2013 Graniteman St. Cloud Triathlon Race Report

This is my first time doing this race.
I had been watching the weather, since it had been so bad over the weekend, and they were predicting more bad weather.  I got up in the morning before 4AM, since the drive was an hour+ and I had not been there before.  I checked the weather and the rain was going to go through St. Cloud and be gone by 7AM, according to weather.com website.  I ate my usually banana, yogurt with frozen fruit and granola, and then headed out.  The drive was good until about 30 miles from St. Cloud, and then the sky exploded.  The rain was coming down in sheets and it was extremely hard to see.  I pulled off to get my usual coffee and donut, pre-race, water and gatorade, pre-race, bottle fill, and post-race.  When I got back in the car the rain had calmed down a bit.  By the time I got to the race site, after getting slightly lost, it was totally done raining.
I got there a little later than I wanted, but the race was delayed half an hour.  So, instead of starting at 8AM it started at 8:30AM.  I learned this when I pulled over to check directions, and I also checked my email where they sent out an email to announce this, and that we should check FB for updates.
Transition was in the grass.  Grass was wet, and sloppy in places. I found a spot not too bad at the end of the rack.  Packet pickup was at the race site, it was quick and easy.  Setup in transition was quick and easy.
So far, so good.
There was no rain prior to the race.
The swim was around a small lake in downtown in St. Cloud.  Nice little lake.  My warm-up was a swim in the lake prior to the start.  I had my wetsuit on, and it still felt cold.  The rain prior to start must have cooled it down a tad.  I was in the 6th wave, both sexes age 35-39, so I had about 15 minutes to wait.
The swim did not feel too bad, not great, but not bad.  There was some banging around with competitors at first, more than usual.  Very straightforward swim.  After the fact, I learned I was third in my AG out of the water.  I was a little slow out of transition.  I wanted to get socks on before the bike, and I soaked one of them as I was getting it on.  Also, a little helmet trouble.  This time I brought my wife's Oakley's with clear lens.  It was nice having these on cloudy day with the possibility of rain, and wet roads.
I had a number of problems on the bike.  First, the course.  Course is pretty nice.  Not a lot of turns, out and back course.  Mostly flat, no steep climbs.  One problem, about a mile into the bike, I felt like I was digging myself out of hole, in terms of my energy level.  I felt depleted from the start.  Other issue, I hit a bump, pothole, that jarred me.  When that happened the part that holds the shell of the helmet to the cage part, that sits on your head, came lose.  The part is at the front of the helmet, so my helmet slipped down towards the bridge of nose.  I made the decision to not stop, and just adjusted it one and off during the bike, really annoying.  Then there was the wind.  There was a pretty decent headwind on the way out.  About halfway to the turn around, I passed 3 people from different waves, not long after that, they passed me, and I started catching them again.  I decided that I did not want to do this back and forth, or be stuck trying to adjust my spacing behind them.  So, I gunned it and got out in front of them.  I stayed out in front of them for the rest of the race.  I was taking the fact that I passed them, and then they passed me, that I was going too slow, so I picked it up.  I am not sure hammering it into the head wind was such a great idea, based on how my legs felt on the run.
At the turn around, it was nice to have the wind at my back.  It still felt tough.
Got off the bike, ran with the new Saucony Kinvera 3 for the first time.  They were just fine, no problem.  The run was a slog.  I knew it was going to be based on the bike.  The run is flat, maybe some false flats, but nothing I would call a hill.  I think I got passed by 4-5 guys in my AG.  My run time was actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
By the time I got to the finish the sun was out and it was heating up.
The advertised distance was 1/3mi swim, 15mi bike, and 3.1 mile run.  The bike was actually longer and the run shorter.  They did not correct it anywhere, but they did correct it in the speed and pace.  The speed and pace recorded did not match what they should be for the distance, so I backed the distance out, and it is below.  I figured the bike was longer, based on the fact I passed the 15mi marker and still had about 5-6 blocks to transition and the run seemed slightly short.
I liked the course, and the race was well organized.  I did not have a great feeling race, my results were not terrible, but that is not the fault of the race, or the course.  I would definitely do this race again.  I think on a good day, a day were I felt good, I could have a fast race.

2013 Graniteman St. Cloud Results
Swim (587 yards) - 9:49 (1:51/100yards)
T1- 2:07
Bike (15.7 mi) - 45:17 (20.8MPH)
T2 - 1:10
Run (2.9 mi) - 23:57 (8:16/mi)
Total - 1:22:19
Overall - 50/211
AG - 10/21
Overall Pace - 4:21/mi

2013 Goals - Triathlon, Running, and Biking

I have had these written up for awhile, but I forgot to post them.  I write them on a white board, in the bedroom, with the reasons that I want to do these things that I do.  I have them on the board so that I can see them everyday.  My reasons are pretty similar from year-to-year, and are listed right next to my goals on the board.

2013 Goals
23.5MPH+ Ave Bike Speed for 10+miles
10K off the bike less than 48min
Open 10K in under 46:30
3mi\5K open or off bike less than 21:30min
Olympic Tri in under 2.5 hours

Reasons
Sunrises
Feeling of accomplishment you can only get from racing
The challenge
It is fun!

I had to adjust my 5K/3mi running goal for the year.  Originally, my goal was less than 22:00min, but I did my first 5K in 22:03, so I decide to move it down to 21:30.  I am not sure I will be running an open 10K this year, but I decide to put a goal for it right now.  I think that I am doing a better job with my run intensity than I did last year.
I don't think I did the running last year to meet my goals, so I was not even close to my goals last year. 
At the moment, I am not sure about the bike.  Last year I did not hit this goal, not sure about this year.  I tried some different training earlier in the year, more intensity, not sure I did enough. Hopefully, I have done enough, and the Tuesday Night TTs help me out.
Still trying to bust that elusive 2.5 hour mark at the Olympic Distance.  I think it all comes down to the run for me.  I have been close.  If I can get a solid swim and bike, with a run around my goal time, I can get under 2.5.  I only have a couple chances this year, and they are back-to-back Maple Grove, which has a slightly longer bike and a challenging run, and St. Croix Valley, which has run that is not as bad as Maple Grove, but I would say the bike has more hills.  Last year, St. Croix Valley was my worst race of the year.  I am hoping to make a comeback this year.
  

2013 Manitou Sprint Triathlon (Duathlon) Race Report

I woke up and it was raining and windy.  I ate my usual breakfast of yogurt, fruit, and granola, with a banana, along with OJ.  I debated switching from my Sub-9 Disc to my 808 on the rear.  Decide to stay with the disc.  Loaded the car and headed off to White Bear Lake.  As usual, I stopped to get a donut, a coffee, a couple bottles of water, and small Gatorade.
As I drove to White Bear Lake it was raining and windy.  When I got to the race site, it was windy and raining.
Typically, a portion of the parking lot is the transition area.  When I got there, there was nothing but empty parking lot and some cars.  For a moment I thought they weren't even setup.  I sat in the car for a bit and then went out in the rain.  The temp was about 55 and the wind was blowing, and it was raining pretty steady.  This was the story of the day, except for after the race, when it stopped raining.
The transition area was setup in the grass on the other side of the beach house, between the beach and the beach house.  Interesting. I got my number and chip, hung-out outside for a bit, and then went back to the car to organize and stay warm.  Rumor had it, the swim would be cancelled.  There were white caps on the lake.  The concern was the wind, not as much the rain, or the temp.
After I sat in the car for awhile, I put my bike in transition.  I hung it by the seat on the rack.  After seeing it bang around on the rack for awhile I decide to rack it in on the bars.  This was much more stable.  I should have checked the wheels before I went out on the course.  More on this later.
At about 7:30 the official call was made to cancel the swim and turn the race into a duathlon.  The wind was too bad and there was concern for safety on the swim, and that the swim markers would not stay in place.  The wind was bad, I may have mentioned that already.
The run would be 2 miles.
There were only 3 waves.  It was a small race, 75 individuals, and then some relay teams.  The previous two times I have done this race, 2010 and 2012, there were over 300 individuals competing.
Before starting, I put on a thin long-sleeve shirt on underneath my one piece tri-suit.  I also put on my 2XU calve compression sleeves.  I debated leaving on the CEP compression socks.  I am glad I did not leave the socks on, the sleeves were soaked through, and if I had left the socks on they would have been soaked through and 2-3 times as heavy.
We started, the run out is mostly uphill, and I think I split the first mile at a little over 7 minutes.  I came into transition at 15:03.  I was pretty happy with the time.  I had spent the previous 10 days in Hawaii, on vacation, and I had not done much training.  The Tuesday before, I had done the Tuesday Night Time Trial and I had one of my slowest time in years.  I was not sure how I would fair on this day.
The bike was one of the most uncomfortable and miserable rides I had ever done.  It was really windy, raining, and the road was pretty rough.  Additionally, I decided to wear my sunglasses for protection.  I thought they would help, but they did not.  I spent time making sure they were low on my nose so I could see over the top.  Also, I was getting some rear wheel rub.  Probably from the bike being bounced around on the rack before the race.  I did not stop to adjust.  I didn't think it was worth it, so I just lived with it. I was a little nervous with the weather and road conditions.  Typically, I am not that nervous on the bike.
My bike split was pretty low.  One of my slowest splits in a duathlon since 2008, this was also probably the worst conditions I have ridden in.
When I got off the bike, is started running and pushing the bike by the seat towards transition, but a gust of wind came and almost sent the bike out of my hands and flying off. The disc was acting like a sail.  I had to carry the bike with two hands into the transition area or it would have gotten away from me.
Once I got the bike in transition and my shoes on, I started to haul myself uphill.  The first half-mile to mile was rough, but I actually felt pretty good after that.  My time was not that bad.  Considering everything else that day.
I would have preferred to swim, but doing it as a duathlon is better than canceling the entire event.
After the race I hung-out and had a couple of hotdogs, every race that is sponsored by Gear West, and when the owner Kevin O'Connor is at the race, he grills hot dogs for everyone, and I stayed for all the awards.
I was supposed to do Lake Minnetonka Sprint next weekend, but I am going out-of-town for a wedding, so the next race will not be until Graniteman on June 23.  This will be the latest in the season that I have done a triathlon in MN.
Below are some pictures and my results for this year compared with results from the previous two time I had done the race.  I figured I would compare the du to the tris, since the times are so close. There is some difference in the distance for the bike and the run.  The run is true, this year they cut a little bit out, so I believe it is 3 this year, and 3.1 the previous years.  The bike is reported as 14 miles, but it 13.5 miles according to my GPS, and that is what was reported in previous years.  I adjusted my speed to correct for this, the distance used to calculate the speed in the results is 14.  So my speed is a little slower than I would have liked, but, again, it is what is it and it was a crappy day.

2013 Manitou Sprint Triathlon (Duathlon) Results
Run 1 (2mi) = 15:03 (7:31/mi)
T1 = 1:01
Bike (13.5mi) = 41:02 (19.7MPH)
T2 = 0:50
Run (3mi) = 23:36 (7:52/mi)
Total = 1:21:30
Overall = 18/76
AG = 5/9
Pace = 4:24/mi

2012 Manitou Sprint Triathlon Results
Swim (880 yards) = 15:26 (1:46/100yds)
T1 = 3:14
Bike (13.5mi) = 38:34 (21MPH)
T2 = 0:54
Run (3.1mi) = 23:37 (7:38/mi)
Total = 1:21:43
Overall = 76/308
AG = 5/27
Pace = 4:47/mi

2010 Manitou Sprint Triathlon Results
Swim (880 yards) = 15:22 (1:45/100yds)
T1 = 2:18
Bike (13.5mi) = 37:49 (21.4MPH)
T2 = 1:34
Run (3.1mi) = 23:40 (7:38/mi)
Total = 1:20:41
Overall = 100/345
AG = 13/38
Pace = 4:43/mi

May 2013 Racing and Training Summary

This May was a little lower on time, like last May, and for good reason, like last May.  Last May I got married, this May Jackie and I went on our honeymoon\celebrate 1st anniversary \celebrate Jackie graduating\celebrate Jackie passing boards\celebrate Jackie getting a job trip.  We went to Honolulu for 3 days and Kauai for 7 days.  I did not do much training for that 10 day span.  Some running and some time on the elliptical trainer. 
As far as racing goes for the month, I did on 5K, one Tuesday Night Time Trial (TNT), and the Gear West Duathlon.  I was happy with my 5K results (7:08/mi pace) and my first TNT was pretty good.  For the hilly 11 mile course I went 29:53, which comes out to about 22.09MPH.  I will take that as a pretty good start to the year.  I was fairly happy with the GW Du.
I have a lot in June, a 5K, two TNTs, and 3 triathlons.
Since April of 2007 I have swam over 1.5 million yards.  That seems like a lot.  That is an average about 20,000 yards a month.
Below are the usual comparisons of May from year-to-year.  You can see this is the lowest since 2007, and close to last year.  I put in a whopping 30+ hours in 2008 and 2010.

Comparisons of May from Year-to-Year

Totals and Averages Since 2007

YTD Totals and Totals Since 2007

2013 Gear West Duathlon Results

To get to the Gear West Duathlon I have to go west. I live in South Minneapolis and the race is in Orono.  The sky in the west looked pretty grey and gloomy.  As I was driving, I could see lightning and hear thunder.  When I got a couple minutes from the race site, it started to pour, in sheets.  It was raining so hard it was difficult to see.  This was about 6:30AM. 
I parked and waited a few minutes for the rain to back off, then grabbed an umbrella, and walked over to the packet pick-up.  The walk took longer than pick-up.  I walked back to the car, organized some of my gear, and drove to another parking lot, on the other side of transition.  Transition had been moved from the previous years.  I the site of the race consists of the Orono elementary, middle, and high school.  I think it is all three schools and there are multiple parking lots.  For years, the transition was in the southern parking lot. This year it was moved to the middle, slightly more north, parking lot.  I think I like this setup better than the previous.  Anyway, the rain ended by 7:45AM, and they delayed the start until 8:15AM.  Race was supposed to start at 8AM.  I basically talked to people and putz around until the race started.  Did a little warmup run.
The run is a combination of pavement, grass, running on portion of an old track, and dirt path (in most years mud).  It is a basic high school cross country course.  Lot of ups and downs, one particularly steep hill.  My watch said I did the first mile, of the first loop, in about 7 minutes, which means the other 1.8 miles, the harder part of the course, I did much slower. 
You run the same course twice.  The run can be something of a demoralizer in this race, in my opinion.  It can be very sapping, especially on a wet course.  I did not feel terrible, but not great, I did not have my fastest day out there on the first, or second run.  On the second run I did almost lose my right shoe.  Slipped off heal, still had front of foot in it,  I tried to run and slip my heal back in, but eventually had to stop and fix it, before I got to the really muddy stuff. 
I gave it the run, and the whole race, my best effort, which is the best I can do.
I got out on the bike and felt pretty good, my time is a little slower than the last few years, but not much.  It took a few miles to feel comfortable on the bike, once I did it started to feel pretty good.  The race was pretty well spread out, so there was not a lot of traffic from other bikers.
My wife got me a Road ID bracelet for my BDay.  This is the first time I wore it for a race and I learned I need to put my watch on the other arm, or Road ID on other arm, or if on the same arm, the bracelet has to go in front of the watch.  If the watch is in front of the bracelet and I bend my wrist, I can stop the GPS\stopwatch on my watch.  I found this out on the bike, when I bent my wrist slightly to look at my watch when in the aero position.

Below are some pics, nothing too exciting.  Some pics of my mud covered legs.

This is always a nice race at the beginning of the year in MN.  It is well run, there are people race, volunteering, and spectating that I know.  Going to a race where there are people you know, and like, and a race that is fun and well done, makes for a good day, even if you don't have your best race.
It is hard to compare year-to-year, at least in terms of the run.  The run course varies from year-to-year, and in this race the run is the hardest part.  Not that the bike is easy, it has a decent amount of climbs on it, but it is the same bike course every year.  My bike has been consistent since 2008.  My run has been all over the place, partly due to the course, partly due to the weather, and partly due to my condition this early in the year.  Based on how I was running up to this point, I expected to be faster today, but there are a number of variables that could contribute to my slower than expected run.  Even though my run was slower than I would have liked, I am still happy with my results.

2013 Results
Run (2.8mi) - 24:17 (8:41min/mi)
T1 - 1:34
Bike (17mi) - 48:07 (20.7MPH)
T2 - 0:51
Run (2.8mi) - 25:30  (9:07min/mi)
Total - 1:40:19
Overall - 107/249
AG - 20/31
Pace - 4:31

2012 Results
Run (2.8mi) - 22:18 (7:53min/mi)
T1 - 1:21
Bike (17mi) - 48:53 (20.9MPH)
T2 - 0:51
Run (2.5mi) - 20:16 (8:05min/mi)
Total - 1:33:42
Overall - 99/263
AG - 16/27
Pace - 4:12
Convert first run to 3.1 miles to compare to 2006 - 2008, and 2010 and total time = 1:36:04, which is 1:18 faster than 2011 and 2:20 faster than 2008, previous fastest.

2011 Results
Run (2.8mi) - 22:33 (7:59min/mi)
T1 - 1:12
Bike (17mi) - 48:52 (20.9MPH)
T2 - 1:06
Run (2.5mi) - 21:16 (8:29min/mi)
Total - 1:34:58
Overall - 129/321
AG - 14/31
Pace - 4:16

2010 Results - Taking it slow due to recovery from stress fracture
Run (3.1mi) - 27:57 (9:19min/mi)
T1 - 1:15
Bike (17mi) - 48:41 (21MPH)
T2 - 1:47
Run (2.5mi) - 25:42 (9:42min/mi)
Total - 1:45:19
Overall - 200/380
AG - 38/63
Pace - 4:40

2009 I volunteered, did not race due to stress fracture

2008 Results
Run (3.1mi) - 23:58 (7:44min/mi)
T1 - 1:15
Bike (17mi) - 49:40 (20.5MPH)
T2 - 1:16
Run (2.5mi) - 22:17 (8:54min/mi)
Total - 1:38:24
Overall - 151/410
AG - 26/44
Pace - 4:22

2007 Results
Run (3.1mi) - 24:29 (7:54min/mi)
T1 - 1:42
Bike (17mi) - 53:56 (19MPH)
T2 - 1:29
Run (2.5mi) - 23:15 (9:18min/mi)
Total - 1:44:29
Overall - 201/342
AG - 39/45
Pace - 4:38

2006 Results-First Duathlon Ever
Run (3.1mi) - 27:49 (8:58min/mi)
T1 - 3:18
Bike (17mi) - 1:00:37 (16.8MPH) - Road bike with clip-on aerobars
T2 - 2:25
Run (2.5mi) - 26:59 (10:47min/mi)
Total - 2:01:08
Overall - 315/353
AG - 43/44
Pace - 5:23

April 2013 Training and Racing Summary

The only event in April was the St. Anthony's Tri, which I posted a report for.  The most important thing to come out of that race was an above average run time for this early in the year, which was very cool. 
A local pro-triathlete, Devon Palmer, has been doing some spin/run bricks out of his house in the month of April and I have been taking advantage of those.  In fact, and unfortunately, I have been the only one to take advantage of the opportunity.  I say unfortunately, because it is a good, inexpensive workout that a lot of people could benefit from.  Anyway, the two I did in April were hour spins, tough, and then a fairly easy run, in the snow\sleet both times, around Lake Nokomis.  Those workouts have been helpful.
May is a big month, two open 5K road races, a Tuesday Night Time Trial, Gear West Du, and a 10 day vaca in Hawaii.  Of course, 10 day vaca in Hawaii is the most important part of the month.
My April swim time is about average.  I believe that my intensity is much higher than previous years. As I have mentioned in the past, I think that the coaching I am getting at I Swim is much more focused and intense than previous Masters.  It can be seen, that for the time I am putting in, my yardage is higher than previous years where I put in more time.  Run time, and I believe intensity, is up from the previous 3 years, which hopefully shows up in performance. I think my 8K in March and my off-the-bike 10K show good results so far. Bike is down a little, about average, but I think my intensity has been good.  All in all, aside from the weather, April has been a good month.  Again, May will be a very interesting month, hopefully I have set a good base for it.
I just remembered, I need to post my goals for 2013.  I think that will be my next post.

Year-To-Year April Comparison

 

Totals and Averages Since 2007

YTD Totals and Since 2007

 

2013 St. Anthony's Triathlon Race Report

This is my first race of 2013 and it is my 85th triathlon\duathlon that I have finished. I have only had two dnfs, one, intentional, at St. Anthony's in 2009, and one from a flat in 2010.
This is my 6th time at St. Anthony's. 2008, 2010, 2012 were full Olypmic distance, 2009 there was no swim for the AG due to weather and I had a stress fracture, so I did the bike and dropped out. In 2011, the swim course was shortened and moved to a different location. 2010 I was recovering from the stress fracture, so I took it easy on the run. Typically it is hot, especially the flat, mostly shadeless, run course. This year was no different. This year was similar to 2011, in as much as the swim course was shortened for everyone but the pros.  More below.
I arrived in Orlando and drove to Ocala to my mom and stepdad's on Thursday afternoon. Just hungout there Thursday night. My rental "car" was a slightly used Toyota 4Runner.  The 4Runner is a decent vehicle, bigger than I thought it would be.

Friday morning I got up and assembled the bike, which was nicely packed and shipped by Gear West, some pictures above. No problem assembling the bike. Went for a ~22 minute bike ride in the late morning and it was already getting hot. I biked a little easy and a little hard, wanted to make sure the bike was ok, and make sure I was ok.  I felt ok.  I then went for a short run, about 8 minutes. It was hot. Spent the rest of the day relaxing.
Saturday we got up and drove to St. Petersburg and checked in at the race. As usual, packet pickup and bike deposit was super easy. They do a really good job of getting people through. Probably one of the best races to take care of packet pickup, especially for such a big race.  The twist this year is that each athlete was given two clear plastic bags to put all thier gear in.  Due to the Boston bombings, the organizers decided that no backpacks in transition was the best thing to do.  So, I put about half my stuff in a bag and left it under my bike the day before, and the next day I brought the rest of the stuff in the other plastic bag.  All in all, it was not that much of an issue to not use a backpack.

When I got to the hotel, I was dripping with sweat, just from walking around to do packet pickup and bike drop off.  Just relaxed before dinner and laid out my stuff for the next day. Had dinner at the usual place, a sports bar near the hotel.  Usually, I have a good spiral meatloaf (beef, pork, cheese, red peppers, and spinach) that they have.  Not on the menu anymore! So I had a sirloin with green and yellow squash, and mashed potatoes. Yum. Also had a Yuengling. Yum.  My cousin, who lives in Tampa, and I have not seen for a few years, joined us for dinner.  Her joining us for dinner was a nice addition to the routine.
Fell asleep by about 9:30, woke up about 4 times during the night, but fell back asleep quickly.  I think the second time I woke up I was covered in sweat and my sheets were soaked.  No idea why.  My hotel room was not hot at all.  Kind of strange.  Woke up with my alarm at about 3:30, showered, had coffee, apple fritter, oj, water, a little Clif Bar, and banana for breakfast. While setting up in transition I drank some Gatorade and water. In hindsight, I probably should have had a little more to eat. I think I drank enough. Besides a cup of coffee, 8 oz of oj, I drank about 3/4 of 32 oz Gatorade and a liter of water+. 

Transition was tight, but not as tight as usual.  I think people not being allowed to bring in backpacks made for some extra room. With my bike already there it was pretty easy to setup, and I was early, so I did not have to fight for space.  Like last year they let us put our bags along the massive fence line, this was helpful.  This year they allowed us to do the same thing with the plastic bags.  I had some time to burn, as I usually do, since I show up so early. I saw David Thompson, the pro from St. Paul, and said "hi" to him, and also said "hi" and chatted with Jerry, the announcer who announces races everywhere. 
I said one last "by" to my mom and stepdad and walked to the swim start. It is a point-to-point, so basically it is a one mile walk for about 2500 people. 
It was a windy day, and the water was choppy.  I had a sneaky feeling they were going to shorten the swim, and they did.  After the pros took off they announced they were shortening the swim, by half.  It resulted in about a 15 minute delay, which was much better than 2011.  In 2011 they had to put together a new swim course that morning, this year they already had the new course, and they had setup up an early swim exit, so all they had to do was move a bouy to indicate the turn into shore.  It was a little disappointing to have the shortened swim, but understandable. 
My wave was supposed to start at 7:45, but ended up starting about 8.  It is an open water start in water that is just too deep to stand in, so you have to tread, or float in this case since we are wearing wetsuits.  The water was choppy, going from left to right, shore is on the right side.  Even though there as chop, the swim was not too bad.  There were no real issues during the swim.  It felt ok.  The only issue that once you turn and head for shore, it is not long before the water is too shallow to swim in, so it is long walk\run in shallow water to get up to the beach.  Then it is a really long run\walk\jog from the swim exit to the entrance of transition.  When the shorten the swim course, you are ridiculously far from transition.  So, you have a bit of a jog to contemplate things.
I was in and out of transition pretty fast, once I got there. 
The first part of the bike, probably less than a quarter mile, is on a cobblestone section of street, it is kind of treacherous.  Twice on the stretch my water bottle, on holder between my aerobars and held with a rubber band, started to bounce out.  The second time it fell out.  I know it is penalty if you drop equipment and do not pick it up, but sometimes it seems safer to me if you drop something to leave it.  Suddenly, trying to stop and turnaround to go get something, especially in traffic, seems much more dangerous.  So, I left the bottle, which means I was without fluids for the bike, except for the water stop midway through.  I mentioned the wind early, resulting in the shortening of the swim, at times the bike was challenging due to the wind.  There were sections on the bike where the wind was tough.  My bike this year was pretty average, compared to previous years.  Not my fastest, not my slowest.  I did not get to take much fluid in during the bike and I was worried about how that would affect my run.  It did not affect it too much, since I had my best run ever and my best run since 2008.  I was thirsty off the bike, and the first water stop was great.  I came off the bike not too fast, but I was not jogging.  As always, it was hot.  Very little shade and lots of sun.  I felt pretty good on the run, not fantastic, but good.  I was pleasantly surprised with my time.
At the finish I got the ice towel and ice water, two of the best feelings all day.  Got a little food, packed up my stuff and left.  We stopped for lunch at Sonny's, a bbq chain in FL.  We stopped there for lunch the day before.  I really like the bbq there.  Good stuff.  On Sunday, they have all you can eat chicken, I had all I could eat on the way home.
I am happy with the first race of the season.  I would say that everything went really well.  It was a good trip to FL.  I don't think I could ask for much more to start off the season. 
Below are bunch of pictures taken during the race by mom and stepdad, and a couple I took after the race.  Additionally, a photographer and triathlete from MN, Nick, was working for Competitive Image, and was taking pictures at the race.  Specifically, he was tasked with taking pictures of former pro football player, turned triathlete, Hines Ward.  Nick did catch me on the course, near the finish, and one of those pictures is below also.

2013Results
Swim (820 yards, shortened for weather) - 14:05 (1:43/100 yards, wetsuit)
T1 - 6:27 (shorter swim course, loooonnnggg run to T1)
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:11:35 (20.8 MPH)
T2 - 2:29
Run (6.2 miles) - 52:43 (8:31/mile)
Total - 2:27:18
Overall -  752/2404
AG - 91/201
Overall Pace - 4:41/mile

2012 Results
Swim (1640 yards, new course) - 29:03 (1:47/100 yards, wetsuit)
T1 - 2:18
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:12:54 (20.4MPH)
T2 - 2:42 (sprayed some sunblock on myself, put on socks, and forgot my race belt and had to turn around and get it)
Run (6.2 miles) - 55:04 (8:53/mile)
Total - 2:41:51
Overall - 977/2689
AG - 124/236
Overall Pace - 5:04/mile

2011 Results
Swim (820 yards, shortened for weather) - 17:56 (2:11/100 yards, no wetsuit)
T1 - 5:49 (shorter swim course, loooonnnggg run to T1)
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:10:44 (21.1 MPH)
T2 - 2:45
Run (6.2 miles) - 55:04 (8:53/mile)
Total - 2:32:18
Overall - 980/3125
AG - 110/239
Overall Pace - 4:49/mile

2010 Results
Swim (1640 yards) - 29:36 (1:49/100 yards, this was wetsuit)
T1 - 3:12
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:15:10 (19.8 MPH)
T2 - 2:27
Run (6.2 miles) - 58:33 (9:22/mile, coming off stress fracture)
Total - 2:48:56
Overall - 1264/3192
AG - 156/287
Overall Pace - 5:18/mile

2009 Results
No swim due to weather, then dropped out after bike due to stress fracture
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:10:43 (21.1MPH)

2008 Results
Swim (1640 yards) - 30:58 (1:53/100 yards, wetsuit)
T1 - 3:38
Bike (24.8 miles) - 1:11:48 (20.8MPH)
T2 - 3:42
Run (6.2 miles) - 52:54 (8:31/mile)
Total - 2:42:57
Overall - 1258/3350
AG - 121/231
Overall Pace - 5:11/mile