i wasn't feeling too good today, not sick but i didn't feel like racing. we were all freezing because the rain started again. it was pouring during the anthem. i haven't been loving swimming lately anyway so i just kinda swam. i decided that i would just try to relax so i would easily make the distance. it worked out good. some yo-yo came and passed me up, then slowed down. guess he burnt himself out passing me. he got by with the first half of his body really clean but then couldn't pull away. i was eyeing some pretty menacing looking feet so i had to slow way down. then i just swam in his bubbles for the rest of the race. i would have to stand up behind him at the walls so he could turn but i didn't really mind because i was getting a draft. my friend Brian seeded himself like the race was 300 yards rather than meters so he had a 50 second gap on me that i knew i would have to make up if i hoped to see him on the run.

swim harder, that guy never should have been able to get by.

i was kinda tired here, i wasn't moving slow but i wasn't going as fast as i usually do. this time got me 3rd in the age group and while i was only 3 seconds behind #2, that time was 28 seconds behind #1. i am focusing on times here because this race was decided by seconds.

get out of my funk and put a little pep in my step.

this was a pretty rocking bike ride. one person passed me and i passed lots. the guy who passed me had a really good ride, they messed up his splits but his combined bike and T2 was 1:01 faster than my ride alone so he was cooking. this was a good ride, i didn't leave anything out there. second race in a row that i got rained on during the bike ride. i saw Brian at about the 3 mile mark but he was rolling well and i knew if i gave it all to catch him i would suffer later. i took my time and did it the right way. i knew i would have to open a gap on him if i had any hope of not seeing him on the run.

speed average didn't jibe with what i saw, felt, or the overall standings but theres nothing i can do about that. happy with my 3rd place, if the course was long, it was long for everyone. i do like seeing bigger numbers though.

i think i write about this every time. i must do something about it. my T2's are consistently SLOW! i promise, i am going to install the Yanks laces that i have been looking at for two months.

Yanks, Yanks, Yanks, Yanks! this T2 was 15th in my age group.

3rd, 4th, and 5th place beat me by 24, 48, and 14 seconds out of T2. if i had not had to stop and tie my shoe again i would have gotten 5th.

gonna take more work.

i am wasting too much time in transition. i didn't get my right shoe tied well and the string was flapping and driving me crazy 200 yards into the run so i stopped to tie the shoe. i am sure that not having Yanks in my shoes for transition and having to stop and re-tie cost me 2-3 positions overall. that is a major disappointment. i had seen Brian in transition as i was leaving he was on his way to the exit too. i have no idea what took him so long to catch me but he did inside of the first mile and i was able to keep him in sight for the next mile and a half. with about 1/2 mile to go the rain came pouring down hard again which made it cool but i wouldn't call it pleasant.

sat down and talked to the guy that passed me on the bike. had some type of recovery drink that they had out there.


my sad sad run. it may not have been a good decision to go out drinking at a wedding reception in the afternoon and get to bed late yesterday.


they ran a good race, only started late because of the weather. even though i have learned my lesson before on how important every second is, it has never been as apparent as the final results of this race today. i was separated from 5th place by a grand total of 4 seconds, 4th by 25, and i missed my first podium finish by 51 seconds. so close i could touch it. bike ride got me there but T2 and the run took it away.

this RR may be a touch negative, thats just me being kinda pissed at myself.