Total spaz for the first 250 meters. However, I did not have to flip over onto my back and backstroke to survive this time. Very hard to get used to the mixing bowl of all the swimmers around me. Finally settled down, got my HR under control and started working on my goal of drafting off of someone and finding my rhythm in a race. My goggles were all screwed up, so I had a hard time sighting. Double vision makes it hard to pick the right buoy. I found my rhythm and someone to draft off of by the 2nd turn buoy and followed her (somewhat) into the finish. I'm sure I swam better than a mile b/c my sighting stunk. I also realized that I'm way to nice. Everytime I bumped into someone or vice versa, I caved and let them continue. WTF??? I'm way too nice and need to stick to my swim line better.

Race more. Sight better. Calm down. Be aggressive. SWIM FASTER!!!

I came out of the water feeling much better than previous races. Excellent! Wetsuit came off easily. Just seemed to flow smoothly.

Not much.

Age group rank stinks... but there's a bigger picture for me here. My performance in this leg was much stronger. I avg. a higher speed for a much longer course than I've done in the past. I was much better on gear changes, hills, downhills and hydration/nutrition. I didn't blow my legs up and still managed a higher avg. speed and I passed people!

Keep working on climbing hills and improving my overall speed.

Racked my bike, helmet off, everything good... bend over to check my blood sugar before heading out on the run and I feel this awful ripping sensation through my left hamstring/adductor. OMG! Blood sugar looks good and I'm trying to assess what's up with my inner thigh. I hobble out gingerly through the transition area.

My anterior tibs were cramping up from the beginning of the run. The grassy terrain didn't help much. Finally after 2 miles my hamstrings/adductors/tibs loosened up. Then IT WAS ON! I took off. Ran really strong through the rest of the race. The bridge at mile 5 really didn't phase me. I am so PUMPED that I did so much better on my pacing on the swim and bike. I had a lot left to give on the run course and I'm pleased with how I felt at the finish.

Not much on the run.

Walked around, climbed the stadium steps to get to the food and water. My blood sugar had really dropped low by this point so it was all about the food. I knew that I need to get some massage of some type for my hamstring/adductors before I drove for 1 1/2 hours home. So I made that a priority. Ended up with ART - and it made a huge difference in my recovery.


Lack of race experience, poor bike skills, more time needed on the bike and more time in OWS.


The start of the run course was not ideal, but I don't think there was much the organizers could do. There hands were tied. Two transition sites was awkward and bag/stuff pickup afterwards could have been handled a bit better. However, this was one of the best races I've competed in. I actually expected much more chaos for an inaugural event, but they pulled it off smoothly! I definitely want to go back for this one next year.