First open water swim experience, and first traffic experience. I had no idea what I was doing. The good news is that my arms weren't tired leaving the water. The bad news is that my arms weren't tired leaving the water. I just couldn't get stroking because of traffic and navigation issues. I walked up the hill, too, because my feet are soft in the beginning of the summer.

I need to learn to swim 'through' traffic, rather than trying to wait for open water. Also, I definitely need to work on swimming a straight line, both for myself and for the others around me.

Um, well, you see, I did beat the 84 year-old gentleman with osteoarthritis in this transition (really), but that's it, 496/497 for time. I didn't practice this at all, and everything that I could do badly I did badly. For example, I couldn't find my bike, I spent forever trying to get my bike jersey over wet head and skin, I had left my gloves very carefully on my handlebars INSIDE OUT, my chin strap was too tight because I had used it to hold my jersey in my helmet, and I had left my shoes tied because I had just slipped out of them before the race. Who says I was nervous?

Almost everything. I'm still going to stick with cages and pedals on the bike for a while longer, so I'm expecting to have slow T1 times. That said, I can speed up everything else. I'm going to try a tri-suit, I'm going to check my equipment more carefully, and I may even practice a transition or two.

So, well, I just bought a bike a month ago because I assumed that would be the easy part. This was miles 60-73 on the odomoter, and I got what I deserved. That 84 year old I mention above, he finished the bike faster than I did (really). I think some of it is just confidence, though, I was scared going down the hills, and spent a lot of time on the brakes. I'm still occasionally walking the big hills, but I'm getting closer to cresting them. This was a really dispiriting experience though, complete with a nasty leg cramp and lots of questions about who I thought I was kidding for giving it a try.

Keep training, this will come together eventually.

I was basically already wearing my running outfit, so it was just a matter of finding my spot, taking off my stuff, grabbing a drink, and heading out. Oh yeah, and telling myself "Don't quit" over and over again until I was actually committed to the run.

I just need to get comfortable with the experience, and figure out what can be thrown where and what needs to be more carefully handled.

It's hard to tell here what was just being beaten down by the day and what was actual triathlon leg exhaustion (I normally run a 50 minute 10K). There was an awful lot of walking and talking, including to the 84 year-old guy (John Taylor), as I finally passed him for good. Hawkeye met me at the end of the last hill, and kindly jogged me home to the enthusiastic cheers of Whit's posse.

It's hard to do something badly. I need to learn to reset my spirit at the beginning of each leg, so that I run to my potential even from the back of the pack.

Water, bananas, waiting for the results, and then breaking into the cooler in the car.


Training. There are no free lunches.


I've completed my first traithlon (woohoo!), and I'm ready for more. I need more time to train (dang job) and a smarter race strategy, which I think will come with experience. I started last before in running, and I know that it just leaves me more victories ahead of me as I break two hours, pass people on a leg, get a good transition, etc., etc. Two quotes seem appropriate:

“A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame and money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well.”
- G.K. Chesterton

And, one of my favorites:

"Use what talents you have; the woods would have little music if no birds sang their song except those who sang best."
- Reverend Oliver G. Wilson

Thanks to all those who got me here, and didn't laugh at me as I raised my arms in victory an hour after the first finishers. I'll see y'all at Mistletoe.