This race was a long time coming for me - technically I registered for it back in January of 2006! But it was well worth the wait. Luckily, my race went fairly smoothly - a small victory on its own, because with a crowd that size (8,500 participants!) you have to be prepared for anything. In the darkness & claustrophobic chaos of pre-dawn transition, my goggles somehow climbed their way out of my back pocket and most likely ended up getting swallowed into the swamp that had formed just beyond the "Swim In" banner. People have enough trouble locating their own bikes in that transition area - forget about trying to find a tiny pair of goggles! ...Luckily, I always bring a spare set. My wave start was late - after 9am - so I had plenty of time to wander around barefoot and wish I'd thought to bring a spare pair of shoes too... Although dawn started out refreshingly cool, by 9am we were soaking that blazing morning sun right into our heavy black wetsuits. The groans and grumbles about the heat turned into shrieking, squealing hysteria when the young ladies of Wave 43 jumped in to the icy harbor. (I like my water cold, but I admit my feet were starting to go numb by the end of that swim!) The water was amazingly clear - i've never experienced such great plantlife-viewing during a race! Although the bike course is basically straight and flat, i find it to be a little treacherous what with all the bumps & debris to dodge, and vehicular traffic right alongside the cyclists. But you can get a good sense of the size of upcoming cracks & potholes based on the number of water bottles & yellow sponges that have jumped off of the bikes of fellow competitors. In addition to the obstacle course of wayward bike gear & damaged road, there were plenty of rowdy riders swerving about and camping out in the passing lane... so I put more of my focus on survival than on speed. This turned out to be a good thing when it came to the run, since I had enough energy to shave 2 minutes off my former 10K PR. wow! One of these days I just might break that ever-elusive 7 minute mile! (maybe sometime i ought to try it without the hour and half swim/bike warm-up...) It ended up being a very long day, but it was a fun race to participate in, and I'm happy to report that I completed my 2007 triathlon season all in one piece AND I took home an Age Group 2nd place medal on top of it!*** Congratulations Kimberly on your second place finish!!!
