So i've officially accomplished my 1st tri, and it was great. I def need to try to find another sprint before the end of the year up here or maybe just fly down to FL again. Although the race did put quite a few things in perspective for me.

The race itself was very well run, lots of signs, volunteers, markings.

As far as my performance, I finished and not last (my 2 main goals). The fact that my target was 1:45 to complete the course and ended up with a 1:46 makes me pretty happy all things considered. The swim began with me getting kicked in the face, split my lip, so much for being to the back and outside. So I coasted through that. I really need to work on the swimming, that's for sure the spot with the most room for improvement. T1, nice and slow, cleaned myself up and out I go. The whole thing went perfectly, albeit in slow motion. Then the bike, well it's FL, it's beautiful out, it's a great opportunity for a bee sting. So there was that right in the chest, fun. Then, b/c all F@#ked things happen in 3's... about 1/2 way through the ride, i hit a serious bump and my stem comes loose. Like 'almost not attached' loose. So I had to make a little stop to fix that. When they say "safety check all bolts" it means ALL, not just the ones you used to take your ride apart for shipping. But luckily I had my little multi tool and away I went. T2 went just as T1 nice and smooth, I did take a moment to pull the stinger out of me but other than that... just as i had practiced. There was a bit of a situation where the two racers on either side of me in the transition forgot that the racks were for the seats of their bikes and that maybe their bikes shouln't be on top of my bag and running shoes, it required me to 'gently adjust' the position of their bikes as I made room for my own. After that, the run was a trot through downtown Orlando. Great finish line, lots of supporters. It felt like a million bucks.

Lessons Learned:
- Swim More: I still sink faster than I swim.
- Lake Swim = Clear goggles, nothing worse than murky water through tinted lenses.
- The $40 I spent on aerobars was worth every penny. All the reading on bike geometry and a little tinkering, my kinda casual ride performed really well.
- Socks, not worth it at all. Soggy, awkward to get on, I just need to get used to running without.
- Reading the online materials made all the difference, I was ready for all the craziness.

So all that said, I think i'm going to have some fun with this. I think it's going to require a modest bike purchase, many hrs spent in the pool, and a boatload of bodyglide, but I've def got the bug.