First off, there is no way the water was 74F. They must have dumped an ice bucket in the lake and tested the temperature right then. That or they measured from the bottom of the center of the lake. Oh well, I had brought my wetsuit just in case. Unfortunately, lots of people either didn't have wetsuits or decided not to use them. I'm not sure why... it's a clear advantage in my mind. Although, that mindset somewhat cost me 1st overall racer out of the water. (Nevermind that I was 1st female by quite a ways...) Just for the record, that Coy "I'm a high school swimmer going on college scholarship" kid did NOT beat me out of the water. I have a photo of me clearly exiting the lake before him (see photos 2 & 3 - exhibits A and B. He's the one with the shaggy blonde hair to the right of me). The ONLY reason his time is faster than mine is because the wetsuit stripper station was before the timing mat, costing me the :09 that he beat me by. Can I tell you how mad it made me to hear him get announced as the fastest swimmer in the water... my ass. And he was even part of a relay!!! [end rant]

It was awesome to be first off the start - I had a good 300m of clear water. Then I caught up to the first wave. Ugh. Tons of traffic and wake. Oh well, it's not like I was the only one dealing with it. But overall, I navigated well, I think.

Deny the strippers so I can be #1. Competitive? Me? Never! ;)

The wet suit strippers that I love so dearly cost me #1 swimmer. I'm sorry, I'm still bitter. :(

Take off my own wetsuit in transition!! Although, that's actually a pretty stupid idea probably. I'm sure it'd cost me more time in the long run... so maybe I won't necessarily do that.

The course had really nice scenery, but (this sounds weird) it smelled funny. There was a really sour smell in the air the whole way. It was kind of yucky.

But overall, I was very pleased with my pace, hydration, and nutrition. I decided to try out taking a Hammer gel on the bike to get used to eating a bit in preparation for the HIM. It went well, but I've already made mental notes as to how I'd prefer to make it better - ie, gel bottles, using my bento box and moving my emergency kit elsewehere, etc.

Honestly, not much. I can definitely afford to get stronger and ride more so that I can go faster, but my strategy for this race worked well for me.

Chatted with Thomas about my ranking (as I was switching gear). He let me know that there were two girls close behind me coming into T2, and that I was currently 3rd overall woman. I had high hopes of keeping my position, but I was scared of getting caught, so I got mentally prepared to hammer the run.

Nothing really. I guess I'd like to learn how to get my feet out of my shoes and hit the ground running. That'd be pretty cool, but somehow I definitely see myself falling flat on my face.

I'm totally shocked at how fast I ran this course. Although I got passed by the two women behind me, I can't complain at all or say that I would have/could have turned it up a notch. The first woman passed me just after the first mile, and after that, she slowly distanced herself. It was so nice of all the volunteers and men that I passed to cheer me on to "catch her!" I didn't have the heart (or energy) to tell them that she had already caught me! But it was very well received, and I was touched by the encouragement. I even had one guy (whom I passed initially, and he came back and passed me right before the chute) come up to me afterwards and thank me for pacing for him. Ha! I would have never thought anyone would EVER consider me a good pacer for a race, so that was super flattering. Overall, I was thrilled with this run - a new PR - how could I possibly be disappointed! Sub 7:00, here I come!!! :)

Not much without puking.

I walked around with Thomas, drank some powerade, ate a banana and pizza, and then put all my gear in the car. And after a while, tapped the keg :)


Leg strength.


It was very easy to see how this race earned Top Small Triathlon for 2005 and 2006. The race packet, post-race festivities, and overall organization were on par (or better) with any large race I've been to. The small size of it made it much more personal than most races, and also made it much easier to keep order, it seemed. The volunteers were great and numerous. Aid stations were well-placed to be efficient. And the awards were by far the nicest plaques I've ever seen given out for a race. I will definitely be putting this race on my calendar for next year. But honestly, I hope they keep it small. I heard they're considering a 250 person cap for next year, and I'd almost prefer they keep it under 200. Great race... glad I did it!