How's this for a start: I fell into the pool! The pool deck was about 2 feet above the water level, so I sat down to drop into the poll. But as I was dropping, I lost my balance and fell face first into the water. Once I caught my bearings I was okay, but it was a most un-graceful way to start the race...

The swim was pretty good. I was one of the last ten in the pool (we lined up in ascending order of estimated completion time). I passed about four or five guys, most of them on the last 50M - which I sprinted. Nobody passed me.

It was amazing watching the lead swimmers. There was a 14-year old kid who did it in about 6 minutes. He looked like he was going SOOOO SLOW! But in reality he was FLYING! There was visible evidence to "Slow is Smooth. Smooth is Fast."

Learn to swim faster and longer. Switching to breast stroke and stopping at the lane ends cost me some time (though I still did it 3 minutes faster than I thought I would). I just need to continue to improve to the point that I can do the swim continuously. The #6 guy had me by 1:20, or only :16/100m. I know I can hold a 2:00/100yd pace right now, but only with breaks. If I could have made that continuous, I'd have been 3rd or 4th in my AG. I'll get there. :)

T1 went very well. I hesitated to sit down in my wet suit, and this slowed me a bit because my balance was off. There were a couple of things that could have shaved seconds (tri top, no socks, shoes on bike, etc.) but I don't think it mattered much. Biggest goof was not putting my RoadID necklace on before my helmet. A wrist or ankle version would be faster (could swim with it). Also, I shouldn't have hung it on the handlebar - it got snagged on my brake levers.

(73/85 overall)

Sit down to get the shoes/socks on. Don't know what I was worried about. Also, wear a tri top. My bike jersey is too confusing to put on quickly (really deep zipper).

I wish I had the HR data on the bike (and the run) but I ditched the chest strap in T1. That was quite a ride. I played cat/mouse with a guy on a nice Cannondale. Everyone was pretty strung out, but it was a great day for riding.

Train more on hills, and drink a bit less Gatorade. I think a shot of gel or something with the rest water would work better. The #5 guy in my AG had me by 5 minutes - that's a lot of time to make up (~2.5mph).

T2 went very well. I was transitioned in about 45 seconds, but stopped to drink some water on my way out. Racked the bike, doffed the helmet, traded shoes, and grabbed race belt & cap.

(71/85 overall)

Nothing. This one was smooth as glass.

It was getting warm by the run. Well, okay, I was getting warm. The weather man says it was still only about 55, but I swear it was much warmer. I guess the run does that to you. The event staff was very helpful, encouraging and all. Still it would have been nice if the mile markers were in the right place.

Core work and flexibility, plus swim better. When I started the run, I had some cramps in my obliques and abs. I think this was from the swim, mostly (I didn't feel them on my bike/run bricks with much longer/harder bikes). I think strengthening my core and learning to swim better will help here. The #6 guy in my AG only beat me by 17 seconds, so I could have moved up if I'd been just a bit fresher.

Mostly I just walked around, found my wife, had some snacks, that sort of thing. We stuck around for the door prizes and awards, and to check my finishing time. I won a big bottle of Chocolate Hammer Gel and a flask. That was cool. I like winning swag.


Swimming, core strength, and hill climbing. I'll get better at all of them as the season goes on. The hills were no worse than what I ride all the time at home - I just need to keep doing them.


Overall, I'm THRILLED with my performance!!! I had two goals, neither of which I had a chance of hitting. The primary one was a 1:30 overall finish - SMASHED that by 3-1/2 minutes!! The other was to beat tim_edwards (sorry, Tim!), which was a real challenge since he's a MUCH better swimmer than me, and pretty close on bike/run. I barely edged by him by 1:40, so having him to chase really made me push hard. My AG winner came in at 1:05:02 (7th overall), and the #6 AG guy was at 1:22:36, only 3:58 ahead of me... pretty darn good for my very first race, eh??

Only downsides (and they are small): The race started about 10 minutes late (don't know why), and the mile posts on the run were off. The free goodie bag had a Hammer gel, a sample of lotion, some electrolyte pills, and a FISHING??? magazine.

But it was well set up, lots of helpful volunteers, good layout, and ran smoothly. I got a finisher's medal, a icewater-soaked souvenier towel, and a very nice T-shirt. Folks who did all 3 races in the series also got a bike jersey, but I only did one race. I had a VERY good time, and will probably sign up for this one again next year, if my schedule allows. It was a GREAT first race!