During the 1st 500m lap, I started out too quickly and was sighting every 5 strokes. This lead to my zig-zagging my way through the 500m and made me frustrated/tired. During the 2nd 500m lap, I got my mojo back. I slowed my pace down a bit and sighted every 3 strokes. This kept me in line with the course and feeling rejuvenated.

Sight more often and start out slowly.

I really need to work on my transitions. I removed my cap and goggles on the way into T1, put on my helmet/sunglasses, dried off my feet, put on socks and shoes, and put on chamois cream. I was moving way too slowly and needed to speed up the process a bit.

Practice my transitions more before a race

I had a good time on the bike, albeit a bit slower than I wanted. I'm not used to rolling hills (even though some people might not consider these "hills"), being from a very windy flat city. The hills slowed me down a bit, but I made up for it during the headwind portions, when others were slowing down.

Again, I need to work on transitions. I put my bike up, took off my cycling cleats, put on my running shoes, took off my helmet, put on a hat and put on more sunscreen.

The hot Texas summer heat definitely took its toll on me throughout the run. I tried my best to walk only at the aid stations, but there were 1 or 2 times were I had to walk at other points along the course. The trail is not very shaded so there was not much protection from the sun.

This was my first time doing JGT and I thought it was a great race. The organizers and volunteers were super helpful, the aid stations were well stocked and the post-race was fun. There were lots of tents set up with various companies giving away food or massages. They even had a beer tent, which was a nice perk. The only complaint I have is that the water bottles were cheaply made and the paint was falling off within 10min of me getting the bottle.