it was pandamonium as only a triathlon could provide.i stayed too close to the rope and buoys and should have known better. there was actually a woman who was not swimming but pulling herself along the rope and kicking the crap out of all of us, that is what you get for doing a non-usat race. felt like i was just getting by on the way out but when i rounded the end buoy i took off and didn't stop or hit anyone until i hit the shore. the waves were big and the current a little rough but it was do-able. a little caveat here... the official results list my swim time as 8:23 because they didn't have a mat as you got out of the water,only as you went into transition. i started and stopped my watch based on the actual swim and counted the run up the beach, up the stairs and down the boardwalk as part of transition time.

start away from the buoys, they help me navigate but i was surrounded by the panic stricken masses

this was abyssmal! i have done the unofficial version of this race too many times and went on auto pilot, but the transition area was much longer with a different entrance than normal. and lets face it, i could haul my cookies down that beach a little bit, no A LOT faster.

run more in and out of transitions

so i was going along at a pretty good clip. managing my bike snacks better than normal. when i started out i pulled over for a minute to check the back tire because i panicked thinking it was low again, nope solid as a rock. clipped back in and kept going. realized that in my infinite wisdom of tire changes i had never checked my rear wheel magnet so my computer was not working so i was getting no feedback. i stayed with the crowd i started with and passed a few people, more than a few really. i was feeling very confident when right at about mile five i hear the ever so faint hiss of the air coming out of my back tire. I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED IT BEFORE I LEFT!!!! i pull over, jump off the bike and take a minute to act like a baby, stamp my feet and yell the F word about 4 times. then i pull it together and realize i have the know how now to fix this and just decide to suck it up and get on with it. it literally took me 10 minutes because my hands were fumbling and i kept looking up to tell people i was ok and no they didn't have to stop and help me. the one race "official" i saw though was just about the only one who DID NOT ask if i needed help. i wouldn't have felt bad making him stop. after i get it all back together i take the time to shove the popped tube in my seat bag, why you ask? i have no clue but i guess i didn't want to litter. it took me about a mile to get my mojo back and get back in the swing of things.

not let something like this throw me, i can't help flats but i can help how i react. actually i should have been a little bit more cycle savvy and thought to change the freaking thing BEFORE the race when the tire seemed if-y

when will i learn? shoes first then start moving and do hat and i-pod while moving!

i would do everything opposite of what i did during this transition.

my nemesis the run. it wasn't that bad and i figure my running is faster but my ability to keep the pace is shot. i took more walk breaks today than i have since last year and i still came in around my usual time. i would like to suggest that the race officials try a little harder to keep the strollers and old people out of the way. i was cut off twice by passers by and it was frustrating but most certainly not the demise of the run just something for me to complain about.

change my mantra to "i am a runner" instead of "oh crap, the run"

exchanging e-mails with newbie friend and saying goodbye to other random tri buddies. calling pete to tell him of my successes and failures of the day. packing up the car and going home.


mental blocks, dumb decisions


they need to put a timing mat at the edge of the water, i don't train my swim to have a beach run effect it. and don't have the finish line up a sidewalk and then have us race off the curb to the parking lot to cross it. other than those things it was an awesome race, cool pearl izumi technical shirt. i'm doing it again on the 30th! i am very proud of my swim time, the fact that i know how to change a tire and did so, the fact that i did this solo.