Brass Tacks: Tri Rock Austin 2013

Total time: 3:22:41 (Goal 32:28:57) (2012 3:23:58) (PR BABY!)
Swim time:  33:57 (Goal 30:00) (2012 32:51:00) (Goal 30min)
Transition 1 time: 4:36 (Goal 4:00) (2012 4:11) (Goal 5min)
Ride time: 1:25:35 (Goal 1:28:00) (2012 1:28:10)
Transition 2 time: 3:24 (Goal 3:00) (2012 3:11) (Goal 5min)
Run time: 1:15:07 (Goal 1:05:00) (2012 1:15:34)

Division place: 27/37 (32 percentile) (2012 34/50 still the 32 percentile).

Lows: Perhaps the worst pre-race jitters I’ve ever experienced; worrying about the water quality since the lake is fed by groundwater runoff and we narrowly escaped race cancellation on the heels of a crazy summer storm; and learning that despite a PR for time, I was actually LESS competitive than last year since I held steady at the same percentile although the total number of division participants dropped significantly.

Highs: Feeling great on the swim despite the longer distance, heavy algae, and stiff competition; not chickening-out when it poured rain the day before and when I considered downgrading to the sprint distance at the expo; realizing that that’s exactly why the total number of division participant had dropped significantly (there were fewer racers because of the rain and the resulting water conditions, meaning — I SWEAR — that the participants who turned up were the baddest of asses, so really, holding tight and maintaining my percentile is now a “High,” not a “Low”); and of course, PR BABY!