Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

i felt so good during this swim. i felt completely natural the whole time and never panicked!! it was great. i felt like i was just swimming laps in the pool. actually, i felt so comfortable, that maybe i should have pushed myself more. i was passing everyone so i felt good and probably didn't push hard enough. when i got pulled out of the water and screamed my watch said 26 min something, so i was suprised to see the official time. it must have taken me a while to get to wherever the chip read.

push harder.

transitions are not my strong point. i am always so flustered in them. also, i know that i need to intake a lot of fluid since i cannot drink on the bike except for the one small bottle i bring, so i take time to chug powerade.

i need to find a way to carry more water/fluid on my bike. also, i need to practice the transtion in my head.

this course really got me. i felt SO slow. everyone, EVERYONE passed me. actually, i literally only passed one person. i felt there was just no way i could go faster up the hills. i tried as hard as i could, but just couldn't go faster. it sucked. i had to keep talking to myself, telling myself i was ok...this is just for fun, etc. etc. it was a mental game. one girl rode by me and said, "you are my idol for doing this on a mountain bike." well, i am actually on a hybrid, but she made me feel a lot better. i started to attribute my ride to the bike instead of me, and at least i didn't feel like such a loser. that being said, i know part of it is me though...i need more practice.
oh yeah, i forgot to mention i got off the bike to pee at the turn around. the volunteer held me for what seemed like forever (probably only 20 seconds) before he let me get back in. i guess that turn was dangerous so he didn't want me jumping in any old time.

hmmmm.... i want a new bike. i want a way to provide more nutrition for myself on my current bike (maybe a camelback). but, i know right now is no the time for me to get a new bike. it doesn't make sense at this point in my life.

at this point, i was feeling a little down so i think i changed my race mentality. i thought, i am just going to do this for fun and not race hard. it shows in the run and in T2. first, i drank forever because i was so thirsty. then i swear i sat there for 10 seconds thinking what to do next. my mind was blank. i finally got what i needed and took off.

i need more practice.

i went into the run telling myself i had a 3:15 goal at this point. again, i just thought i am going to have fun here. so, i did. i was smiling almost the whole way and talking to people. i got a lot of comments on how i kept smiling. i was not pushing myself hard here, and at the time i really didn't care. now, looking back, i wish i had pushed harder. i wasn't even out of breath.

push harder and still have fun!

went straight to beer tents! then i talked with friends. it's funny because i felt so good about the race until i realized how slow i am in comparison to everyone else. it really shouldn't matter. this is only my second olympic tri. it shouldn't be about everyone else, just my own performance and enjoyment. but, i hate how i let a great race get spoiled when i realize how slow i truly am.


biking, attitude


this was a good race. i LOVED the swim and disliked the bike. there were great volunteers and good organization except in delay of race and race results.