Quite the crazy morning. Woke up an hour late! Don't remember the alarm at all. Shave, sunscreen, oatmeal and peanut butter bread, then out the door. Bike almost came off the rack during the drive, and I missed my turn. But.. eventually made it there and got set up in transition. (Freakin' second to last rack, too.)

Decided to go with two packets (~4 scoops) of Perpetuem in the bottle. Note to self: powder takes up a decent amount of space, pour some water out first. Duh. Taped two gels to top tube.

Nothing other than talk with John and Aaron a bit just before the pre-race mtg.

Felt better than I expected, and navigation was better than average. Wave starts were too close together, which made for a pretty congested course. I definitely was swum over, next to, and bumped more than in any other race I can remember. Drafting was ok - I didn't hang on anybody too long; however, I did pretty well grabbing some passing feet a couple times. Wetsuit strippers were a nice touch.

Just need to keep working on technique. Swim continues to be my weakest event, compared to the rest of the field.

Decided to do something different today. Skipped (intentionally) socks on the bike. I'm used to riding without them, and I wanted to use thicker (and dry) socks for the run. Serious debated leaving shoes on pedals. I've practiced getting into them a bit on the trainer, but only a little. Decided that, becuase I was at the far end of transition I didn't want to run the full length barefoot. So I went ahead and put on shoes at my rack and then just ran in my cleats. (I'm pretty comfortable doing that, so no problem.) Didn't do a leaping mount onto the bike. Decided it wasn't worth the extra risk for 2 seconds in a HIM.
Because I was at the far end of transition, I was a little
Racks were a little high, and I had just a

Practice shoes mounted on pedals.

I'm really pleased with how well this portion of the event went, especially given that I hadn't really practiced HIM nutrition. Felt pretty comfortable on the first loop. Definitely felt I was slowing a little in later loops, but times weren't too much slower. Actually, was surprised that HR was pretty low, especially given that I was getting more tired. Stayed aero the entire loop and was more comfortable than I expected for that long a ride. The wind definitly hit me occasionally.

John (jcagg90) was only a smidge behind me, so we saw each other after each turnaround.

New disk wheel cover worked out great. (Although I forget to cover the valve cutout.) There were a handful of occasions where I could really feel the gusts pushing me; however, I don't think I felt it anymore than all the times I've ridden without a cover in similar conditions. How much did it help? It's really hard to say. I would like to have been a little higher in the age group splits for the bike, but seeing how I was on a new course, gusty winds, and doing a harder distance (and competing with folks training up for IM distance), it's hard to answer this question definitively. I certainly didn't feel that it hurt, and yeah, it may have helped.

For excitement.. first wreck on the new bike! Coming into the turnaround at the end of the first loop, I was moving my hands from my watch to the bars when the person ahead of me cut the corner short. I swerved to avoid and ended up in the cones right in front of the entire crowd. Fortunately, it was just minor scraps on my hands, and I'll probably have a bruised hip. Got up, grabbed bottle and computer, remounted and was off again. The collective gasp and then applause was actually inspiring. (Good news -- bike is not just fine.)

Nutrition was good. I definitely drink more with the aerobottle, which it probably good. Probably should have don't a few more enduralyes.

Of course, with plenty of hydration comes another new thing: peeing on the bike. Tried this for the first time and learned that it's not very easy to do while pedaling. Hated to coast and lose speed, but it was definitely a welcome relief. (Note to self: wash shoes.)

Don't be so concerned with watch splits. Need to be better set coming into the tighter turn. Don't tape the top of Carb-Boom gels to tube. (They rip open too easily, so I had an open gel in my pocket the entire race.) Remember to cover the valve cutout.

Because dismount was immediately after a turn, there wasn't good room for a flying dismount. But I did alright.

A little problem racking bike initially. Had to turn around and rack by seat. Later realized thay the aerobottle was getting in the way. Duh!

Normally already have socks on, but wasn't much problem getting them on before shoes this time. Put hat and race number on once already on the move.

Not much, except the bike racking.

The run is where things really changed for me. First loop was good. A little fast for first mile, but it fell in line after that. After the turnaround, I Got lucky with someone who was running just a smidge faster than me caught up. I was able to draft behind him into the wind for about a mile. Only took water on first loop. I was holding a nice pace, and a 5:30 race time was conceivable. (talk about something I hadn't envisioned!) Got cheers and jeers from Marcie (DodgersMom), Steve (Doughboy) and John (jcaggs90) at the turnaround, which was inspiring. Also saw Tommy (zia_cyclist) and Kirk (MarkQuiet) out on the course.

But I really started struggling on the second loop. It was not good. It wasn't my lungs - my HR was up a little but not out of zone for my longer training runs - I was just really struggling to keep the legs going. I walked all the aid stations, and also started trying other nutrition. Not too much, but a few swigs of: Gatorade Endurance, Accelerade, a Carb-Boom gel, and even some flat coke. After the turnaround, I also started walking parts between aid station. Got the volunteers to break out the ice, since I've found that helps me a lot. (Put it in the hat for great cooling; can also suck on it.)

By the last aid station, I really thought a 5:30 finish, which seemed quite doable during the first loop, was in jeopardy. If I ran the same pace as from the previous aid station, it was going to be cutting it very close. The pace splits tell the story - lap 1: 8:06/mi, lap 2: 9:39/mi. Fortunately, I managed to suck it up and get through the last mile with less walking. Rounding the bend with the finish in sight, I knew I could do it. There was no kick, but it was a steady effort that last bit to the end.

Beth had even driven back out to the race site to cheer me on. Along with shouts from BT friends, it made for a great finish!. (And for the record, I blew that kiss to my daughter, not to you, John.)

I need to figure out what happened on the second loop. Was it a nutrition thing? Do I just need more volume in my training plan, or harder bricks?

Grabbed water and a cup of Accelerade, then found family and BT friends. Rested on grass and stretched a little, but got twinges of bad cramps, so I headed to the massage table. The massage hurt, but I was glad I did it. Grabbed oranges and bagel. Hung around, cheered, and chatted with other BTers.

My bike was the last one on my rack when I packed up. Someone left a nice helmet, so I turned it in to lost and found. Looks like someone walked off with my new goggles, though.

Spent the afternoon cleaning up and playing with the kids. Later, a good rubdown with The Stick seemed to help work out some knots in the legs. Dinner was a hearty treat of fajitas and margaritas. Mmmmmm.

If the second run loop was a nutrition problem, I need to figure that out. Otherwise, I was thrilled with how my first HIM turned out!

My first HIM!!
Until the day before the race, I was going to be doing the Playtri Olympic. However, after learning my target first HIM (in July) was getting canceled, I managed a last-minute switch to the Playtri HIM. I was a little nervous, since I wasn't quite sure I was prepared for this race; however, it turned out wonderfully. I had a great race!

As to the event itself -- pretty good venue. Bike course would have been a little easy, if not for the wind. Run course was pleasant. Expo was decent. Aid stations were decently stocked, and volunteers did great. Post-race food and/or activities were a little sparse. Short on some amenities like trash cans. A good event; hopefully they'll continue to improve.

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