Went out pretty hard at the start, and got clear of the pack quickly. The water for the first 30 yards or so was really murky with lots of "vegetation." Unlike when I did this race before, the vegetation really cleared up after that, and there were only a few times I felt junk get tangled on my hands or goggles. I may have gone a bit too hard for the first bit, because it took me awhile to find a comfortably strong pace to hold after that.

The "out" leg was pretty uneventful. I caught some feet for a little while. I lost a bit of momentum coming around the first turn bouy, trying to clear it and get lined up with the next bouy. Started to catch up with more of the slower swimmers from previous waves, and had to do a bit of dodging frog kicks. I lost momentum again at the second bouy, but was able to get back in the groove pretty quick.

Unfortunately, I got a little off course on the way back in. When the bouys are yellow, it might not be a good idea to also have a wave with yellow swim caps--just sayin. I also got a bit hungery on the way in. It was at this point I realized I forgot to take a pre-race gel.

I was able to pass people from every wave during the swim, which always makes me happy! Swam it in until my hands were in the muck before standing up. Then realized my watch hadn't started when I pushed the button, so I had no idea of my swim time.

Saw hubby as I was running up the path to transition. The pics he took show some "great" facial expressions! ;)

This swim wasn't great, but it felt better than the time would reflect. I guess I need to work on quick starts, settling into race pace.

Not pretty. The timing chips were the kind that are on their own neoprene strap, and the wetsuit got caught on it. I just wasn't focused during this transition. Our wave was located as far from the bike exit/entrance as possible, so even with a good spot, I had to jog a rather long way in my bike shoes--guess everyone in my AG had to do the same, though!

Get the timing chip under the leg of my wetsuit?

Well, coach told me to "ride within" myself, and I really tried to do that. But, when there's a short hill, with about a dozen people on it, and I know I can pass them all with just a little effort, well, I'm going to pass them! A little push here, a little push there, and I was as the turn around before I knew it! It seemed to come so much sooner than it did 2 years ago!

On the return trip, I started cheering on the folks that were towards the end of the race. I know I was one of them the last time I was on this course.

Coming back across the train tracks, my handle bars got jiggled and rotated down. I tried to pull on the aeros to get the bars back in place while riding (I've done this before), but couldn't get them to budge, and ended up having to stop for a minute to get them right again. Probably lost 30 seconds to a minute, between the time stopping and loss of momentum.

One nice thing about being in the last wave is knowing that you are beating everyone behind you, and everyone you pass! That also made holding back a little harder. ;) Coming over the last hill, I pushed past several people.

This is a new race pace PR! :)

Tighten down my handlebars! Maybe push harder, but then I might not have had the legs for the run.

Rather uneventful. The people who had be throught transition ahead of me had tossled my towel/transition are a little, and I had to shake pebbles out of my shoes before I put them on. Maybe cost me 20 seconds.

Get to transition before anyone has a chance to kick pebbles into my shoes?! ;)

The first mile, I was in good shape, and managed an 8:30 pace. Got to the aid station, and choked on the water I tried to drink. Finally coughed my airway clear, drank some water, poured some over my head, and headed off. Pretty quickly, a side stitch got going. Then another. I slowed my pace to try to alleviate the cramps, then walked for a little stretch. After a few start and stops, I started to feel better, and got back to running.

Came up on lil_turtle (Lacey), who was doing great!

Hit the turn around, and knew I was on the home stretch. Found a woman who was keeping a good pace and willing to chat, and decided to run with her for a little bit. After about 1/2 a mile, I pulled ahead, and never saw her again. My focus was now on the final aid station, which I could see up ahead. Walked through drinking water, dumped more on my head, and off I went.

The last mile, I think I was able to pull out another 8:45 mile. About 300 yards from the finish, I was closing in on a pack of women, and I saw Ocky on the side, cheering me on. He told me to kick it, and catch them--so I did! Nice and strong across the finish line, setting a new triathlon run pace PR. Then I looked for something to lean on! :)

Not have side stitches/cramping. I'm not sure, though how to keep them from happening! I have switched to a protein-free sports drink and gel on the bike, and was only taking in water on the run. Maybe I should have taken in some calories on the run?

Found Ocky and the pup, then made a b-line for the food. Watermelon, banana, bagel with Nutella (still heaven!), and a sandwich section. Claimed a spot in the shade and made myself eat. Lacey and her friend found and joined us, so we chatted for awhile.

Had to get back to the hotel pretty quickly to get cleaned up before check-out, so I packed up my stuff as fast as I could. On the way back to the car, with droves of people leaving, we see a guy out on the course shuffling his way along. This guy was still racing. How awesome is that?! Talk about heart and determination! Ocky and I cheered for him, and people behind us figured out what was going on, and started cheering, too. We were at the truck loading up when we heard the crowd at the finish line go crazy, and we knew he had made it in. :) This sport is just amazing.


Side stitches. Otherwise, this race went really well. Glad it wasn't perfect--I need something to improve upon!


The folks at 5430 Sports know how to put on a great race, and Steamboat is no exception. The smaller roster gives this event a more laid back feel than the Boulder races. The expo may not be as big, and there may be fewer sponsors, but the athletes are at least as happy with this race as they are with the longer running events.