Happy Valley Sprint Tri - TriathlonSprint

Since I was really nervous & excited to start (1st tri), I tried to use the first couple of laps just to settle down. It worked. Just relaxed and swam. Tried not to breath every stroke. Pretty happy with the time and performance. Nice pink cap!

Maybe breath control could have been better. I would have started my watch at the beginning of the swim instead of the end when I realized I had not started it right. Nerves!

This race had two different T1 times. T1A started outside the pool entrance after you ran about 75-100 meters from the end of the pool you exited when done. T1b went from there and stopped at the entrance to the traditional transition area. (It was maybe another 100+ meters from that mat to the mat at the back of the bike racks running on an asphalt path/sidewalk/across the street.) I ran both most of the way stripping goggles & cap. Into T1 I had my bike near the end in the rear. Stood on a towel to dry feet while I dried just enough to put on my shirt. Then helmet, sunglasses, shoes and socks. Unracked the bike and jogged out of transition putting on my cycling gloves.


For a first time with no practice it went pretty well. Had to sit down to put socks & shoes on, but I cannot think of any way to avoid that.

Bike is my weakest leg. Just started riding in April and I ride a hardtail mountain bike! I did put road tires on for this race and pumped them to 70+ lbs. I think I saw 2 or 3 other mtn bikes and a couple of them still had the knobby tires on!! I train on the knobbies but . . .
My bike ride is pretty much just staying with my cadence and watching people go past me. (A couple of people warned me that it might be psychologically deflating to be passed so much, but I was ready for it. I am at an age where I've become settled into the idea that the real race is just with myself.) On the out leg there was one bigger hill with a turn at the top to the right and I was down to about 4 mph getting up it. Then rollers -- some of which required some oomph -- until the downhill to the turnaround. You start the leg back with a longer uphill, then rollers, then flying down the bigger hill that almost had me at dead stop, a flatter stretch, then a moderate climb up to the stadium area followed by a flat run back to transition.
I thought I started out too fast, because I pushed it hard to the point where the course left the campus. At the end of the first hill I thought I might have been in trouble energy-wise. But I just settled in and peddled. (Since I'm not that experienced of a biker, I joke with people that the bike is the rest portion of the race!) It worked. I made it back and was ready to run.

I am going to have to get a road bike eventually. On a flat, my gears won't let me peddle any faster than about 27 mph and that, apparently, won't do. Not that I'm thinking in terms of competing against others as much as knowing that I had energy to take advantage of flats (to make-up for slower climbs) but the bike wouldn't go any faster. Otherwise just more bike training. I also have shoes & clipless peddles that I need to practice with to use in the future. Additionally, my rear shifter was acting stupid and I should have asked the bike mechanic to look at it before the race.

Would have been smoother but when I went to my spot somebody had their bike jammed halfway into it. Had to take some time to carefully slide their bike back to where it should have been and rack mine. Since I rode in running shoes, all I had to do was ditch my helmet & gloves. Run (Stumble) in / Run (Stumble) out.

Nothing I can think of.

To me there is nothing worse than that leg feeling you have when you get off the bike and start to run/walk. I try working that out through transition, but it usually drags on through the 1st half mile of the run. I was tired after the bike and my breathing was harder than it usually is when I run. Didn't watch my time/pace. Instead just broke the race into segments. Relax legs, work that bike feeling out of them and just get to the turnaround. Start the way back with a little more effort. Once I cleared the little hills and turns, there was a straight shot down (Bigler?) to the last turn and I tried to quicken my pace. I passed a couple of people on the way back and was only passed once. After the last turn it was about a 1/4 mile push to the finish. I may have even 'sprinted' the last 100 yds. It's just great to have people along the finish stretch to offer support, too. Crowd was great and I had family cheering the last 100 yds (as well as the swim and each transition!). I had a goal to break 25 mins as 8:30 is my conservative training pace so this run went really well.

I cannot think of anything. I do bricks so I'm comfortable with that feeling even if I don't like it. I was really pushing it. I was breathing much harder than any of my training runs. Maybe now that I see how fast I can run after swim/bike I should phase in some much faster training workouts.

I walked around. Basked in my family's praise of how well they thought I did.


I am just starting out with these races so experience will help. More training. More BIKE training. A hardtail mountain bike.


It was my first tri but I felt it was well organized and a great race. I've watched a couple before this and been involved in many running events and this one was as good or better. Thanks to Paul and all his volunteers for a great job. I will do this again. Also, it was nice that the race coincided with 4th Fest in State College. It was a nice, All-American (if that doesn't sound corny) way to spend Independence Day weekend.