2026 Vancouver Triathlon

No race season in Vancouver is complete until the Vancouver Triathlon is complete. So thus ends my 2026 race season. 

As always Swim Smart ran their free swim clinic the day before the race. We had a record breaking 146 people sign up. Luckily we brought on some new coaches and the athletes were given excellent guidance. We may have to run 4 clinics next year instead of 2. Or we need to cap the number of clients. Either way, it's a good problem to have.

After the clinic, I helped to setup the Swim Smart tent at bike drop off. And as usual I was first in line for bike drop, having picked up my race package the day before. 

This race is first come first serve for bike placement and I had already scoped out a prime spot. Well, technically there are no prime spots. You either have less time with your bike on the way out or on the way in, but not both. I almost find it better when spots are assigned. Then you do not have to think about it. I go here and I will make it work. No extra mental energy spent. 

The spot I picked based on the map was not exactly as shown, but I got a good spot nonetheless. But then the race director realized they had set the age groups wrong. I stuck around to see where they would move the Over 40 Men Category. They did end up moving it, but the director told me I could keep my bike where it was.

After a fun day manning the Swim Smart tent, it was time to head home and get race prepped. 

Race Day

As always, I arrived at the race early. After getting body marked, I entered transition and setup my area. Then I relaxed at the Swim Smart tent.

Coach Oscar and I watched the start waves ahead of us to scope out water conditions and current. Both were calm and would make for a great swim. 

Soon it was time to get suited up and head to the beach. We lined up on the beach and slowly walked to the start, dodging rocks exposee by the extremely low tide. 

Just before the start, I noticed the wave ahead of us about the make the turn onto their second lap. This would get interesting. 

The Swim

The horn blew and we were off. I waited for bit to avoid the washing machine of the overly keen athletes ahead of me. This would put me right in the path of the female athletes on their second lap. I felt the women would be in a groove and it would be better to swim alongside them than the overly excited starters in my group.

The pack veered left and I kept my line to the right, nice and straight. The water was cold but I knew it would warm up. Like I always say, if you can swim Jericho in June, you can swim anywhere.

My open water training was lacking this summer so I did not want to overdo it in the swim. My goal for this race was to have a good run. This would require a conscious effort to keep the swim and bike in check. I kept repeating the mantra I teach my clients, "Long, smooth, relaxed strokes."

By the time I made it to the first turn buoy, the field had bunched up quite a bit. I kept calm, kept my line, and managed to only make contact with half a dozen other swimmers. 

I made the turn and found my line right away. Once again, everyone seemed to veering left. It must have been the outgoing tide. That meant clear water for me to swim in as I kept my tight line. 

But then by the second turn, all those swimmers to my left converged on the buoy. It was even more crowded than the first turn. I stayed calm and made my turn.

Once again on the the way to turn 3 (and the end of lap 1) everyone went left. It made me wonder if people were just following the swimmer in front of them. And once again I stayed right.  

The last turn was in very shallow water. I swam as far in as I could, even passing athletes who had stood to walk. Eventually, the water became too shallow and I had to get up and walk as well. I stood a bit to fast and started to wretch. Mental note logged for lap 2. 

As we started our second lap, the Men Under 40 wave was about to start. They would have to deal with the same start conditions we had. I was a bit worried, but knew half the field would be faster than me and would not be an issue. 

I once again stayed right and kept a tight line. Each turn was even more crowded than the one before it. The swim had become a contact sport. 

The last turn was the most crowded I have ever experienced in a triathlon. You had the mid pack of my wave, in in addition to the tail end of the women's wave, coupled with the front pack of the Men Under 40 finishing their first lap. 

Once at the last buoy, the calm swim turned chaos was finished. I swam in as far as I could, stood up more slowly than lap one, and kept my eyes down (looking at the sand in front of me). This helped me keep my balance and my breakfast, 

As I took off my wetsuit, I grabbed a gel from my pocket and headed to transition.  

As always, transition will alway throw you for a loop. I was planning on heading straight to my bike, but a course marshal made us go left. All good though, as I memorized the landmarks from both sides.   

I made it to my bike, got my wetsuit off fast, and started to get ready to ride. I decided to stick with gloves for this race, but used my old gloves as they are easier to get on and off. I unracked my bike and headed to the mount line. 

The Bike

I started off nice and easy knowing the start of the bike is flat. I grabbed some hydration and settled in.

The first lap was vacant and I felt I had the whole road to myself. I enjoyed it while I could, knowing it would not last.

I made sure not to push to hard on the flats to keep my legs fresh for the run. I rode in aero when I could and kept good (controlled) power. 

I took it very easy up the hill, keeping my power as close to 200 watts as I could. I made up speed on the downhill. It was easy knowing that there was no one else around. 

I finished lap 1, made the turn, and grabbed a gel. I usually take a gel every 30 minutes on the bike, but for this race it worked better to just gel up at the start of each lap. My heart rate would be down and the road would be flat so it was perfect timing.

Lap 2 got a little more congested but it was manageable. I kept my strategy and held back in a few places.

On Lap 3, just after being lapped by Coach Oscar, I was almost taken out by a suicidal squirrel. My heart rate may have climbed a bit there.

As I finished lap 3, I saw my family. 

I continued with my strategy on lap 4, but it was hard. There was an athlete who refused to move to the right. He was blocking everyone trying to make a pass. And when I did finally pass, he started drafting me! We hit a small incline and he took off. I did not pursue. He was someone else's problem now. 

I had to take the last downhill more carefully as the course was very congested now. I made it to the bottom, dismounted, and made my way to T2. 

But not before getting some high fives from my fan club. 

For T2, you have to run all the way around transition before racking your bike. But I knew this. Like I said before, you either get a short run with you bike on the way out or in. I opted for short out and long in. 

I racked my bike and made a speedy transition to run, 

The Run

I took off for my run and made a quick pit stop for some emotional support

As I started, I noticed my race belt was too loose. I had to walk a bit while I tightened it. Once that was sorted, I was off.

The past few races I've done, my run legs were just not there. Whether it was from an overly hilly course or a whirlwind day before, I just did not have my legs under me. 

This race was my A Race for the year, but I was not going for a PB. My only goal was a good run. 

And I must have done something right, because I felt fantastic. Even though I had forgotten to take off my cycling gloves.  Whoops.

I saw several teammates, clients, and athletes from the clinic. Lots of encouragement was given and received. 

Even though I was carrying my own hydration, I still took advantage of the aid stations. I grabbed 2 cups of water at each one; One cup to drink and one to throw on my head. It was not a hot day, but it was humid, and I could feel it.

I kept a really good pace and was feeling so good that I had to pull it back a bit. It was too early in the race to be going that fast. 

Before I knew it, I was at the turn around. That was quick! Both in the sense that I was running fast and short in the sense of perceived time.

I made my way back and after a short up and down hill, I was off for my second lap. 

Not before getting some cheers from the family.

Ok. Lap 2. Now I can push. 

I was still feeling really good and my pace was great. I saw more people I knew out on the course and once again I was at the turn around in great time.

On the way back I took a little longer walk breaks (2 minutes instead of my usual 1). I felt it was better to do this than blow up just before the finish.

Once I reached the Cactus Club at Sunset Beach, I told myself, We are running it in from here. 

I had one last big push and soon I was running down that hill to the finish.

Poor Thomas wanted to run in with me like he did years ago, but race officials have cracked down on that over the past few years.

I crossed the finish line and was not only finished, but DONE. 

I was spent.

I took some time to get some food and mentally recover. I have started to take time for a mental assessment before immediately looking at my times. This was easy as my coaches were right there. But I had a good feeling about my times.

Turns out I was right. I have done this race (at this distance) 3 times now.  And today was a course Person Best! And by 15 minutes. 

Swim: 0:31:40

T1:      0:04:00  
Bike:   1:28:55

T2:      0:03:05
Run:    1:12:46
Total:   3:20:27

And no surprise that vast majority of that 15 minutes was on the run. 

That being said, there are still some take aways from this race:

I need to secure my BTA bottle better. A bolt got rattled off.

I need to reinforce my new BTA straw. I built it from 2 different systems and there are still some things that need adjusting. 

My old gel bottle system on the bike proved better than the expensive ones. I find it's easier to get a good mouthful when the gel bottle has some stiffness to it. 

I need to overly tighten my run belt. It may fit when I try it on before the race, but it will need to be tight for the run.

And the most expensive take away is that my tri suit may be too big for me now, Maybe Santa will bring me a new one. 

Well that concludes my 2026 race season. All in all it was a great one. By focusing on sprint and standard distances, I was able to enjoy training without the added pressure that comes with bigger races.

But bigger races are on the horizon. The 2027 season is planned and I am excited to see what I can do in the upcoming years.

2026 T100 Vancouver Sprint

Before we get into this race report, it's important to understand the events leading up to race day. 

4 weeks before race day, my family and I went on vacation. Training was limited to a 5 hour hike I did with my sister. After a week of vacation, it was back home and business as usual. I knew that we would be camping the week before the race, so for the next 2 weeks, I would need to get all my training in for proper prep. The first week went fine, but that weekend there was a death in my family and I needed to fly "home." I did get one good run session in, but nothing else. 

When I got back home, I was able to get a good bike session in before our second vacation.

I brought my gravel bike and was able to get a good ride in while camping, but spent the rest of the time relaxing with family. 

There was miscommunication on my part about when we would be coming back. For some reason, I assumed we were coming back Thursday, but I was wrong. We would be coming back Friday, well after package pick-up and bike drop-off. We changed our ferry reservations to make sure I was back in time. 

We left the campsite on time and made it to our first ferry. 

It was delayed. 

After the first ferry, we drove to the next ferry. We just barely made it and had just enough time to clean up the aftermath of a car sick 2 year old in the back seat before the second ferry left. 

The second ferry was delayed. 

We got off the ferry and realized we were now in Friday afternoon, rush hour traffic. What should have been a 45 minute drive took well over 2 hours. 

We made it home, I loaded my bike on the rack, and left for package pickup. 

Traffic was still bad. What should have been another 45 minute drive was over 90 minutes. I arrived just in time to check in and drop off my bike. 

I drove home, unpacked the rest of camping, then prepped my gear for the race. 

All this rushing around ended up triggering a stress migraine later that night and after a restless and virtually sleepless night, it was race day. 

I am not going to lie, there was a part of me that just wanted to say, "You know what? Forget this!"

But I had been in a similar situation before. And if I could race a 70.3 with no sleep after a migraine, I can race a sprint under the same conditions. 

I made it to the race early and parked 5 minutes down the road. On the walk in, I met up with my friend and former teammate Alison. We chatted as we walked and caught up on life. 

In the mad rush the day before, I had misplaced my timing chip. Now this sounds familiar. I was able to get a replacement and then set up my transition area. 

A few other things got lost in the shuffle. I forgot my body glide (for my socks and wetsuit). Not a big deal.

I also forgot to check/pump my tires. Luckily they were good.

And my power meter battery was dead, so I would riding by feel alone. Again not the end of the world. 

Once setup, I watched the Olympic distance start. The water had little current, it was high tide, and the water was warm (18 degrees).

After chatting with quite a few athletes that I know from coaching, it was time to line up. 

The Swim

It was a rolling start, 2 athletes at a time every 5 seconds. I thanked the volunteer as I made my way to the water. It was colder than I expected, but still very nice. 

I kept a good line out to the first turn buoy. There was a tanker lined up perfectly so sighting was a breeze. 

I took the first turn and noticed the next buoy was not at 90 degrees. This made the turn not as sharp and easier to get a new sighting line.

Everyone seemed to be going off to the left, but I kept my line and swam a straight line to the next few buoys. 

I rounded the last turn buoy and was headed into shore. It was starting to get a bit more crowded now. I grabbed a draft when I could, but soon the swimmer started off course. I kept my line. 

Soon I was at shore. I swam all the way up and made a good exit. 

As I made my way up the beach, I was not feeling great. Not sick, just very run down. There was a good 10 or so seconds where I considered dropping out. There was a mini aid station with water so I grabbed a cup and threw the cold water on my face. I shook the feeling off and kept marching toward my bike. 

 

I took my time in transition. The race organizers had put up more fencing to control the flow of athlete traffic. This meant we had to run all the way around transition before entering. Not a big deal, I memorized my landmarks from both sides. Not my first rodeo.

I turned left at the second porto-potty and headed toward the white tent until I found my bike. I changed into my gear and was headed out. 
 
The mount line was about 20 meters up the road, so I took my time walking on the pavement in my cycling shoes. I crossed the mount line, got on my bike and was off. 

The Bike

The course took us on all my old familiar training routes. We went up the hill past the Jericho Hostel and up onto 4th.

As I took the turn onto 4th, I saw 3 athletes walking their bikes. I felt bad for them. If they were walking this early and on this hill, they were in for a rude awaking when they got to Spanish Banks. I gave some words of accoutrement as I rode by.

I took the hill nice and easy. We had at least 2 more hills to go and a 5k run. That and I had no power meter to keep me in check. I had the option to display speed, time, and/or distance but opted for a blank screen. 

As we rounded the top of 4th, we had a good downhill onto Chancellor. I used this to gain enough speed to make it up the small incline before heading into UBC. 

Riding through the neighborhood at UBC was a good opportunity to get aero and hydrate. Soon I was making the left onto NW Marine Drive and heading back down to Jericho. 

I stayed to the right as the course merged with those on the end of their lap. And I stayed right to make sure those who were better at descending than me could fly by with ease. Coming down this hill is very technical as it has some twists and turns. I rode within my limit and only went 'full send' toward the bottom where I felt safe. 

I veered left and into the parking lot for the turn around. What comes down must go up. So back up we went. 

Once again, I took the hill very easy. It's not as long as the hill on 4th, but it has some punchy bits. We turned right at the top and rode into UBC. 

These were roads I am very familiar with. I used to ride this route all the time when I lived downtown. I gained good speed and stayed tucked in aero.  

We got to 16th and turned left, This would be last hill on the course. I knew it well from the UBC triathlon. After riding down East Mall, we rode onto the Main Mall and the cobble brick path that is the UBC Tri run course. This took us past the UBC Tri transition area and down the East Mall walkaway (the start of the Great Trek, formerly known as the Fall Classic). This dumped us out at the top of the NW Marine Drive hill.

It was here that I got confused. I saw a race official pointing to the right. I knew we were supposed to go straight, but maybe there was a medical emergency and they were rerouting us. I saw a few athletes ahead of me go right, so I went right. 

I then stopped immediately as I saw another race official wave me back. I asked the first official why he pointed right and he said, "I was not pointing right. I was pointing at you." 

Note to any officials out there, if you are going to point, please only point in the direction we need to go. We are moving fast, our brains are not working 100%, and we cannot read your mind.  

I flew down the hill a second time leaving more room as the race was now very crowded. I rode the down hill speed through the flats along the beach to the construction detour. I took the ramp slowly and under control and was back in aero as we rode into transition.

It was yet another long walk all the way around to my spot. An official joking said, "We changed the format. It's now Swim-Bike-Swim-Run."

I laughed and asked, "Can it just be Bike-Bike-Bike?"

A lady laughed and said as long as she did not have to swim. 

"I can swim for you if you run for me." I joked 

I racked my bike and started off on the run 

The Run

I walked the first bit, getting some hydration and a gel. Once onto the main path, I started to run. I walked through the first aid station and grabbed some water. 

My legs were not giving me what I wanted and I ended up walking more than I would have liked. While looping around the lake, I got some much needed encouragement from the amazing course marshals. 

We looped past transition and I made a mental note of all the signage. There were several ways to go depending on what lap you were on or what distance you were doing. It seemed pretty straight forward to me. But I did see several sprint distance athletes either finish too soon or go out for an unneeded second lap. 

After an out-and-back along Lacarno Beach, it was time to run to the finish. With 1.5k to go, I set the goal of running all the way to the finish. 

I was all in now. I looped around the roundabout that marked the end of 1 lap and turned right onto the finish chute. The chute was a large blue carpet over sand. I could feel it shifting underfoot. I pushed foreword but under control. This was not the time to get injured. 

As I approached the finish line, I realized there was no one around me. I centered myself in the chute and thought, "This will make for a cool photo."  

And it did.

After the race, I went back to transition to collect my gear. There were still 3 athletes on the race course so we all had to wait. As they came in, we all cheered for them. They seemed to have enjoyed having the crowd there. 

I packed my gear, walked back to my car, changed, then went back to watch the pro race. 

It's a pretty cool thing to have the 20 best female pros in the world race in your backyard. 

 

All in all, I am very happy with my result. I could have done better on the run, but given the lead up to race day I'd say I did well.

Swim: 00:16:36
T1:      00:08:03
Bike:   00:50:33
T2:      00:05:15
Run:    00:41:39
Total:   02:02:05

I have one more race on the books for 2026 and my coaches and I are already starting to plan what 2027 may bring. Stay tuned. 

2026 Updates (UBC Sprint, Longest Day 10k, VictoriaHalf Standard)

I am usually pretty good about updating my entries close to the race dates, but work and life have been busy. I am 2 days away from a much needed vacation and I finally find myself with enough downtime to sit and write out some race reports.

This report will cover the first half of 2026 and includes the UBC Sprint Triathlon, The Longest Day 10k, and the VictoriaHalf Standard Distance Triathlon.

 

UBC Sprint Triathlon

As I stated in my last entry, 2026 is a continuation of short course racing. And on March 7, 2026 I raced the UBC Sprint Triathlon. Those who have read any of race reports know I usually race the duathlon due to my mixed feelings about the swim. But my coaches wanted me swimming. 

I arrived at UBC early despite my later start time. I wanted to get a prime transition spot and cheer on people I knew doing the other distances. 

After setting up my transition area, I checked in and dropped off my wet bag. Since UBC is a pool swim with a long transition from Swim to Bike, we are given a wet bag to use as a little mini transition before transition. 

Once my start group was called, we lined up according to our self seed time. I had made a mistake and given my time based 750m and the swim was only 700m. One swimmer was way faster than the rest of us and she lined up first. The next 3 swimmers (including me) all had the same estimated time. We decided we would work together. This is not something I would usually do in the swim, but seeing as it was not open water, I was going to allow it. 

The Swim

I dropped into the water and was off. After about 150 meters, I felt a tap on my toe. This is the signal to wait at the wall and let the swimmer behind pass. A rule that, in the past, was not followed very well by first time swimmers. This is the frustrating reason I started doing the Duathlon instead. 

I let the 2 swimmers pass me and took my spot in the back of our 3 swimmer pace line. 

The start of the race had been delayed due to an issue on the bike course. In an attempt to get the schedule back on track, the race officials shortened the breaks between wave starts. So about halfway through the swim, we caught up with the tail end of the wave that started before us. Surprisingly, every single swimmer we came upon waited at the wall for use to pass. I was shocked. 

Our triplet moved at a good pace and soon I was getting out of the water. 

 

I got out of the water feeling pretty good. I grabbed my wet bag from the volunteer and headed to the change tent. The change tent was in a different area than in years past but it was also alot bigger. 

I had everything in my bag stacked in the order I needed it. Once I had on warmer clothes, I decide to put on my gloves while on the move. I dropped my wet back in the bin and made my way to transition.

The Bike

I got to my bike, put on my helmet and shoes, and I was off. But not before waving to my biggest little fans. 

The start of the bike was an uphill so I was sure to take it nice and easy. I took some hydration and nutrition while my heart rate was still down. 

I made up time on the downhill and took the first turn around under control. Then it was a speedy net downhill to the second turn around. It was during this section of the course that I realized that I had lost enough weight, I could now drink from my aero bottle while in the aero position.  

After the turn around it was a false flat back to the hill on 16th. I kept the climb under control to save energy for lap 2 and the run. 

My heart rate was climbing on the second lap. I wanted to be fast but also be in control. I was getting a bit worried I was pushing too hard, but it all still felt manageable. 

I gained some speed on the second lap and soon I was at the dismount line. 

The ground was wet so I took my time running with the bike in my cleats. 

The Run

After T2, I started the run. I once again saw my family and got some high fives.

The start of the run was up a hill so I opted to walk up to give myself some time to shake out the legs. Once at the top, I started to run. 

I was pushing hard and felt my pacing was off. But every time I tried to reign it in, I ended up settling back in the faster speed. I guess this was the pace my body wanted to go. 

Both laps of the run went about the same. I was gaining speed, pushing hard, and feeling good. I got the last turn around and started to push (more) to the finish.  

I made the left turn and finished strong

I felt really good at this race. With the weight lose and other health improvements, my running has gotten faster. I was happy the swim was not as frustrating as it had been in the past. 

Swim:  0:15:51
T1:       0:07:08
Bike:    0:44:15
T2:       0:04:22
Run:     0:38:09
Total:   1:49:43

Longest Day 10k

On Friday, May 29th I ran the Longest Day 10k running race (once again) at UBC. 

This was a strange one as it was at night, so all day I had to watch what I ate. 

Not really much to go over here. I was once again able to push pretty hard on this one. As stated before, my running has gotten faster and stronger.

I started off pretty easy and in the back of the pack. I knew full well that by lap 2 I would be passing everyone who went out to hard. 

Sure enough, by lap 2 I was passing people as they fell off their pace. I crossed the finish line feeling spent, but was happy I was able to push as hard as I did. 

Time: 1:17:54

Not many pictures of me, but here are a few of my family who are always out supporting me.

  

Victoria Half (Standard Distance) Triathlon

The next race I did was the Victoria Half (Standard Distance) Triathlon on July 12th.

This course is very similar to the Ironman 70.3 Victoria and was therefore familiar territory. When we arrived for bike check in, I was shocked at how small transition was. I had always seen this race advertised and knew several athletes who have race it, so I just assumed it was bigger. 

On race day, the family and I took the shuttle to the race start. I setup my transition while the boys played at the local park. We watched the half distance start and then it was time to suit up. 

I was happy to once again be able to squeeze into my old wetsuit from years ago. And I received several comments on wetsuit secret weapon: Gardening Gloves. They help you get a good grip on the suit material and pull/tug for that perfect fit, They also help protect your suit from those pesky, tiny finger nail tears. 

The Swim

The swim line up was supposed to be self seeded, but everyone just kind of clumped together randomly. I decided to start in the back. Always better to be the swimmer swimming over people, than having people swimming over you. 

I started out nice and slow, taking my time and sighting the sailing club that lined up perfectly with the buoys. The water was warm and there was no current (lake swim). 

I began to pass people almost immediately, but the pack was still relatively spread out. Even at the first turn buoy, the normal race congestion was very minimal. I took the turn and had a clear line of sight to the second turn buoy.  

For some reason, the race pack was veering way to the left. I kept my line and soon I was at the second turn. 

The sun was now on my right and I had to close my eyes when breathing to keep from being blinding. I can hear my swim coach now as he reads this, "Well learn to breathe on the left!" For the record I can, I just choose not to. 

As we made our way back to shore, I was catching even more swimmers. I had to keep my focus (and composure) as swimmers constantly zig-zagged in front of me. 

By now the sun was behind the tree line and it was much easier to navigate. I swam all the way up to shore, popped up, and was on my way. 

For some reason, I could not find my zipper cord. So yet again, here are videos/photos of me looking confused with my am behind my head. 

You do not want to take your cap and goggles off right away, because now they occupy one of your much needed 2 hands. Both of which you need to take off your wetsuit. So when taking off my wetsuit, I take one arm out, then grab my cap and goggles then release them as I pull them through the other sleeve. Both hands are free and I know where my cap and goggle are. 

Unfortunately I found out later that only may cap got caught in my sleeve and I lost my open water goggles. I either need to make sure my goggles are inside my cap or abandon this technique. 

I also tried something new this race. I had my cycling gloves in a ziplock bag in my back pocket.  The idea was to put on my cycling gloves on the move to save time during transition. 

When putting in my wetsuit, Jen asked me if I was afraid the bag would fall out. At the time I said no.

But they did. 

Luckily, when I looked behind me, there on the ground only about 5 feet away. And with wet hands, they were very hard to put on. The amount of time I would have saved was lost in the seconds it look to go back and retrieve them. Not a strategy I will use again. In fact, for olympic and sprint distances, I may forgo gloves all together. I still have not decided on that. I will have to practice some longer rides in training sans gloves. 

I finished my transition and headed to the mount line 

The Bike

I started the bike nice and easy. I had driven the course the day before and new the start was a series of rolling hills. I used the descents to gain speed for the climbs.   

I geared down and made the right turn onto West Saanich. I knew there was a hill right after the turn and did not want to drop a chain. Others were not so lucky or observant. 

The course had good road conditions overall and although it was not a closed course, the majority the roads included a bike lane. 

I navigated some more rolling hills before hitting a big hill the 10k mark. I took this very easy. I knew there were more hills (and we had to do them all twice). Oh and I still had to run 10k after. What is wrong with me? 

After a right turn on Wallace, we had a nice flat section. We hit the second big hill and then came back down. I was happy I drove the course the day before, because halfway down this hill was a sharp right turn. It would be tricky to navigate if you didn't know it was there. 

I got stuck behind a flatbed truck for a bit, but he soon turned off. A few more rolling hills then onto Lap 2. 

Lap 2 went about the same as Lap 1, although I felt more comfortable on a few of the more technical sections. 

At the end of the lap, we turned left to head back to transition. After even more rollers and some fun twisties, we were back at the dismount line. 

I ran my bike in, racked it, then prepped for the run. 

But not before a high five and a hug from my 2 biggest little fans.

It took a bit of time for me to find my legs. The bike was considerably more hilly than I anticipated and the run was primarily a trail run. I do much better on flat, hard surfaces. Odd for someone my size.  

I soon settled into a rhythm and was making good time. 

About 7k into the run, the effort of the day was beginning to catch up with me. At this point, the trees opened up and I could see the finish line. I pointed across the lake like a baseball player calling his shot. 

At 9.1k, I told myself I was going to push and run it all the way in. 

And push I did. 

I saw my family and kept pushing to the finish. The announcer called my name and my time. I was a bit upset about my time when I heard it. But, I needed to take time to properly evaluate the day before I would worry about that. 

Even though triathlons have their set distances (Ironman, 70.3, Standard, Sprint, etc), there is no Apples-to-Apples comparison.  Every course is so different and the transitions are always different distances/setups. I needed to take all this into account before decided if it was a bad time or not. 

Overall, I am happy with my result. It was a very hilly bike, a run that involved some technical trail running, and a unique transition. 

Swim: 0:35:01
T1:      0:03:11
Bike:   1:49:09
T2:      0:02:37  
Run:   1:26:06
Total:  3:56:04

Some things to consider: Was the gloves-on-the-run into T1 worth it? How do I keep with my hydration on the bike when a hilly course offers little opportunity to do so safely? I need to up my brick workouts to better train my legs off the bike.

All in all, a good day. And a race I'd definitely do again. But the standard or sprint, not 4 laps of that bike course at the half iron distance.