It was a little chaotic at the start. Some were swimming over me, and I was bumping into others. But mostly I was trying to find that small patch of open water and avoid all the big guys around me. Despite the chaos, I was feeling ok. By the time I reached the first buoy, things had thinned out a bit and I could start relaxing into the swim. I didn't feel like I was pushing hard, right where I wanted to be. Taking a left turn around the second buoy felt great. I wasn't halfway yet, but I was well into the swim and still feeling good.

After turning around the 3rd buoy we were headed back on a long straightaway. I was starting to get convinced I was on the wrong path because I was seeing other swimmers really far to my right. But I was sighting well and on a fairly straight path. Turning around the last buoy was great, just a short straight line back to shore. In no time at all I was out of the water and running up the path to transition.

More time in open water. Work on my form so I could get faster with the same amount of effort.

This is the first race where I had the option of using a wetsuit stripper. I'm not sure why, but I stopped and had them help me pull off my wetsuit. I don't think it actually saved any time. I'll rethink this option in future races. Running through transition I was reminded of my sensitive feet. I tried to find patches of grass to run on, but mostly it was a parking lot.

My transition spot was the third row from the end so it was super easy to find. The stool was nice to sit on to put on my shoes and socks. But I'm sure it also slowed me down. And with the earlier rain, all of my stuff was wet. So I took a moment to also wipe off my glasses. I was not chanting my usual "GET OUT" and my slow T1 time reflected my leisurely attitude.

Practice transitions. No more sitting.

My transition spot was so close to the bike exit, there was very little running in my bike shoes. Perfect! There weren't a lot of other people leaving transition at that time, so it was actually not so stressful. The swim, the hardest part was over (so I thought), and I was thrilled to be on my bike. Sure this was a hilly bike course. But I was familiar with the course and knew what to expect. Plus there wasn't much wind today. It was going to be a mighty nice ride.

The first 5 miles up 281 went pretty well. It was mostly all uphill, but even though I started off riding with my heart rate too high, I managed to get it back down will still climbing. The stretch on 71 was pretty uneventful for me, especially considering how many people I saw on the side of the road with flats in the first 10 miles. I had never seen that many before in a race.

Turning onto 962, I knew this was going to be the most challenging part of the bike course. 7 miles of climbing and then 3 miles down to the final bike turnaround. This is where my family was waiting to cheer me on. It was nice to see them. Next time was supposed to be back in transition. 7 miles of climbing also meant 7 miles of a sweet downhill with a beautiful view. I did a lot of smiling during the bike leg, and maybe even a little singing. I was having a great time. If it was getting a little hard, all I had to do was look around at the gorgeous wildflowers and take it all in.

Turning onto 71 again and heading back into Marble Falls, I knew I still had a couple of steep hills to climb, but nothing long. I just needed to keep my heart rate in check. Soon I'd be on my feet running, and though normally 13.1 miles of running doesn't feel like a lot to me, I had never tried it after swimming 1.2 miles and then biking 56 miles. I wasn't sure how it would go.

I did have two hiccups on the bike. The first came around 48 miles. A bug had managed to get caught in my helmet and I could feel it crawling around my head. I tried to ignore it but was so distracted I finally had to stop and let it out. I didn't know what it was and would have really hated if it was the stinging kind.

The next problem was more embarrassing. And I probably didn't do the right thing, but I panicked. I had just made the turn onto the road in front of transition and my chain fell off my bike. It never happened before on my tri bike and really surprised me. I was able to coast for a bit before I had to stop. I probably only had another 600-700 ft to the dismount line. I wasn't sure if it would be faster to fix my chain or run the short distance in my bike shoes. I went with the running, but a couple hundred feet of that and I was so frustrated with trying to run in my shoes that I stopped, pulled them off, and checked them over the fence into the transition area. Wish I had done that sooner since running in my socks was a lot easier and faster.

Not much, maybe try a little harder to keep my hr down up the hills. Less passing and more doing my own thing and not getting wrapped up in what others are doing around me.

I didn't take too long switching from my bike to run. But since I wasn't able to pee on the bike (I tried many times, it just wasn't happening) I knew I should before heading out on the run. So I quickly ran into the bathroom in transition, adding some time to T2.



Learn to pee on the bike.

My family was nowhere to be seen in transition so I assumed they were stuck somewhere in the crazy traffic on 281. Ooo, there were a lot of grumpy drivers on the road. I didn't experience anything bad, but heard from other racers of some drivers yelling at the racers. Two of the four lanes were closed to the race on 281. But I think the real problem was that they had to stop traffic anytime another cyclist had to turn left after crossing the bridge. Wonder if there's a better solution if this race will happen again next year?

The run course follows the bike course and turns around halfway. So that's 6.55 miles uphill (mostly) and then back down. And by the time I started the run, it was already around 80° and full-on sun with zero shade. Yep, it was going to be brutal. (In the words of the Optimal Triathlete, "Man that sucked!") Just a half mile into the run I did see my family stuck in traffic on the bridge. I was a little annoyed Bill wanted me to stop for photos and to chat. But I'm glad I did.

Once I said goodbye to them, it was up, up, up 281. I had to do a lot of walking up the hills. My heart rate would immediately jump up to zone 4 anytime I started running. So I alternated running/walking trying to keep my heart rate as low as I could. I was carrying my small, 12-oz handheld bottle and planned to refill it on the course. By the time I got to the second water stop, I already needed to fill my bottle. And I took advantage of the ice-water sponges and start putting them in my top. They felt great, but it was still so hot on the course.

Looking around at others coming back and still heading up the run course with me, I wasn't the only one that looked like they were having a hard time with the run. When I got to the 3rd aid station I was really surprised that they were already out of water. The volunteer there was very apologetic. They did have HEED, but I hate the flavor and it doesn't sit well with me, so I skipped it. I planned to fill up my bottle at the next station. At this point, any hopes I had of some sort of time goal were out the window. My only goal at this point was to stay cool, keep drinking, and finish with a smile. No med tent for me.

When I came to the last station I was not only surprised but worried this time that they were also out of water and HEED. They was only three cups of Sprite left. The volunteer here was also very apologetic. At this time an ambulance rushed past us back into town and one of the racers commented that it was probably going to be the first of many if they didn't start getting water to the stations. Traffic was backed up all of the way to 71 on 281. I'm sure it made it harder to get water to the stations.

Thank goodness it was time to turnaround and head back downhill into town. I knew I was going to finish, as long as I didn't push myself too much. This time when I got to the 4.5-mile aid station they had water again. I filled up my bottle, resoaked my sponges and kept on running at a comfortable pace, though my heart rate was still higher than it should have been.

It was shortly after I passed the 3-mile aid station I was trying to figure out why my Garmin distance seemed to be off. Not the usual off it is in longer races, but off by about a mile. And then it dawned on me that I probably turned around too early on the course. I had assumed the last aid station on the course was also the turnaround. But as I got closer to the finish, I was more sure it couldn't have been. By the time I saw the finish line I was really not happy. I tried to muster a smile, but it was tough. I didn't know what to do. Should I run an extra mile in the neighborhood before crossing the finish line? Should I not even cross the finish line? It was way too late to go back 6.5 miles and do the mile I missed, that was for sure.

I saw my family right before crossing. It was nice to see them. Bill noticed though that I did not look happy and asked what was wrong. I just shook my head. I was so disappointed. It was such a good day, until the last couple of miles when I realized what had happened.