Overall a solid effort, and it was great to have a complete race with a finish under my belt. The swim was as good as I expected. It’s always hard to sight there because the pond bows and you can’t see the end buoys from shore so you are figuring out where they are on the fly. And you have direct sunlight on the way in. But I was content with the swim. I was very happy with the bike! I love the course and I am very familiar with the local roads. Set my Garmin 40km PR, but that was a soft record to beat because it was within the 2021 Pilgrimman Half bike. Considering that I haven’t ridden much since Lake Placid, this was a pleasant surprise to average 20mph for this distance. I also think that my leg strength training is already helping my cycling power. If I am being honest, the only disappointment today was my running. I just couldn’t get going like I hoped. I’m used to catching people on the run and I was just unable to respond. I actually ran a slower pace for 6 miles today than I ran for 13 in the Patriot Half in June. I suppose that also speaks to how well things were going before my PEs. No worries, I’ll get back there and I’ll have plenty of run focus this Fall!! Finished 8th of 19 in my age group. Not too shabby and I think it was a more competitive race than the simultaneous sprint race. Glad I did the Olympic distance though. Haven’t done one in over 5 years, and it is interesting to pace because it is way longer than a sprint but way shorter than long courses. Definitely counts as a marathon training workout, taking 2:44 and running nearly the last hour!