As for me, the day before the event started off with a short run and bike at home before heading out to Newfound Lake, NH. Similar conditions held up in Vermont, 66 degrees under a slight threat of rain. After a sub-3 hour drive to Camp Wellington Park (5 ½ hours from NYC), I picked up my packet, went for a short, very chilly (64 degrees) swim, and promptly lost an expensive pair of sunglasses. Only fate would find me in a grumpy state as I sight my first Triton, Bob Nelson, whose upbeat demeanor helped ease my woes. He seemed ready for a great race, and his good vibes rubbed off on me.

Under cloudy skies, Show Time arrived with a pretty even low-to-mid 60s throughout the day. Rain was in the forecast, and it may have drizzled a little, but not enough to turn a great race into a hated experience. Racking the bike and preparing for the race brought along the usual jitters one comes to expect pre-race. Seeing the smiling face of Evelyn Heinbach, while she was officiating didn’t hurt either.

SWIM. Swimming in Newfound Lake the day prior took the edge off the chill at gun time, on this counter clockwise rectangular course. With nice, long strokes, I was fortunate to have missed out on the requisite kicks to the goggle or arm slapping my sides for the most part. The water on the way out and across felt even, while I could swear there was a counter-current on the return. I saw my NYC training buddy, Jonathan, at transition. Knowing he went off in the prior wave, and that we have comparable swim abilities, I figured I had a pretty good first leg. (Swim: 31:37)

BIKE. Let me be clear: if no biking hill work has been done before competing at Mooseman, Suffering Is Guaranteed. Long hills, short hills, shallow ones, steep ones, winding declines and straight-away inclines, lousy pavement, ideal roads – this course has them all. Still, racers got off with a caution as the first loop progressed under calm weather conditions. There was noticeable wind resistance on the second loop, but not enough to discourage.

In general, I never felt stronger. Having some experience under my belt helped me to fight the urge to pursue passers, leaving me to focus on my own rhythm. Lessons learned on the road in training came back easily during this competition; however, no race is complete without its hiccups. I was distracted at around Mile 16, when the sponge from my aero-bottle popped out, sloshing energy drink all over my bike and me. UGH and ICKY! I drank what I could, in part to save some of the drink and to stop the splish-splash. Bad move (read on). (Bike: 2:45:19)

RUN. Running the same course as part of the bike course can be helpful, as participants basically have an idea of the terrain before they finish up this third leg. The first mile begins with a short jaunt on the beach (not fun), before hitting a flat pavement. After that, this long elevation stretch begins, its progression of which is only mixed up with one steep hill. Runners then descend the other side before turning into this declining cul-de-sac for the turnaround. As an out-and-back loop, it returns up and down the long hill to flatten out for a first-loop finish. Repeat.

Remember all that drink? Well, trying to drink up The Slosh had payback privileges, as it moved from the front of my bike to the pit of my stomach. I spent much of the run trying to dilute it with water. It was only in the final couple of miles that I got it under control. Unfortunately, at Mile 8 I also twisted my ankle, with a resulting shock of pain riding up and stopping at my knee until the very end. Still, I came upon two other Tritons racing along with me, which provided a mental relief for which I am grateful. Bob Nelson’s zen strides and Maryann Piamonte’s focused determination reminded me we are at the end of the day all in this race together. Although that pain didn’t stop me from literally putting my best foot forward, I only wonder how much better I could have done, but was pretty happy with the result given those mishaps. (Run: 1:51:23) (TOTAL: 5:12:08)