Started towards the back like usual. I knew I wouldn't put up a fast time, but I wanted to be effecient and not waste any energy.

Fell into my little routine of self-doubt that hits at about 300 yards... "My swim sucks" "I'm not going to finish" "You fool, you wasted your money on IMAZ 08" "Where's the closest canoe or bouy" "You'll never make up the 10 minutes you'll be behind everyone in the AG" "Swim to the weeds, get out now while the shore is close, you idiot"

Pushed on through and started concentrating on getting it done. Found a guy who was my speed and drafted off him. Let him do the work and the sighting. I watched his feet and the bubbles, nothing else mattered; not my mom, not my son in Iraq, not how tough the hills are going to be, just finish the damn swim.

Outstanding plan until he got tired and started to fade; dang it, someone who's slower than me. So I'm on my own again until the fast guys in the following wave catch up. Of course, they blew on past, but didn't abuse me too badly. Just as well, I didn't need a traffic jam at the swim exit and wetsuit strippers.

Stroked it on in to the finish and staggered up the rocky ramp. In their zeal to help, the volunteers in the water kept pulling me forward out of the water. I would've done better just walking out on my own.

Nothing except become a faster swimmer. This was a good swim for me and I actually nailed my predicted time. Never got tired or winded, so it was a "success".

When I came out of the water I looked for the strippers, but there weren't any. WTH? Oh well. I ran to TA and got the suit off pretty fast. Went ahead and put the socks on now; helmet, glasses, and go.

Never sat down, but did do the hop and balance dance, and that rocky pavement beat up your feet something fierce.

Nothing really, I was smooth and made no errors considering what all had to be done.

I hit the bike ready to take on the hills, the heat, and the wind. My plan was to spin up the hills, and the first chance was right out of T1.

Got to the top with no problem, but then started to feel the hamstrings wanting to cramp a little. What!, already and I hadn't even gotten started! It passed quickly and was a non-issue the rest of the day, just a matter of my body dealing with something new.

We had great weather and the heat and wind were never a factor. The only limitation was my own ability. I carried 1 bottle of double-strength Nuun water, 1 bottle of Perpetuem (4 scoops), 24oz of G-ade Endurance in the aerobottle, 2 gels, and 1 Clif bar. I drank and ate everything except half the Clif bar. Never took any bottles at the hand ups.

The hills weren't as bad I thought they'd be. Being a lightweight guy, I did very well on the uphills, passing a lot of riders. Only went to the 27 cog 2 times, and never stood up or mashed. The downhills were another matter...

I'd had some close calls with severe bike wobble last year at a race with big descents and wanted to take no chances today. I rode the brakes pretty steady and kept the speed at about 32mph. As expected, I got passed on the downhills. Oh well, I'd catch most of them later.

Went as hard as I could on the flats and had a fun ride. Felt good the whole time, got out of the saddle a few times to stretch the legs.

Soon enough, the end was here. Because I hadn't studied TA like I normally do, I unclipped a little too early and had to ride the last 50 yards with the shoes on top of the pedals to the dismount line. That's not very effecient and I lost a small amount of time. Probably, my only "mistake" of the day.

Not too much really, except get more experience and confidence in descending at high speed. It was frustrating to pass a bunch of people going up the hill only to lose those gains on the downhill.

Everything else went according to plan, but I missed my goal time by 12 minutes. Basically, I had under-estimated the hills.

Got off the bike clean and got to my spot quickly. Change shoes, grab hat and number belt.

Nothing, had a fast T2 relative to the field.

Took a half mile to get the legs adjusted and then it was just a matter of pounding it out. They didn't have the miles marked very well, and so you guessed that there was an aid station "about" every mile.

Took a look at my watch and knew I had a shot at breaking 6 hours which was goal for the day, but I would need a good, solid run to get there.

I had planned on walking the aid stations to catch a break and properly drink. If you screwed up and dehydrated today, you'd wind up in the med tent or worse. Settled into a routine of 1 cup of ice and 1 cup of G-ade. Pour the G-ade in the ice and drink it, then pour the ice into my hat or side pockets of the tri jersey. Ate 2 gels along the way from the aid stations.

I didn't try to run the uphills, instead I fast-walked them to conserve energy, and did very well; only getting passed once or twice on an uphill. I had plenty of energy and never felt in danger of cramping or falling out. The heat was never very bad, and we had some overcast skies.

Stayed steady, but never managed to get into a faster pace. I was content to be comfortable and take in the experience. I started to pick up the pace for the last 2.5 miles once I knew the end was near, but just missed the sub-6 hour goal anyway.

Saw my wife, Tommy (zia_cyclist), and his wife near the finish line cheering us on. Finished strong and hoped I had a good finisher photo.

Nothing really, I ran to the best of my physical abilities. Missed my goal time by 16 minutes. Again, under-estimating the hills.

Got a cup of G-ade and some ice. Went back up the run course to find my wife, Tommy, and the others, and get out of the sun.




Overall physical ability and as always, slow swimming.

I had a good day, made no major mistakes in a race that can punish you if you miscalculate something, especially for a first-timer.

Very pleased with my race and even though I missed my race goal by 2+ minutes, I consider it a successful effort.


The only reason I gave this race a "4" is because of its stature and venue, but I have to be honest; I've seen better post-race food, drink, and atmosphere at a local sprint costing $60.

I'll probably be coming back next year, with the experience from this race, and another season behind me; that sub-6 (and more) will be mine. I was impressed with the quality of the athletes in the field. From top to bottom, everyone I saw was doing well. Not sure of the number of DNF's, but there were few casual racers on a course this tough.

Couldn't hang around for the day or the banquet. My wife told me that my dad had called during the race, said my mom was not doing well at all, and we needed to get to Phoenix ASAP.

Cleaned up TA, showered at the hotel, packed the truck, and hit the road for Phoenix by 3:30.