I was in the first wave. How stupid is that to put all women 40 and over in the 1st wave..then 3 minutes later men 40 and over then elites and under 29...weird.
I was chatting with a girl I swim with when the horn went off...took us by suprise, we didn't even have our goggles on. The first part of the swim was decent until the first wave of men 40 and over came swimming on top of us. Every time someone came near me I started kicking like crazy.

Next year I plan to stay way way over to the right of the buoys in a place that nobody else wants to be.
The problem is that the incoming tide pushes everyone to the left. I ended up right up against all the buoys.

My swim time for this race last year was about a minute faster.

long run...I stopped to walk because I was winded.
Lately my wetsuit has been getting stuck on my arms too. I spent the whole time going to T1 getting it off my wrists.
Then I had to wrestle it off my ankles too..WTF. I used body glide plus pam. It should have come off more easily.

Take the whole wetsuit off right when I exit the water.That is when it's the easiest. The problem is I am always dizzy after swimming and would most definitely make a fool of myself falling down in front of the many spectators.

I had a blast on the bike. I really like this course and it didn't seem as crowded as previous years. Maybe being in the first wave had something to do with it. Coming back over the 1/2 mile wooden bridge we had to stay single file. Luckily I didn't have anyone slow in front of me and I didn't hold anyone up.
My daughter and her friend were cheering for me at the end of the bridge...love that!
The bike and run course both have changed slightly this year...both a little shorter.

I'm a slow transitioner...race belt, tie shoes, hat. How hard is that?

As I was running my bike into transition they were announcing the winner...Jarrod Shoemaker. Holy crap! I can't imagine being that fast.

not use transition as a time of rest.:)

I banished all negative thoughts from my head since I knew I would get passed like crazy...which I did.
My hip started talking to me at about the first mile. I just stayed at my pace and only walked the aid stations.
Talked to a few people.

Not hurt my hip all the time

got water and a banana.
I packed up and left pretty quickly as both Lizzy and her friend had babysitting jobs that day.

My time for this race last year was 1:38:19...one second faster. Too bad the bike course was shorter by 0.7 and the run by 0.2. Oh well.


injuries to hip and shoulder, weight gain, not enough training


I like this race more now that they have only one transition area. It just feels easier...not such a big deal. I hope it stays that way for next year.
I'll do it no matter what because its only a 15 minute drive for me.