Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

This was the epic swim of my year. I have a longer one coming up in November, but the roughness of the surf, coupled with my previous ocean and wetsuit experiences made this swim the target of all I had been trying to learn. While I was still slow and placed very low in the rankings, I am happy with how I did, considering all the factors. I did NOT seem to have wetsuit problems. That tells me it was probably mental, and I have broken through that barrier. The surf was the roughest I have been in, yet I did not panic. I found a place mentally where I could focus on feeling the waves and pausing when I needed to (which was a lot) and not ending up swallowing water. This was successful. Once I gave up the idea of making a better time, I was not nervous, simply taking it one buoy at a time. I did not struggle the way I did only a month ago in a shorter swim with less wave activity. Honestly, when I got to the end, I was surprised it went as well as it did. The strong current was a huge help. Exiting the water I felt strong. Seeing my kids cheering and jumping made my day, even if it was marred by the sight of medical personnel who were obviously busy.

Now that I have had three saltwater ocean swims, two of them ocean, I am more confident with the flow of the waves. I would pause fewer times, and put my face in the water and just swim more. I still did better than previous attempts, but after this rough water, I am confident I can handle that again or anything lesser, with strength.

The swim and T1 times were combined, so I estimated. I walked up the sand dunes, as did many who exited when I did. I got hosed off, and drank water. I was not ready to run out fast, but I was nowhere near as fatigued as I had been after Annapolis (first OWS) or Hilton Head (last month) and those were half the distance. I was so glad to have conquered the surf, that I felt strong going forward. I ate half a hammer gel from my race pack, and got serious about the bike leg.

Move faster. I give myself too much slack time. It's time to start caring about time. Time, time, time, see what's become of me....

Here is where I was really surprised. I'm used to finishing dead last or near it in everything. I placed ahead of 97 people on the bike. I passed people on the bike. I got passed too, but I passed 10 or more, and overall did I mention I placed ahead of 97? I couldn't believe it. I didn't have trouble on the course, since there were no hills. Hills are a fat-man killer. But on the flats, I had no advantage or disadvantage, so my bike fitness must be improving. The course was very short, due to bridge construction. Even so, we all did the same course, so I'm counting this as improvement. Vast improvement.

I would actually push harder like I was racing. Maybe I could place ahead of 100 that way!

Came into the transition very confident after a solid bike effort. Actually tried to transition like I was in a race.

Not much really.

Well here is my absolute weakness. Anyone I passed on the bike got to fly by me on the run. I just cannot run. I can jog, but it's not even a case of trying harder and getting the HR up. The legs just won't go. It's probably a mental block, just like I've had with swimming in the ocean, or in a wetsuit.

That said, I was not surprised by this, and expected everyone to pass me. The final chance to not be last in my AG came in the last 1/4 mile when a guy caught up to me and let me know how much time we had to break 2 hours. I tried to amp it up with him, but he finished 45 seconds ahead. I still broke 2 hours which was my goal.

I love the reactions from other racers and onlookers for the DOUGHBOY tshirt. It's a crowd pleaser.

RUN FASTER. Seriously, I never know how to answer this question.

Use the port-o-san and head to the beer line. Dogfishhead Brewery was on site. Yes, I took 2 pints. Then to the food tent. And yes, that was indeed a banana stuck in my race belt, but I was probably still happy to see you, since you asked.


The same thing as always: weighing this much, followed by a hesitancy in the ocean that I believe will be much better next time.


This race really is a great one. We may return for Olivia's birthday weekend again next year. The food tent was well supplied for the huge number, the beer tent didn't run out before I got there, the volunteers were everywhere and knew their jobs, the sound system was clear, the swim course was well-guarded, packet pickup was smooth. Even though this is my first year, it's my 6th sprint triathlon, and as for overall race experience, this one was top. Nice tshirt that had more color than usual, along with custom water bottle I will use. I didn't get a finishers medal the size of a homemade ceramic ashtray from the 70s, like I did at TriRock, but I wouldn't expect one for a sprint really. I'll take a well-thought out course and free Dogfish Head beer any day.