The title says it all.

I went into this race expecting to drop out on the run due to a knee problem I've been having, but wanted at least to give it a shot. I figured I'm in my hometown, the race has been paid for, and can at least get in a rocking swim and bike before pulling out if my was hurting.

4:15 am wake up call. Shockingly, I'm up without a problem. Get my bag packed, eat a bowl of granola with soy milk and am out the door on my bike at 5:00. My race doesn't start until 7:45 but transition closed at 5:45, so I needed to be there early. Surprisingly, I pass a few other triathletes riding down to the lake. Must have been strange for them to hear a disc whir by at 5:10 am. I was actually averaging about 23 mph on my way down. The taper was feeling good... Rack up, use duct tape on the shoes since I didn't have any rubber bands on me (worked perfectly, by the way), and find a place under a tree to dose for an hour or so.

7:15 my gf shows up and I meet my parents who came up for the race. around 7:35 I start to tug on my wetsuit and wander over to the start corral. 7:44 and my wave is in the water, treading for a minute until we begin. No chance for a warm-up here, so I decide I'm going to take it out casually for the first 200 m before hitting a rhythm.

7:45 - the horn blows and we're off. I'm starting in the front, to the left and get out without a problem. One guy ahead of me, so I take a few strokes to the right and get into a draft for about a hundred meters or so. At this point, he starts to drop off. I decide waiting for him isn't worth it, and if he's drafting me, I'll wait until we catch the previous wave before dropping him. It took about another 100 m before catching the breast strokers. Ugh... I settle in for the next 1300 m of passing, weaving and getting whip kicked through the other groups. Make the turn at 375 m and immediately hit my pace. Smooth, long, powerful pulls and a soft kick. All that training in L. Michigan without the suit was really paying off. Hit the half way point and hear the horn go off for another wave. They are going off every 4 minutes and I think to myself, "Huh, 12 minutes seems a bit slow." I look at my watch and I'm at 8:02. Alright, I must be making my way through traffic a bit better than expected. And swimming way faster than anticipated. After weaving my way past a couple hundred more swimmers, I erupted from the water in 17:52. Not a bad swim, I must say. Hit the 1/4 mile run to transition, and over the timing mat at 20:26 (3/4000+) and 1:34 below my expectations. Thinking to myself, if I can get a good bike in, I'm under 2 hours for sure.

T1: run up the hill and sprint through to my bike, racked all the way at the end, but closest to the bike exit. Wetsuit down to the ankles while putting on my helmet, but refused to come off. Pulled them down with the hands and ran to the bike out. T1: 1:21.

Mount the bike and start up the ramp onto Lake Shore pedaling on top of my shoes. Halfway up the ramp, not more than 200m into the ride, I lose my bottle. Are you "f***ing kidding me?!" I think to myself, oh well, I'll ride off and see how I feel after 20k, at the turn around to head back north. I see a few more bottles on the road, but don't want to slow up and grab one. I'll just go for it and see how I feel. But man I wish I had at least one drink before losing the bottle. Then, aroung 10 k out, you hit a stretch of the worst asphalt I have ever encountered (and this includes riding my bike through rural Borneo) with about 15 bottles hanging out en mass. You never want to see that sort of thing, but at least it makes you feel a bit better about your own situation. A little empathy goes a longway. After a first 11 k at 36 kph average into a headwind, I turn around and immediately pick up speed to 43-44 and fly back towards the skyline. Pass a few people on the long walk back to transition after flatting out, and slam through a pothole myself. Fortunately, I'm rolling on tubulars, so after a quick glance at the back tire, I'm reassured and continue cranking. At this point, the lack of fluids is becoming noticable, and at the 20k turn around to head back north, I go straight, completing the 22k sprint bike course in 32:44, but pulling out of the race. I didn't want to be in the medical tent getting an IV after the race (or worse, before finishing) and as I was likely going to pull out due to a bum knee anyway, this was probably the best decision. But it's still frustrating to throw away such a strong swim. So I guess I'll just hit the training a bit harder and gear up for an attack on the pro license at Memphis in May, 2009.