Shanes Riding Mtn Triathlon race report

Chalk another one up for experience…
The day started off well. It was raining and slightly cool but still good for racing in. I was not scared of the rainy dreary weather as I excel and love running in the rain and as long as I am warm, I like to ride in the rain as well. (I think I like to have a day where it is gross out, as so many people don't like the rainy day.)
The bike warm up was good and my legs were a little sore and tired but I did not think about it. After the hard week I had, I thought I was doing really well. Next, was to get my bike into transition and warm up on the run.
The run warm up was good and My legs once again felt tired but I quickly pushed that out of my mind. I got down a part of the run course and realized that it was going to be a trail run for the 1st 5k and got excited. I was now pumped and looking forward to the run.
I got back to transition with lots of time before the race start. (As transition closed at 8:30am, half hour before swim start, I had to get into the water early as there was a meeting at 8:30 and marshaling at 8:45.) It was good that I got into the water so early, as there was no time after the meeting and marshaling. I was in the water at 8:15 and the only person warming up. It was cold out and I was wondering if I had made the right decision so far before the start of the race and having to stand outside in the rain before the race. Luckily the water was warm and I just kept telling myself that I would be alright. Once the warm up was done I was out of the water at 8:30 and back in transition for the meeting. I was fine as far as body temperature until 10 minutes before the race and then I was shivering. I just kept saying that I will warm up, I will warm up.
Well the gun went off and I quickly got punched in the head by the guy next to me. It came out of nowhere and it hurt. Well that is the last time I got hit during the swim. The swim turned out to be one of the toughest swims I have ever done, because of the high waves and rainy windy weather. The swim quickly turned into a survival test and not totally about the speed. (the swim consisted of 2 laps of a 750m course). The swim tom the first buoy was fast but after that it was very hard to see the next buoy. I had to rely on watching for other swimmers as I could not see the buoys due to the high waves. It was a very hard swim across the waves. I did not see the 2nd buoy until I was approx. 50m from it. Once around the 2nd + 3rd buoy, it was a straight shot to the turnaround (or start-finish area). The waves along this stretch were coming across you (barrel roll like) and were starting to make me feel sea sick. The 2nd lap was better, as I knew what to expect and there was no one around. The spot between the 1st and 2nd buoy was better and I was able to time my spotting at the top of the waves better. I came out of the water in 3rd place overall (1st in my age group) and felt strong coming into transition. Official time: 24:26
Once in transition I put on my no limits jacket (the new one) grabbed my gloves and took off on the bike. Leaving transition I felt great and very light on my feet. I was ready tom tackle the bike. It was drizzling and I was able to get into some what of a rhythm even though there were a lot of hills. My HR on the way out on the bike was around 168 to 175 but I was feeling good. My legs were good and I was pushing as hard as I felt I could. I did not feel like I was overdoing it even though I was 5 to 8 beats over my AT. The bike course was very hilly and would be comparable to Wildflower. The last 5k before the turnaround was all uphill and I felt like I was getting into a rhythm. The way back down the big hill was fun and I was flying. Then at approximately the 25k mark my front tire all of a sudden felt like it had some spring. (Not a good sign). I thought that was odd and pedal up a small incline and then the tire was totally flat. Well the good bike ride was over. (up until this point my IT bands and back were just starting to hurt.). I changed the tier, checked the rim, the tire and then proceeded to get the CO2 out. Well the 1st one failed and no air went in, I thought that is why I have 2 CO2 cartridges. Well I had as much luck with the 2nd one. Well luckily within the next 5 minutes someone with a pump came by and lent it to me. I was back on the bike after 17 minutes of frustration. Once back on the bike I felt like a million bucks and just started hammering. I was passing people like there was no tomorrow. Well just as I started to think about the run, my front tire went flat again. (approx. 35k mark) Once I stopped the bike, I got off and swore again on the side of the rode. (After getting home, later in the day I found a very small piece of wire in my tire.) Bike ride was over....race was over.
Well once a race official picked me up and I got back to transition, I dropped off my chip and ended up chatting with one of the lead race officials. I discussed with her what transpired and she convinced me that I should do a run anyways, just to get the confidence for the run. So, I dropped my bike off in transition, put my running shoes on and took off on the run course. Before I knew it I was flying down the course and I had covered 2.5k. Up until this point I was not sure how far I was going to run but decided at this point to do the entire 10k. I felt like I was flying and very powerful and strong. I was passing everyone. It felt really awesome.  I turned a potentially crappy day into a great one. I ended the run with a time of 42:40, only 20s from my PB in a 10k during a triathlon. I also felt that I could have pushed a bit harder at the end, during the run.