The good: Considering how many people, I didn't get boxed in nearly as bad as I had in past races...I took my time getting in the water, let everyone else flail around a bit while I waited for it to clear...
BUT, I swallowed half the ocean (there were a few waves) and got water in my left goggle (which was the side that the buoys were on, so I ended up swimming half out to sea)...oh well, not too bad (I think the course was a bit long since I was 6th in age group with this time, and even if it was my time, it shouldn't have been 6th!!)

Make sure my goggles are sealed properly before starting...

Umm, it was a really long run through very soft sand to get to transition...I was tired, and not running well to get there...but I got all my stuff on well...

Make the ocean move closer to my transition area - of course:)

Ok, so I hate bridges, but I do like one thing ABOUT bridges, as thats the only time I ever pass people - so that makes me feel good. Unlike the Alabama race, this time I never felt like the hills/bridges were to much for me, I really felt strong the whole time going up. ON the second bridge, I had to "recover", but otherwise I was ok...also, there were some more hills, but much smaller (I felt great on them)...
HOWEVER, on the third bridge at the end, they need to fix it for next year, it was VERY very dangerous, it was a two-lane bridge (with just concrete barricades on either side - no room for bikes), and they let cars through - going BOTH!! ways...what in the world?!?! So off we go up the bridge, make it to the top, getting ready to fly down it, and there are cars going 8-10mph, and other cars going the opposite direction, so we are completely boxed in...some of the guys got impatient and rode the yellow line (just hoping not to get hit)...I wasn't quite ready to risk my life, but still...people, it's an easy solution...close the bridge going ONE direction for 5 minutes, and let the other direction go through - then the bikes can go around the cars if needed...then for the next 5 minutes, switch it off...it was a bit of a bummer towards the end of a pretty good bike...I think I probably avg. 17.5-17.7mph without the cars on that third

I eat a Jolly Rancher whenever I do a swim in the ocean - just suck on it during the bike...so I went over a bump, and my Jolly Rancher got stuck in my throat, so I'm riding and hacking like a cat with a hairball half way up the second hill - so maybe I'd eat something different when on the bike:)

I thought this would be better, go my shoes on pretty fast...then walked to the run start, because I really wanted to run the whole run...
Cool thing was that I heard Jeff (Q) being announced coming through the finish line as I was in T2 - YEAH Q!!
I was also surprised that Matt wasn't there to run with me, cause usually he is...

run it - since it was actually on pavement...

This was the most difficult run I've done - I was so set on running the whole thing, but I just couldn't, literally could not...I don't know what it was, probably the sand + the bridges on the bike + the heat, but it was tough (the top people in my age group only did 23, which is not as fast as the top people usually go, so I think that everyone was feeling it...the sand was soft and lasted for about .8miles (UGH!), but I did see Lucy on the run (HI LUCY!!), and very difficult to run in...I ran the first .5mi...then needed to walk a minute, then ran till the water station (was located about where the sand ended)...usually I recover pretty well when I walk, but thiss time I didn't...couldn't get myself going well, it was very frustrating...I took water, I just felt horrible...ended up running the last .5mi, barely...and came as close as I've ever come to puking at the end...ummm, all that for a personal worst time - ehh, it happens...

Have them pave the sand, block out the sun, and not have me bike over bridges before doing it, and then I'll be great!!

Ok, so they gave me warm gatorade...that's ok...they also gave us this awesome medal, that was cool...but the best is two things...first, they had these awesome vegetarian wraps that the catering company made specially for us which were absolutely delicious, and second, they had a cake that had all the names of all the contestants on it - a very **sweet** (haa!! get it:)) touch...so I ate half of myself - then I let Matt eat the rest of me...then I ate matt, then I ate a side piece (cause it had frosting)...it was just such a unique idea, and really nice:)

Poor Matt didn't medal for the first time in forever - he had to swerve around a guy at the start of the bike, so he broke a spoke, took him 15 minutes to pull the spoke out (of a 16-spoke wheel!!!), and then he did the bike anyways (with the spoke out, and the wheel wobbling...he got 38th in AG for the bike (usually he avgs. around 25mph, and gets 1st almost every time)...it is the first time I ever have/ever will beat him at the bike, so I'm rubbing it in a bit:)


sun + sand + bridges?!?!?
and I need to run more in general in training...


Would have been a 5, even with the run:) IF that one bridge had been blocked off properly, that bridge was just too dangerous with the traffic!!