Very tough bike course with a lot of huge hills. Some of the downhills helped, but they didn't last that long. The worst hill was around mile 6 (and 18). It was steep and seemed to last forever. I actually saw people walking their bike up it! Around mile 11 is where I had the problem. It was the last hill of the 1st lap and about half way up it, my chain fell off. Luckily I was able to unclip my shoe before falling over. I got off my bike and put my chain back on. But then I had the challenge of trying to start back up that hill from a stopped position. Not easy! Overall, I felt strong and comfortable on the bike. Considering the chain incident, I'm happy with my bike time.

Be careful changing gears.

Fastest T2 time in age group! Yeah, baby!

Notta.

By far, the hardest triathlon run I've ever done. In fact, aside from the marathon, it's the toughest run I've done period. It had huge hills one after the other. My calves started burning right when I hit the first hill. But I remembered to bring my endorulytes with me, so I swallowed them at mile 1 and mile 4. Within a minute, my cramping disappeared. I love those pills!
The run course was so hard, but hey, it's Nationals. :) I finished strong and had a good sprint with another girl to the finish.