I arrived on the scene just before 7am(8am start) with my brother(ex-collegiate triathlete) to help me out and cheer me on. Spent about 15 minutes laying out my transition area as I had planned, near the bike exit in lucky aisle 13 and headed over to get my chip and get written on. I kept the nerves at bay by reminding myself that I was just trying to finish the race. I realized I didn't bring any pre-race drink, so I drank the contents of one of my race bottles, pulled on the rented 2-piece wetsuit, walked 20 minutes(seriously) to the beach where the swim starts, and left my spare shoes at the end of the beach. Got about 10 strokes in to warm up, stretched for a few minutes, and rather unceremoniously, (the starter was a guy in a pickup truck with a bullhorn) we were off. (There was a duathlon going at the same time-they started with us on the beach, ran while we swam, took the same path to the top, and shared the bike course and second run with us)

On the advice of many fellow trifuelers, I started near the outer edge of the swimmers to avoid the melee getting out through the surf, and especially because I never did manage to get that open water swim in that I had been meaning to do before my race. (walking down, I realized that the last ocean swim I did was in 1996) After a hundred yards or so, I settled in to draft off a guy just in front of me, except that in 3 or 4 strokes, he was behind me. So, I looked up and found another one, who quickly met the same fate. Once I turned past the first buoy, I couldn't see anyboday around me, so I looked up and made sure I was on the right line. I was, so I settled in, kept my stroke long, and tried to not swim too far out to sea. I hadn't realized what an adventure sighting the buoys and staying on line would be, but I think I only swam an extra 50-100 meters zig-zagging back and forth. Finally, I come out of the water, look up, and only see one guy ahead of me. I get to the top of the beach, cap, goggles, and wetsuit top in hand, and see my brother pointing at the shoes I'd left among the pile of shoes, who says "dude, you're 3rd out of the water!" So that was pretty cool. Pull on the shoes, run about a half mile up an access road(get passed by a few duathletes and a fellow triathlete), through a small wooded area and across a set of railroad tracks (seriously...) to T1. I nearly expected to see Grandmother's house at the top.

Had a decent T1(not blazing, but efficient enough) and headed out on the bike. Passed a couple guys futzing with their shoes, although I think one of them blew by me about a quarter mile later. I took it pretty easy on the first 3 miles of the bike, just spinning at 18-20 mph, and trying to let my heart rate drop after the run up the hill. Probably half a dozen guys went by me, but most of them were obviously way more experienced (or at least financially invested in the sport) so I didn't worry about it. Took a gel, drank my whole bottle of gatorade, rued the fact that I'd forgotten to bring one for before the race, and started to get into a rhythym on the bike. 3 more guys passed me on a flat, but I went right by them 500 yds later going up a hill. One of them passed me again as we reached the turnaround, but I passed him again on a short roller, he passed me again on a flat, and I shot by him on a descent. I looked back a mile or so later, and he was well out of sight. Climbed the only real "hill" (of course at the end of the ride), glanced at my comp, and was happy to have only spent about 35 minutes in the saddle. Pulled into T2, found out the hard way that they only labeled one end of the racks, but fortunately I only burned about 20-30 seconds trying to find my slot.

Having misplaced my socks and starting to feel that competitive spirit flowing, I chucked on my shoes without the socks, dropped my helmet, and headed out for the run. Of course, the transition area was not terribly well marked, so I (and 2 other guys) started going the wrong way, until some volunteers steered us back where we were supposed to go. I knew that of the 3 aspects, I was the least prepared for the run, so I settled into a pace I knew I could keep for 3 miles. Followed the markings down onto the beach, learned the hard way how not to drink out of a paper cup while running, and watched a couple guys go by me. A jogger on the beach picked it up for a few minutes and actually started a conversation with me, asking about the race and all of that...nice fellow. Then, up the stairs to the top of the bluff(yeah, they hurt a lot, and yes, I walked up the last flight) and off to finish the last mile of the run. As I got to the last 500 or so yards, I put a little kick on...a little too early. I backed off when the queasy feeling got a little too strong and put another kick on for the last 150-200 yds. Plus, no matter how bad it hurts, when they announce your name near the finish line, you gotta take it up a little more :) Right as I crossed the line, I some people stopped me and took the chip off my ankle and said something and pointed somewhere, and I didn't understand a single word of it. I walked around for a few minutes, ate some grapes and drank some water, and grinned like an idiot when my brother told me I was probably in or near the top 10.

When I checked the results this morning, I found out that I won my age group and was 12th overall, which I guess isn't bad for a guy who only spent about 2 months getting ready for the race and was joking with all the volunteers along the way (I suggested they install escalators where the stairs were near the end of the run).

Lessons learned:
1. Bring some gatorade for before the race.
2. Socks are REALLY important on the run.
3. Better to put 2 gels on the bike and need one than vice-versa.
4. Time to get some more running in.
5. The volunteers who line the course and cheer make the event even more fun.
6. Before you start a 6-hour drive home, make sure you didn't leave your (rented)wetsuit hanging in the bathroom in your brother's apartment...

All in all, I had an amazing first experience...and I can't wait for the Santa Barbara sprint race on August 28th! Thanks for all the great tips you guys!

Jason