I arrived promptly at 6, so I had LOTS of time to prep. Followed my routine very well.

Some strides, skips, light stretching, and a good 2-3 mins of swimming.

Able to freestyle the entire swim, other than a couple of stops for getting a competitor off me or finding the next buoy when looking right into the sun. I was really shocked at how slow my time was when I felt pretty relaxed the entire time. I guess it does pay to put in the training time in pool!

Nothing.

A pretty good transition considering how long the run up the beach is. Nothing I was too upset about. I forgot where my back pockets are for gels. Added a few seconds.

Nothing.

Nothing spectacular about my performance. I intentionally held back a bit because I knew what was in store for the run! I ended up very near an even split, so I felt pretty good about that.

I probably took on one too many gels or too much electrolyte drink due to concern about my fitness level.

I had to lace up the shoes today, so I knew this was going to be slow. I also took advantage of the extra time to relax the HR briefly.

Get the tri-laces in my shoes before the next race!!

Had significant cramping between mile 1 and 2. Each hill got the HR a little higher. I did a good job of staying under 180 bpm for the first half, then I really had to pay attention on the climbs. I really let it go on the last hill and was about as maxed as I could be.

Overall I was pretty happy with my output on a tough course with temp approaching 80 by the end.

Walked for lots of HR recovery. Ended up with a dip in the lake to cool off.

Fitness level. Training on hills.

A great race with beautiful scenery. Good way to start the year.