Swim and Transition 1

I entered the water a bit early, not really on purpose, but better than being late. The water temperature was nice and there weren't many people in the water. I swam towards the start line and decided to hang out there for the next half hour waiting for the gun. When I got to the start line, there were only a few other people, but by the time the pros started at 6:50, I had drifted over near the first buoy at the front of the start line. Unfortunately, this is the crowded, fastest place to be. Unlike last time, when I started farther to the right in the middle of the starting line, I was bumped and bumping other people the whole race. I don't have any good swimming horror stories, but I just found myself in a much busier pack even though I ended up about the same compared to last time.

So how was my swim? Have you ever seen a baby taking a bath, flailing and splashing around, not really going anywhere? Yea, it was like that. This year, I wanted to focus on my cycling and running, since more time can be gained or lost for those than in the swim. I never stopped to look at my watch (not really advised when there are 2200 other people swimming around you), but I could tell that my swim wasn't really going to be what I wanted. My lack of swimming showed in my swim and my overall place and time, but I really wasn't concerned that my 1:08 time was two minutes slower than last time and eight off my goal. I had a fast transition, so I was able to get a little time back by running faster up the helix out of the water, changing quickly (and some how forgetting my salt in my bag, read the bike section to see how that was a problem), and running faster to my bike. Another racer commented that he should have run in bare feet to his bike rather than in his cycling cleats as I ran by him...barefooted. Just a hint kids, run in your bare feet and put your cleats on at your bike if your bike is near the end of the racks, or grab your bike first and put your cleats on just before the top of the helix if yours is one of the first. (Free advice. Don't thank me, just be fast.)



After the less-than-stellar swim, I changed, got my bike, and started down the helix with full bottles, a top tube with Gu (see picture), a peanut butter sandwich (another solid food which I can't seem to get down) and sans salt.

Excuse me, I have to be fast. Passing on your left.