St. Anthony's Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

I was (thankfully) in an early swim wave. I lined up, and the competition looked fierce! I decided to step back from the front lines and hang just behind the leaders. BAD IDEA. This was by FAR the roughest, most violent swim start ever. I’ve never been in a pack of girls more determined to beat the living crap out of each other. I seriously considered getting to the outside and just chilling until the storm passed, but as soon as I did, it seemed to open up. That didn’t last. It was awful until the final turn buoy. Then, I got some space and cruised by a few people. My pace was 1:37/100m, so nothing to complain about there!

Start out harder and break out of the pack earlier. I was going more for sustainable pace than hard race, and it didn't work out on the swim.

T1 was FOREVER long. We ran pretty far, barefoot, on the sidewalk, back into transition. I jogged lightly, trying to keep the IT band happy. Once inside, my transition was quick! My run was pretty slow, and that really shows on the results. I chatted with a super-awesome fellow AGer in T1, and it was a nice lift of my spirits!

I ran out of T1 and quickly mounted my bike. I hit cruise control. I didn’t want to go too hard, but I wanted to be steady. The wind was nuts! I’d be doing 18-19mph with the wind, and like 14 against it. The course had tons of turns and was pretty cool. I had my new aero water bottle mounted between my bars. I liked it. I ended up finding a girl doing about my pace, so I sat like 15 yards behind her for a really long time. Before the halfway mark, I saw an athlete bleeding on the ground with a few people around him, waiting for an ambulance. Scary. I hope he’s ok! I would have stopped, but with other people there, there was really nothing I could do. I made sure the next officer directing traffic was aware of the situation. At the halfway point, there was water! I didn’t really need it, but I grabbed it anyway. I figured it was good to practice, since I wasn’t really pushing it. I topped off my aero bottle, and chucked the one they gave me – it was so efficient! A few miles later, however, the aero bottle had come loose. I only had 4 to go, so I worked with it. Luckily, 1 mile before the brick road leading into transition, I saw Patrick! I chucked my bottle at him so I didn’t have to worry about it anymore. I picked up the pace and hammered right to the dismount line.

Train harder for the bike! My training had been inconsistent lately, and rather than push it and destroy my chances at doing ok on the run, I went slower.

I jogged my bike into T2, but as soon as I got past the fence, I walked. I was nervous about the IT band and didn’t want to just start going. I changed shoes, switched from helmet to visor, and grabbed my number.

At least jog the whole way. Not sit down to put my shoes on.

I decided to just run until pain started, then do run/walk intervals. I made it to the first mile sign in 8:40! I was feeling good and I was so HAPPY to be running! I walked all of the aid stations. It was getting hot out there, so at least 2 cups at each one – drink one, pour one over my head. A few families in houses along the course even had hoses out, and were spraying runners! I made it FIVE miles before my knee started to complain a little. I took a walk break, knowing I could make it in under three hours.

Nothing :)

Walked around. Got an ice pack from the med tent for the IT band. Ate food, drank beer :)


Under-trained on the bike. Injured IT band. BUT I think I managed the race wonderfully to my abilities. In hindsight, I probably could have pushed the bike a little, but oh well. I don't regret it.


Loved the race. The course was great. The volunteers and spectators were awesome.