The current was a huge help, but I was swimming well - Held a great line, was really smooth, and flew through. My best swim time this year by a full minute, and at a effort\pace I have held for far longer than the course.

nothing, felt like a greased torpedo out there.

I wish I knew my splits here, but they were not posted. I assume it was rolled into the bike split, but only because I can't imagine my swim time being faster than it already shows. Good transition.

I need to work on getting my shoes on quicker once on the bike. It's not a major problem at all, just a nit.

I hadn't ridden the course before, and if I had I would have been a lot more fearless and could have shave at *least* 3 minutes off my time. There's a gradual hill about halfway through the loop that I dialed in WAY too pussy a gear for the first time and spun up like a clown, and the second time was still too pussy. With a pre-ride, I woulda known exactly what to do, and given myself back a minute there. I was also a big fat weeping pussy on the corners, not knowing how dusty it was or wasn't. Again, a ride woulda saved me another in total on all the corners. The other minute is me not knowing the road conditions well enough to bomb the hell out of the descents. Recon. I had the legs to be top 10 here, and next year I'll do it.

RECON. Rudy helped me out as much as anyone could with descriptions, but I need to ride it. Also, wake up on time so I don't forget a water bottle, my mouth was slimy from the salt water and I really coulda used it. I wasn't even remotely underhydrated, just wanted a rinse.

again, don't know my splits, but I LOVE coming in off the bike to an empty transition area and hearing the announcer talk about how "this is the elite group coming in now, their heart rates are maxed out, these are the best out there"...total confidence boost. I'm not "elite" quite yet (gimme another year!) but I'm getting there.

Left my sunglasses behind. Didn't need em, but took them rather than stand there thinking uselessly in the middle of a race.

As usual, I start out like a sobbing pussy, then remember how to do it and finish strong. Great things come from learning, though, and I managed to learn something - at one point a guy I know to be a stellar athlete (finished top 20 OA) passed me at about mile 1. Two things occurred to me: 1) I had been ahead of him until that point. Swchweet. 2) The look of crazed animal pain on his face, the sounds coming out of his mouth, and the froth shooting out of his mouth told me EVERYTHING I need to know about what it takes to get on the podium. I'm not running 6:30s out there, but I should be pushing a lot harder than I am.

I need to plumb deeper, push harder, and be willing to puke and bleed out there. I try to have TOO much fun, there's a line and I have to cross it.

The brain, my enemy on the course. If I take off my skirt and start racing like a man, I could win one of these things one day.


Time to buckle down and race like a man, but all in all, a great race for me. I'm still learning this stuff, so the fact that I PR'd today by about 7 minutes isn't quite the cause for celebration that it should be. If I'm still doing that kind of crush in a year I'll dance a jig, but I'm still at the stage where I'm improving every time, so without trying to sound like an egomaniac, I kind of expect PRs right now. I'll definitely do this race again, I like the course and it will give me an annual measuring stick. Great to meet Rudy, looking forward to seeing him again in the future.