I had swam in this water previously and didn't feel like it was cold enough to warrant a wetsuit so I went without one. Turned out to be a significant mistake. It was so cold that I never really got my breath back. It was definitely different than working out at the gym where I can take short breaks at the end of each leg. No breaks in the open water. My swim time and the effort it took really hurt me in finishing within the time I would have liked.

I would rent a wetsuit. Do more training in open water, practicing getting back into freestyle from other strokes.

T1 took more time than I thought it would. I was already exhausted at this point -- my hands were shaking and I almost fell over once. It was also difficult to get my shirt on while wet so I might have dried off a little more (?).

I put my shoes on before my shorts which was a mistake. I could have saved a minute or two by just being more organized, putting on my helmet and gloves while riding in the transition area. I will take my own pins next time. They ran out when I first came to the transition area and my girlfriend found some but then she pinned the number on wrong and I had to re-do it. That could have all been taken care of before I started.

The bike leg was probably my strongest leg. I've been biking for years, mostly commuting to work, but I've only begun triathlon training over the last few months. It was a nice ride, I passed a decent number of people (and re-passed them after the shoelace incident below). I was really weak on the miniscule hills due to exhaustion, so I just focused on spinning and not continuing to exhaust myself. Drafting was legal but there were too few people around me to draft with anyone.

Make sure my shoe laces are out of the way. I had to stop because one of them got caught in the gear and I had to get it uncaught, then re-tied. I would have liked to have my bike computer working. Again, this is something that I could have verified before the race started had I arrived in enough time. It would have been nice to have some hydration method that was easier than bike bottles. I ended up not drinking very much and that might have led to slower times.

I rode in my running shoes. I don't have clipless pedals, just toe clips, so this saved a little time in T2. I forgot to take off my bike shorts, which ended up not mattering -- I didn't really notice the gel pad while running. I also missed my spot in the transition area and it took me a minute to find it.

I would take a look at where my spot is within the transition area from more of a big-picture view. Coming back into the T-area was a different perspective and I lost my place for a minute. I could have removed my bike shorts. It also took me a second to find the run start -- I started going the wrong way! I could have scoped that out before the race began also.

I did better on the run than I thought I would. My quads hurt right away and when I got a small cramp in my left thigh, I was able to walk it out without a problem. I ran (jogged) most of the time which is amazing to me. I thought I would be crawling at that point. But it hurt whether I was walking or running so I figured it was better to run, even if it was slowly, because that was faster. I usually think about my feet when I run, but I barely ever thought about them or my breath. I was mostly just focused on getting the next thigh to lift for the next step. Also at that point, many people were encouraging others that they were almost there, and that was helpful to keep me going. At the very end I broke into a sprint. I was amazed at how easy it was -- I should have done that sooner and/or more often. I had some knee pain during the bike ride that I thought would be a factor on the run, but it ended up going away.

I think improvement in this event for me will just be a matter of training to increase my endurance. Losing weight will definitely help.

None. Just took it easy. My girlfriend and I walked over to the post-race event and I got some Clif bars and shots and drank my Cytomax that I should have consumed during the race. Sat in the hot tub afterwards.


Other than training, I think if I had had a wetsuit, the swim would have gone better. Overall, though, I think it went really well. I am so proud of myself for finishing, forget about competing. This was my first triathlon and it's a major accomplishment. I've gotten out of shape the last few years, and now I'm on my way to getting back to where I want to be physically. Also, getting used to the logistics in triathlons is a big deal. I've done 5k's where all you have to do is show up with your shoes on. This was a lot different and it was a good first experience where I learned what it's like and what to do better next time.


The Golden State Tri is a good race for first-timers. It's well-supported, there is a wide range of entrants from elite to 70+ year-olds (God bless them), it's challenging but not too hard, and the location is nice. People were very friendly and helpful. It was a good experience. I would do this race again and I would recommend it to others.