Grog!! You looked awesome throughout all those pics. Good job on doing better than expected too! You sound like you had a blast.
The high heart rate doesn't surprise me. Last October when I did the 24-mile bike leg of a team relay triathlon, my hr went way up too, partly from the adrenaline of the event, mostly from the extra effort I was putting out. I think my average was somewhere around 180, as well. My absolute max is somewhere around 195, and then my body says NO!
lol...you made me laugh with the race belt thing. Yep, you can probably consider yourself hooked when you start buying your own gear.
I'll be waiting to hear more about your tri adventures...
~BikeMomma
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein