I enjoy - not fear - swimming and have always been perplexed about this panic & paranoia surrounding it. Well, around the first buoy, I started to flounder and get disoriented and fell apart. Horrible thoughts of quitting ran through my mind. I retrospect, I think I might have been drunk on adrenaline - I might as well have had 4-5 beers beforehand. I then swam real slow and then thought of basics taught to me by a swim coach and about 1/3 of the way in, I looked to my right and saw members of my wave. OK, I was getting it back together and around the halfway point, I realized all was well and I was in my own happy place and I then caught up to someone in the wave before us. Heading back, the sun was in my eyes which was disorienting, but I dealt with it and for the last 200 meters or so, I cruised with authority. When I got outta' the water, I did not have the usual dizziness. Cool, I was indeed in my own happy place.

Think mellow happy thoughts before the start, I guess.

This is a problem. I'm lousy at these transitions and it's costing me. On the other hand, I think peaceful thoughts in them so that I'm energized for the next adventure. I had another Vanilla Hammer Gel and quaffed down water.

I dunno'. I need help here. Another challenge for me.

I'm still learning bicycling. I started road biking 2 years ago in Boston rush hour traffic. A few weeks ago, I got an on-board computer thingy to record distance, avg speed, etc. My goal was to do 1 MPH better then last years 18.3 MPH and the computer thingy was to be my guide. Everything went smooth outta' the gate, albeit my heart rate was much higher than I wanted to be - coulda' been evidence of adrenaline overdosing. I really unloaded and after awhile, I was averaging 21.9 MPH and it dawned on me to shoot for a 2 MPH improvement......CHAAAARGE! As I passed fellow warriors, I barked out "on your left" when after 15 miles became "honaleff". I was getting hungry and drinking from a water bottle while moving is still a challenge for me, but I pulled it off. Near the end, I shouted "I NEED A PIZZA" as I was so hungry. I was ecstatic at the end as I attained my upgraded goal.

Get a lighter bike with aero bars to go REAL BIG and also have a platform to hold a pizza that I can eat while cycling.

Again, I gotta' do something about this Transition scene. I had another Vanilla Hammer Gel and quaffed down water. I did some quick stretches in order to avoid those cramps that I hear so much about when going from bike to run.

I dunno'. I need help here. Another challenge for me.

Running is a weakness for me......snapping my leg in half in a ski accident 25 years ago doesn't help, but ya' gotta' deal with it. I felt great the first mile and turned down Hammer Gel at the first station as I wanted to savor the one I had at T2. Grabbed a Gel at the 2nd station - Montana Huckleberry, my favorite and I was doing well and was happy. At around 3.5 miles, a youthful red-headed woman cruised by me and per the marking on her right calf, I could see she was 65 - "I'm getting chicked by a 65 year old" I blurted out to which she pumped her fist into the air. Cool. At the next station, I grabbed a Raspberry Hammer Gel - cool, I think I have a new favorite now. I felt string going up the heartbreal hill and cruised into the finish area where I tried to sprint as ya' gotta' finish strong becuase......ummm, because ya' just gotta'. My time was 1:16/mile better than last year which was very satisfying.

In my training, I started focusing on distance rather than speed, sorta' like this LSD I hear of. I think I might be onto something that works for me and I just gotta' do it more.

For teh first time, I wore a heart rate monitor which I did not wear until after T1. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the time on it, but it was sans the swim and T1 and I estimated that I might have come darn close to my goal of 3 hours, giving a huge run for the money. Alas, I came in at 3:01:01. I grabbed a free chocolate Muscle Milk and had my nice BBQ chicken meal. Walked around a bit to savor the whole scene. Had a few craft beers later that night. Next day evening, I did a mellow 17 mile bike ride for fun.


These @*$^& transitions.