don't feel bad, Cleave. One of my non-BF friends did the TFTT yesterday, too, and he had the same troubles -- too cold, the extra clothing he put on for warmth interfered with his riding, equipment failures due to the cold, ice on the road, the flooded start area, the head wind.
Remember -- if you walked off the course knowing that you did your absolute best that you could have done on that particular day, then you can be proud.
The Velodrome Phoenix