I had never done a TT start and didn't really know what to expect, but I thought it went really smoothly. Once I got in the water I felt really good. The water was so much warmer than the air it was kind of a relief. Initially my sighting was good, but in the second half of the swim my goggles were all fogged up and I couldn't see a thing, plus there was the lack of buoys I mentioned above. I actually needed take my goggles off to find the exit point. I felt like I was swimming well. Breathing was good, was swimming pretty straight, but my time was 15-20sec/100y slower than any of my previous races...I'm hoping that the course was just longer than the stated distance, because otherwise I don't know what went wrong, unless there was some kind of current I didn't feel but effected my swim..

? need new goggles
Get stronger

Transition went pretty well. The only thing that sucked was that the surface of the T1 area was really rough and killed my feet running up to the bike.

More practice. I have to say, I watched the Pros go through their transition and they are super fast.

I've been stressed out about this ride since I decided to do this race. I've done a couple of rides this distance, but not along with swimming and/or running. We had to check our bikes in yesterday so I drove the course. As we were leaving the state park my husband looked over to his left and pointed out the buildings of downtown Dallas. You know when you're really far away from a city you can see the faint shape of the skyscrapers? That was what I could see, and all I could think was, "Damn that's far away."

I thought my worst fears were coming true as I headed out into a fairly strong headwind. I knew that the biggest hills on the course were at the beginning of the course and didn't know how I was going to get through the ride with the hills and headwind working against me...I know, I know, I'm a big baby....but watching my bike computer showing me creep along at 7-9miles and hour huffin' and puffin' all the while was disheartening.

I knew if I could get through the first 8 miles, I'd be in good shape because the course changed direction and went with the wind. Holy crap, what a difference. Not only was the wind pushing me along, but there were some sweet downhills too (max speed 37.2...a new record for me). Really felt good for most of the rest of the race.

We were riding on major city streets with tons of traffic and I was wondering how they were going to manage it, but I have to give credit where credit is due, I thought the traffic control was terrific. I never saw any problems, or even close calls. The race lane was wide enough that I never felt crowded in. There was plenty of room to pass (and get passed...lol).

Coming over the bridge into downtown was awesome. It was great to know the ride was almost over, but it was also a very cool thing to bike into the city, and go around the ring road to get to T2. I can't describe the feeling. I just felt like a real athlete.

Surprisingly, from my less than stellar start, I had my fastest avg speed this season.

Get stronger.

I thought I was slower in T2. Probably because my friend who was wearing her running shoes on the bike and came into T2 with me, just hopped off her bike and went.

Had a GU, and a couple of gulps of water. Took a deep breath and off I went to face my nemesis..the run.

Nothing

I went into the race with very little expectation for the run. I'm not a good runner to begin with and I figured with the 25 mile bike, my legs were going to be fried. So, I did my run/walk thing. There were a lot of others doing the same, and I had a great time with them, basically playing catch-up. One would walk the other would jog, then catch up later when the other person was walking. Found a neighbor of mine who I didn't even know was racing. It was very friendly, and I did try to push myself when I could.

Right before the last big turn into the stadium there were a couple of volunteers, one of which was yelling encouragement to everyone. I think she was doing it continuously through the whole race, and I don't think she can possibly have a voice left tonight. She kept yelling, " Come on, bring it on in, bring it on in!!!" I wanted to say, "Lady, I left it back there." LOL But she was great and pretty motivating...there was no walking past her...run, run, run!

Then it was up a short hill and a bend to the left. I caught up to some guy, and looked over, and said, "Race, ya!", then we both sprinted for the finish which was very fun, and yes, he beat me easily.

Hubby and kiddoes, were waiting at the finish line, which is my favorite part. They're so proud of me, which makes me proud of myself.

This off-season is dedicated to improving my running abilities. Gotta lose weight and get faster.

First of all, they handed out icy cold towels at the finish line, which I loved!! They also gave everyone finishers medals which were silver in color. My son, who is so cute I want to squeeze him all the time, said. "Mom, they may have given you the silver, but you deserve a gold!" What is better than that, I ask you?

I walked around and stretched. I actually didn't get to see much of the post race festivities, so I don't know how they were in comparison to other races I've been to. (Didn't have too long to stick around because hubby had tickets to the Cowboys/Patriots game)

I just couldn't believe that my first triathlon season is over. It has been so amazing to start this sport/obsession/lifestyle. I am so grateful that this website, and all the people on it exist, and are so willing to teach and support newcomers to the sport. I especially have to thank TriOK's mentoring group. They have been amazing; my daily inspires were very much needed to keep me from getting unmotivated. Thanks guys!!!



Need more experience and more work. Going to use my off-season to focus on running and build a more solid endurance base. Want to do an Oly next season, so I'm going to need to work harder.