Loaded my gear and hit 7-11 on the way over to the race. Pulled up to transition and got allmy gear ready to set up.

Started with some muscle activation for the legs and a little dynamic stretching for the upper body then did some quick drills before pulling on the wetsuit and hitting the water. I swam maybe 15min with some faster accelerations and checked out the landmarks on the swim-in.

Not my best swim. I started to the outside of the wave but up front. I knew a bunch of people would blow by me but it got a little rough in the first 100m. The elite/open men and women started together. I was 15th for the men and also came out of the water behind 5 ladies. The swim is still my biggest limiter and something that needs serious work if I want to start challenging for the overall win.

Also, I got myself a nasty laceration on the side of my foot while getting in the water. It didn't hurt much but I took a look just before the horn and it was DEEP.

Smooth transition but looks like I was on the slower side for the elites. No major issues but it took a couple of yanks to get my feet out of the wetsuit.

I pulled the plug on a bike workout yesterday because I had no power at all. Today things were feeling a bit better but I was still down about 10% from what I should be able to do comfortably at race intensity. Even so I managed the 2nd fastest bike split.

Not sure what I was thinking but I got one foot out of my shoe coming down the final chute to the dismount line and then stopped. I ended up running into transition with one barefoot and one shoe on...NICE! Since I was in the open/elite wave we were in the first set of racks which is impossible to miss. Unfortunately, I didn't bother to pay much attention to my specific location on the race. It was pretty obvious when my bike was there to see :) Anyway, when I cam into T2 all I saw was an empty rack and tons of wetsuits and running gear all over the place. It all looked the same. I had to stop and take a good look to find my spot...I was close but it still cost me a little time. On top of that, jamming my tight racing flat on raked over that nasty gash on my foot and really got my attention. By the time I got myself together one guy that I had passed several mile back on the bike was already running out onto the course.

Make a point of knowing where my rack spot is :)

I've got a love-hate relationship with the run. By this point in a race it's pretty tough to enjoy the run but I know it's a weapon for me and I've got an advantage over most people out there. Heading out of transition I was already feeling the heat and grabbed some water from the Coastal Racing tent...THANKS! I figured I was in about 7th place coming out of transition and could see the next guy only about 100m ahead. After turning the first corner I saw Derek walking and picked up a place when I passed him and he confirmed there were 5 guys ahead. By the first aid station I had picked off Dave but I was feeling the heat and not running particularly well. A couple more turns and I saw Tim up ahead not too far. I just tried to focus on running my race and not specifically try to catch him. I figured if I was the stronger runner and I ran my race I'd catch him, otherwise I'd just be blowing myself out and risking someone taking me from behind if I crashed. Turns out I was managing the run better and I eventually passed Tim. At the 2 mile mark I couldn't see anyone else ahead so it was time to play "just fast enough to hold position". I held steady but backed off slightly...I was kind of hurting by this point. At the last aid station I took a few walking steps and got one cup of water in me and one on me then got back to work. I get a bit anxious not knowing how close people are behind me but I also don't like to look back so I just kept plugging away until I made the final turn down the seawall for the finish and saw that I had a comfortable buffer. Turns out the 3rd place guy was never within reach so I didn't give anything up by not pushing 100% for the entire run.

Nothing...I really need to get better at doing some cool down and stretching when I finish a race.

This was the first triathlon I every did back in 2004 and it's local. It's actually pretty popular despite not really being a great course. The roads for the bike are pretty beat up and the run is out ion the open with no scenery. Still, it's a fun local event and the post-race party has plenty of good food and beer at Breezy Point Park. It's a great opportunity to do a little racing and enjoy the day with friends so I gave it a 4 overall.

Race Reports Modeled with Permission from
Endurancecoach's Triathlon Post Race Analysis Sheet.