The time trial start was really nice for me. It let me get going at my own pace with no crowding. The swim felt really good - I did not get passed once, and passed several others. I did start to get tired on the return leg. I came upon one of the yellow buoys, and I was stoked because it meant time to turn in. NOPE, that was for the super sprint. Fortunately, I hadn't already turned.

I'm really happy with the swim. My per 100 time decreased by almost 30 seconds. Still nowhere near what I can do in the pool, but it was a huge improvement.

I'm not sure. I know I need more OWS practice. Maybe that will be a focus next season.

I hustled more out of the water this time. Had some trouble getting my socks on.

I ran in my shoes, as I never practiced getting strapped in on the saddle. Looking back at the results, I think there's some hidden time to be gained in doing that. I also am considering dropping socks for the ride/run. If my feet can handle it.

This was the one segment where I did not improve in terms of pace. The effort felt right, and I thought I went a lot faster than my time ended up proving. The course was really crowded, as it is a loop course. There were Olympic athletes still making their rounds, plus the sprint folks.

I probably could have attacked the downhills a bit harder. Aside from that, I am happy with how I rode, particularly given how crowded the course was.

I was fortunate that my corral was very close to the bike in/out. I missed my spot, though, because the guy next to mine blocked my view as he was tooling around with his stuff (he was still in T1). Got my helmet and shoes off fast, and my race number and run shoes on fast.

Work on transitions! I think there is hidden time to be gained here. Still, this one went pretty smoothly, aside from my neighbor.

Honestly, I thought I was in a bit better position going into the run with respect to my AG than I actually was. The first mile felt a bit slow. The plan was to throw down the hammer for the last 2.1. I did speed up, but not a lot. Felt like I didn't have a lot in the tank, and that assumption mentioned above probably hurt my motivation. Still, finished 2nd in my AG for the run - not bad.

When coach says to throw down and go all out, listen to him.

Warm down?


Lack of experience. I am still basically a rookie with respect to swimming and cycling. And, that shows in my times and how I place compared to my peers. I'm really happy to finish top-5. I think if I can make even moderate improvements in my swim and cycle, I could get pretty competitive at the AG level.

The other limitation was not taking the risk of crashing on the run. I probably had a bit more effort to give there, but wasn't willing to risk tanking with so little of the race remaining.


On race day, TriRock was very well organized. Lots of support, course was well-marked. Leading into it, though, I thought the organization was lacking. This was the first race where I didn't get an email the week before that concerned logistics, etc. Also, when I went to print my confirmation sheet, I wasn't in the system. At the expo, it took a lot of bouncing around to get what I needed to get that sorted out.

I really am not a fan of the bike course, as it was way too crowded. There were multiple occasions where I would have been considered drafting, but only because the course was so narrow and so crowded that I could not pass within the required time.

The entry fee is a bit on the pricey side (it is a Competitor Group race), but there are lots of amenities at the finish. In other words, you are really signing up for a party that has a race with it.

For me, I'd rather do something a bit more low-key, especially considering how tight the bike course was. If you want something that is more of an event, this is a great race. If you are a bit more price conscious, or don't want something with a bunch of bells and whistles, this is one to avoid.