(long post - fair warning)

"DFL is still finishing!" That was running through my head during most of the bike and the run.

For background: After weighing in at 315lbs I'm now down to 283lbs thanks to training. I'm 6'8" and figure 235 is a good target... still a Clyde. This would be my first tri.

I had three goals for this sprint:
1. Finish.
2. No DFL.
3. Under 2 hours.

Goal 3 said goodbye during the bike.

Course & Times:
Swim - 750m - 22:53
T1 - 4:30
Bike - 10.95miles of MTB track - 1:42:26
T2 - 1:28
Run - 5k - trail (with crazy hills) and sidewalk - 36:01
Total - 2:47:19
(for reference, 1st place was 1:30:10)

Swim - Pre swim clif shot - my new best friend. First time in open water. At the gym, I had gotten 750m down to just over 22 minutes, so I'm very pleased with my race time. It was weird being in the water, and wearing a cap. I put the cap over my ears which messed with either my breathing or my head/mind, so about 300m in I pushed it up. I couldn't get into my normal rhythm, maybe because I was too busy checking my direction and avoiding getting kicked/hit. Instead of my normal 4 strokes/breath I did a smooth 2 strokes/breath. It was ok, but a race-day adjustment. Still came out of the water winded.

T1 - Somewhere on here I read about rolling socks up for application in T1 when the feet are wet. What a lifesaver.

Bike - pretty rockin bike course with a lot of nice downhill singletrack. Quite a bit of sand, a decent drop, and plenty of rocks - glad I ride a 29er. I saw more faceplants and crashes than a F/X highlight reel. It was rough going for some. I managed to not crash the whole time, and even took some downhills and climbs better than my MTB race last weekend (a marked improvement!). Still, this time was way off of what I estimated. I figured I could do this course closer to 1:00:00, but I did stop to let the pros go through so that I'm sure slowed me down (it was a 3 loop track). Another friendly clif shot after the 2nd lap.

T2 - Off the bike and started running immediately - felt great.

Run - I usually hop on the treadmill at 6mph and am done after 1.5 miles, so I wasn't sure how I'd handle a 5k. I ran the whole thing! Well, more of a jog - I knew I wasn't at 6mph and my time confirms that, coming in just over 36 minutes. The first mile or so was a trail climb up a beast of a hill. That really slowed me up. From there, it was pretty smooth sailing to the finish.

Glad to say I am now a triathele! There's an xterra coming up in June or July I might have to sign up for - although I've heard the water is really cold on that one and I may need a wetsuit.

Thanks to all of the forum members for sharing their knowledge - just reading posts here has been a huge help! Like the thread about just springing for trishorts instead of wearing a swimsuit or boardshorts - awesome tip.

Back to the goals:
1. Done.
2. Done. 27/33 of Males 25-29 (no Clyde division)
3. We'll get 'em next time.

Lessons learned:
1. Clif shots rule.
2. Remember sun screen.
3. People use clipless for a reason. Invest here.
4. Swim cap above the ears.

Thanks everyone!

(ps - there were multiple people taking photos - if they come up online I'll update this thread)