Quick recap, 70.3 Texas (Galveston) - good to be back out after ~18 months

Well I'd planned to write a Josh Amberger-style witty and thematic race recap, but I'm finally just getting around to it so I'll keep it short. Great to be back out racing after 18 months+ since the last event, so that's a win in itself.

Rolled down to Galveston - for anyone that hasn't been it's flat. And it's windy. Very windy.

Swim: early start, dark, chilly, very choppy. Barely light at the 7am start after being hustled out of transition 40 minutes early to distance waves, or something like that...since there were 2000 people on the same path. Chopped around for a while getting slapped by salt water. Rough swim, slow times, cramped a little on the exit...glad to be done with that leg.

Bike: first half - superhero! Nice tailwind, steady power, good speed. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Second half, 20-25+ mph direct headwind...every pedal stroke was a grind. It was a long back half...would rather have been back in the water.

Run: after apprehension on the run course with 100 turns per lap, it actually turned out not too bad. Sure the corners slowed things down but there was a good crowd and that was refreshing after what has been a weird year.

It was a slow day in time terms, but given the chop and the wind that's not surprising. Good race plan though (thanks to Coach Cam), diet and nutrition went well and efforts were on target, so all in all that's a big win, especially after so long without racing. For me that meant 4th AG, 19th OA amateur, so a great day out to get back into it. Nice to chat with some fellow racers at the finish as well as through the race, even though there wasn't a lot of post-race gathering allowed. Now to keep pushing up and to the right for the rest of the year.

If anyone has any questions on the race, course or if you're considering it feel free to hit me up.

Hope everyone's well.

Darren