Not so wet WF

The rain came and went on Friday and Saturday we awoke to what proved to be almost perfect weather conditions by Wildflower standards. I guess the only complaint would be that the traditional tail wind that is almost always present on the back side of the lake was replaced this year with a slight headwind. As Chris Lieto said, "no tail wind, just a head wind, so I had to burn a bunch of matches to close the gap on the bike." or something to that effect. Either way, it made what is already a pretty brutal bike course, that much more "fun".

All in all, I am, lets call it "content" with my race:
Swim: 27:23 (I was 26:xx last year and wanted to be 25 this year so that pissed me off);
T1: 2:10;

Bike: ?? no splits (thanks to Eternal Timing / Bazu Media, probably the worst timing company I have seen. Seriously they missed SO many people's splits. I think the RD must have some sort of relationship with them, otherwise their is NO reason they should still be doing this race), but doing the math, it looks like it was 2:35 - 2:36; I am actually pretty happy with that, and my first experiment with rubber banding my shoes made mounting a breeze;

T2: ?? Same story, but considering I ran down the wrong aisle and had to duck under the racks to get to mine, and then find my #, not too stellar;
Run: 1:28:29 (6:45pace) This is the definitive "low" spot for the race for me. I SHOULD have run faster. I had some abdominal cramping and "bathroom problems" but I make no excuses. The run was slow because I am slow. Those issues were not the cause of the result. plain and simple, my run fitness is not where it should/needs to be.
Finish: 4:36:22. 4th in Age Group; 17th Overall.

Again, I am content, but could be much happier. It is my fault. I need to get my fat ass in gear, and build up some serious run speed and stamina before IM Couer D' Alene. Otherwise I am going to get my ass handed to me.

Overall however, the good times outweighed the bad, and it was an awesome weekend. How can it be that bad with sunrises like this?

Great times were had with T3 members and I was super stoked that Charisa and her crew (including the 1st place mixed relay team) camped with us. Charisa, in typical fashion, CRUSHED it, and took 2nd in her age group and 3rd overall. AWESOME!! Maybe I should have had a "Big Frank" afterall?? I guess I can chalk it all up to another learning experience. I learned that my fitness level will not get any better if I don't work even harder at it, and won't even remain stagnant if I don't work hard just to maintain. I learned I need to do a boatload of work before Kona. The only real plus on the racing side, was that my nutrition plan seemed to work pretty darn well (aforementioned bathroom problem aside). At least I know a little bit more now and can carry that into CdA. Big Work ahead... I hope I am game. If not, please feel compelled to kick my ass should our paths cross in the future.