded the bouy to head back to shore, I must have swung a bit wide, because I was a good 10-15 yards off of the last bouy on the way in. I had been more or less following the pack and keeping an eye on the swim exit.

Need to pay more attention when rounding bouys, and rely more on my own sighting!

This went pretty smoothly.

Not much

There was a short hill pretty soon after we exited the Res. Once over the hill, I took a drink and settled into my aeros. I love my aerobars! Felt pretty good through most of the ride, although the slow gradual climb out Hwy 36 was pretty slow. Still, I was passing people!

As I was riding, I remembered why I only use one particular bottle during races, and not during training rides...with the frame pump on, the bottle is too tall to make for easy removal and replacement. Since hubby has the CO2 pump in CA, I had the frame pump on my bike. At one point, I ripped off my bike number trying to pull out a bottle (yep, another bike number down)! In part because of the hassle, and in part because I am still adjusting to riding in aero position, I didn't drink nearly enough on the bike. I still had 2/3 of each bottle when I finished.

Shortly after I passed the second aid station, WHACK!, a bee flew into me and got stuck in my chin strap. I grabbed my water bottle and tried to flush it out, but I think I just succeeded in pissing the damn thing off, because it then stung me. Having never been stung before, I didn't know whether I was allergic. I wasn't having any trouble breathing, and the sting site didn't seem to be getting too swollen, so I decided to keep going and wait until after I finished the race to go to medical.

Drink more. I'm hoping an aerobottle will fit with my bars.

Another smooth transition. I thought about asking a volunteer whether the side of my face was getting swollen, but didn't think I could get that out quickly without causing confusion and alarm on the part of the volunteer, so I just kept going.

Not much.

This is where the lack of fluids on the bike caught up with me. I really hoped to do a sub-30 minute 5K and finish in under 1:45, but I just couldn't push my legs to move any faster. My calves were tight for most of the first mile, then I got a side stitch for part of the way. It is really frustrating to have a relatively good swim and bike, and then have all these people pass me on the run.

Drink more on the bike.

Crossed the finish line, gave up my timing chip, grabbed a water, and walked to the medical tent to have the stinger taken out. The folks at medical kept me there for about 10 minutes watching my blood pressure. They asked if I was out of breath. I told them, I had just finished a triathlon, so I was a little out of breath, but not extraordinarily so.

Once medical released me, I got my pancake and such, found Stacie, Julia, Ryan, Brett, Adam and Mark and his wife, and relaxed.


Lack of fluids on the bike, lack of speed workouts on the run, and lack of mental focus on the run (kept trying to keep tabs on my body to see if I was having a reaction to the bee sting).


This is a well organized race in a beautiful setting. Although the bike is a bit long for a sprint, it is a fast, fun course.