I did something I shouldn't have done - bought new goggles and used them in the race without having tested them. They were just replacements for the ones I've been using for 1.5 years, so they fit fine and were no different. No leaks. And I could actually SEE out of them since they weren't all scratched up and coated with the unremovable goggle-film build-up. Plus, I used Mark's anti-fog drops (another thing I've never done before a race), and those worked great.

This was the least chaotic swim start I've experienced this year. Not sure why, because I didn't do anything different. I started in the second row, went out hard then settled into a rythym. It must have just been the people in the field were better swimmers or something. Who knows. This time, I didn't worry about not being able to see the bouys because of the sun and just followed feet and waited until I could see bouys later on. One weird thing that happened was that I think one of the bouys blew away. All of a sudden, I see people swimming away from the course to a bouy thats doing end-over-end somersaults toward the shore! It was very odd, and people swimming around me were confused too. The kayakers and jet ski people were pointing directions to us!! Caught a lot of people from prior waves who were treading water, backstroking, breaststroking, sidestroking, etc. Did my best to avoid them, but I don't sight that much because I swim in such a straight line, so I hit a few people because I didn't know I was coming up on them. About halfway through the swim, the collar of my wetsuit started to turn under on the back of my next. I had to stop a couple of times and straighten it since I could feel the velcro stitching eating my neck.

It was a decent swim. I swam it according to plan, didn't go too hard, but didn't slack either. It was just about the pace I was expecting.

Nothing stellar about this transition, nothing horrible. I took the time to put on socks.

Nothing, maybe just move a little faster.

The main focus of this race for me was on keeping my HR in check and sticking to the hydration/nutrition plan. My goal was to keep my HR in Zone 2 on the bike. It was into Z3 right out of transition and up the hills coming out of the rez. I eventually brought it back down and under control. There were a ton of people passing me, but I couldn't let myself care. I had to stick to the plan. In total, I drank 3 bottles of gatorade and 1.5 bottle of water. I ate 4 gels and one pack of Sport Beans. I was never thirsty, and was never sick to my stomach or bloated feeling. Overall, I felt really good on the bike. I wanted to push it harder, but I knew I still had a long freaking run to do, so I kept everying in control. I was rather annoyed to see so many people drafting, riding side-by-side chatting, etc. I only saw race officials ONCE during the entire ride. I even saw 2 guys taking turns pulling in their own mini-paceline. Cheaters. Where's the pride in that?

Not much. I executed this ride perfectly according to my plan. I did need to pee for much of the last half of the course, and I kept trying to go on the bike and I couldn't. I think I tried about 4 times while coasting downhill. I've peed on the bike before (last season), but I couldn't do it today. I finally gave up and said I'd see how I felt in T2 and maybe run to the portapotties. I know I cost myself some time coasting downhill trying to convince my bladder to empty.

It felt good to be off the bike. Picked up my pile of gels and my endurolite tablets and shoved them in my tri-top back pocket. This transition was long because I ended up stopping in the bathroom. I'm glad I did because I apparently really DID need to go. I'm sure I would have regretted it if I had waited until later on the run.

Nothing much. Nature called and I answered. Such is life. It's not like I was racing for the podium or anything!

My plan for the run was to keep it in Z2 for the majority of it, then pick up up into Z3 for the last 5K. I wasn't really sure if I could keep it in Z2, but I ended up running at upper Z2 most of the time. It would creep up into Z3 on the hills, but came back down. Obviously, I didn't smoke the run, but from a nutrition/hydration/gastrointestinal standpoint, I felt pretty darn good (considering). I never felt sick, never got side or stomach cramps, never had intestinal problems, and only felt a little thirsty a few times. I walked every aid station and drank gatorade and water and poured water over my head. I ran the first 6 miles at a 10:00/mile pace. Once we started on the second lap, I lost track of my pace, and it obviously slowed down significantly. The last 5 miles were pretty tough. I never had to walk though, except when I walked the aid stations, and I'm pretty proud of that. Everything was hurting by that point - I think every last nerve fiber was pissed at me. It was truly an exercise of putting one foot in front of another. When I got to the "certain death canal" at the back of the reservoir, I started picking up my pace. Well, as much as I could. Got my HR into Z3 at least! I was such a happy girl when I got onto the dam. Once I got off the dam, I started feeling dizzy and getting tunnel vision. I knew I had nothing left in the tank. I ran out of gas at the absolute right time though, which tells me that my nutrition on the run went pretty well too (gatorade and water at each mile, gels at mile 3, 6, and 9, and endurolyte tablets whenever I remembered them. I took 6.

I'm not sure. This run went pretty much how I thought it would. I knew it would be long and hard, and I did what I had to do to finish it. I'm so happy that I never felt HORRIBLE on the run. Trust me, I was in pain, it hurt, but I wasn't sick, I didn't bonk, etc. For me, that's a victory in itself. I really just need to work on muscular endurance and my aerobic base to be able to run faster in a race of this distance.

I had another asthma attack when I crossed the finish line, just like the last race. It took about 20 minutes for me to be able to breathe somewhat normally. I walked around, got my tri series finisher's shirt (thanks to Michele, who wouldn't let me sit down until I got it!!!), then sat for a while with some of the BT crew. When I finally felt up to it, I ate some pizza, bagels and drank a lot of water and a coke. Jen gave me some advil to take, and I'm glad I did. I think it helped fight off SOME of the soreness until later!


My biggest limiter is probably training and racing experience at these distances. This was my first 1/2. All of my other races this season were sprints or olympics, and my training mostly revolved around those races. I knew I would be able to do the distances and finish the race, but I was realistic in setting goals for myself. My goal was to finish under 6 hours. I missed it by 15 seconds and it would be stupid to be upset about missing a goal by 15 seconds. I'm proud of myself for racing according to my plan. Heck, I'm proud of myself for doing the race period! All-in-all, I did well according to my own abilities. I can't compare myself to other people and how I did in my age group - the race wasn't about that for me. This was meant to be a learning experience for me, and I did learn a lot. I could be irritated at myself for coasting downhill trying to pee, because that right there would be the 15 seconds I missed my goal by, but I'm not. I'm not overthinking this race. I did it, and did well (for me). That's enough.


As always, 5430 Sports puts on a great race.