If this was an A race, I would be sorely disappointed with this finish. However, for a training race, it went fairly well, and I learned a lot from the experience. This was my first swim in a wetsuit, which was slow (33 minutes) but enjoyable. T1 was kind of slow due to a lack of practice exiting my wetsuit. The bike leg was by far the best part of the race: I rode the 40k in 1:02 and change, averaging 24 mph and posting the second-fastest split of the day! That was pretty awesome... for a while, I had a hard time believing that I was really riding that fast - and feeling fairly comfortable while doing so.

After a fast T2, I dashed out onto the run course... and promptly started hurting A LOT. I can't recall ever hurting that much while running. If it has happened before, I know now why it's been blocked out! The first five kilometers were really tough, both mentally and physically, but the second half of the run leg saw my form smooth out a bit, and I was able to push to the finish. I ran a little under 40 minutes for 6.2 miles, which is atrocious (for me), but again, it was a training race after a hard week of training. With more speed work next season, plus more specific transition brick workouts, I should be able to bring that time way down to where I want it, and in doing so, move myself up in the rankings significantly.