VERY hard swim. It was really windy, which made the water very choppy. Definitely drank a bit of lake water. Also, the sun made it hard on the second and third legs (swimming into the sun on the second leg, then having to choose between looking right into the sun to breathe or trying to breathe straight into the chop and waves on the third leg).

No one swam very fast. The quickest swim overall was only 12:00, which I swam at Evergreen in July and I was mid-pack.

My strategy going in was to take it easy and put in a smooth and controlled swim in order to avoid the cramping issues I've been having. I did a great job executing that. I kept relaxed, even with the chop and bumping into other competitors, etc. So it was a slow but successful swim.

Time reflects a fairly long run to T1.

Warmup more, stick to my 30/30... down to 30/5 warmup.

Struggled to get out of my wetsuit (I hate that XTERRA suit), then cramped a bit trying to get on socks, but still not too bad.

My left rubber band came off before I could mount the bike, so I had to do a slower mount, but it was smooth and didn't take too much time.

I need to work on getting the wetsuit off and getting socks on while standing. Do this after every open water swim next year.

I didn't push it on the bike too hard. I actually went faster several times in my mini-tri workouts the last several weeks. But again, my strategy for today was to keep it smooth & relaxed to avoid cramping.

The wind made it VERY cold coming out of the water. I couldn't feel my left foot at all the entire ride, and my right foot for most of the ride.

I was able to change positions, stand & pedal hard up the hills, etc. without issue, so it was a success on that front.

I felt like crap the first 5k (legs were cold, tight & shaky).

Ride harder, faster.

Cramped up a bit trying to get shoes on, but was able to stave it off and get them on OK.

Not sure. Maybe a lower back stretch I can do or something?

Run went pretty well after the first 1/4 mile. My calves started to cramp as I started onto the paved path part of the course, but I was able to stop briefly, rub/shake them out, and continue without them fully siezing up, which was a HUGE relief.

I built into a good pace, and finished fairly strong. I didn't have a sprint in me at the end, but my last mile was under 7:00. Definitely my strongest leg today, as I finished with the 3rd fastest run split in my age group, and the 15th fastest overall.

While I was dealing with cramping, I got passed by the guy that eventually got 4th, and though we both ran through the field and I kept him in my sights, I wasn't able to overtake him before the end. He ended up beating me by 10 seconds. His run was 1:00 faster, but again I had to stop briefly to deal with cramps.

Overall, very pleased with my effort, super pleased that I was finally able to finish a race without cramping, and of course getting a respectable result.

Push it more at the finish. I sort of chickened out and didn't put in a sprint at the end like I typically do.

Some leg swings, a lot of walking and eating and drinking.


Fear of cramping, some cramping in transitions and on the start of the run, the cold & wind.


A good, challenging, shorter Sprint Tri, in a beautiful foothills setting. Very windy swim, which might be a problem most mornings due to the location so close to the hogback/foothills. The bike is short but quite twisty and hilly, which makes it a fun challenge which rewards those with better bike handling and climbing skills. The run is rolling and exposed to the sun, but not a problem at this time of the morning. A good course to turn in a fast run time.