I just got in the water and started swimming. I kept expecting and thinking the swim would be as easy as last year, especially given all the swimming I've done in the last year, and it just wasn't. I knew I was off pace without even looking at my watch and got really sloppy towards the end of the swim. I was losing interest in the swim and the chop in the river wasn't really helping matters. I did a great job sighting and stayed on course. I did pass a decent amount of swimmers, but had just as many pass me. I feel I put a good effort in the swim for most of it and did have some fatigue in my arms after the race so I swam as well as I could on that day. I should have tried to stay focused towards the end rather than letting my mind keep comparing the situation to the year before. I was happy when I finally reached the dock and got pulled out of the water. I definitely didn't get pulled as high as I did last year, but the guys kept me clear of the dock and got me safely on my feet.

AG Rank: 26/55
Female Rank: 131/325
Overall Rank: 505/1073

Stay focused and swim hard straight through the finish.

Pray that the current returns to the river in time for next year's race.

Didn't mess around too much here. Just got to bike rack and started putting on bike helmet and shoes and exited transition.

AG Rank: 7/55
Female Rank: 18/325
Overall Rank: 136/1073

I'm not ready to try mounting bike with shoes already clipped so I can't think of much to change right now.

I loved the bike course and think if I was feeling better and had more rested legs, I could have really done some damage on that course. I have never been afraid to climb hills and actual enjoy doing it, although I still need to gain strength so I can be more competitive on hilly courses. This wasn't a technical course because it required very little turning and cornering so I really, really enjoyed being out on the highway. I did panic a bit on one downhill and grabbed for my brakes but I did well with the other downhills. I ran out of gears on one downhill and was forced to coast when I was ready to try and keep powering it to gain some more speed, but I'm still enjoying the switch I made in my cassette earlier this year. I passed Kate on the ride and wished her well, and then passed Brian and chatted with him for a few seconds - hopefully keeping it legal because the race refs were right there. I would have liked to try and catch Courtney and Steve who I saw near the turn-around but legs just weren't feeling it that day. Nutrition and fluids went well on the course, but my unsettled stomach from the antibiotics I'm on were making it a little difficult to get the stuff down. After I saw the mile 25 sign, I started getting my feet out of my shoes, which required me to coast a bit, and prepared for my first flying dismount in a race. I executed it flawlessly and passed a guy right at the dismount line because he was trying to unclip while I was already running with my bike to transition. I really enjoyed that.

AG Rank: 17/55
Female Rank: 98/325
Overall Rank: 552/1073

Get a new bike saddle so I'm not constantly shifting my position.

Avoid being on antibiotics during a race.

Gain some more strength on the bike so I can be more competitive in my age group.

Taper going into an Olympic distance race.

The flying dismount definitely saved me some time in T2, but I opted to put on socks for the run so I probably lost a bit of time on that, but overall it was another efficient transition.

AG Rank: 3/55
Female Rank: 15/325
Overall Rank: 70/1070

Go sockless, but when you come in with the 70th fastest transition out of 1070 it's kinda hard to be too critical. :)

My legs felt fatigued on the bike and that continued on to the run course. I was having issues with my stomach most of the bike and that also continued on to the run course, but I was determined to avoid stopping for a potty break. I didn't want to repeat last year's dismal run performance. I definitely wasn't pushing the run as I hard as I could, but I enjoyed the course and spent the entire 6.2 miles shouting at as many other runners as I could. I had one guy tell me that if I had that enough energy to be shouting I wasn't running hard enough. I sort of agreed, but told the guy that I was just out for a stroll. His reply to that was "unfortunately your stroll is faster than my run." All the talking kept me from over-thinking the run (and race) and just kept me moving forward. I put in a good effort on the run. I don't feel it was my best effort, but given the day and course I was happy to be out there and running the way I was.

AG Rank: 9/55
Female Rank: 43/324
Overall Rank: 252/1066

Again, taper going into an Olympic distance race so my legs are fresher and less fatigued.

Again, avoid antibiotics.

Run harder because I know I have the legs and lungs to do it.

Made my way over to the NAMC tent to chat with the crew and relieve everyone of their childcare duties. I didn't have the stomach or patience to wait in the food and beverage line and definitely started feeling that decision a bit later. I took the girls over to the "Redneck Bath" and the three of us (along with Kraig, Courtney, Neal, Kirk and Heather) enjoyed the cool water for a bit before packing up the car and heading home.

My final time put me in the top 33%, so that qualifies me for age group nationals. Qualifying, and attending age group nationals, has never been a goal but it's great to know I'm earning the spot if I ever want it.
AG Rank: 10/55
Female Rank: 68/324
Overall Rank: 373/1066


Lack of taper and body fatigue.

I'm attributing the stomach upset to the antibiotics because I haven't experienced such issues before.


I really enjoyed the race. The race organization was good. The late start was not the fault of the race, but the police, so I won't be holding that against the race. I couldn't have asked for much better weather given how miserably hot it was there last year. Temps this year were definitely cooler and the overcast skies through the bike course definitely helped me stayed focused on things besides the heat. This course was not easy, but I really enjoyed it and will likely put it on my race calendar again in the future.