Chain of Lakes Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I'm really pleased that I took over a minute off of my time from last year! Everyone in my lane was respectful & great to swim with.

Get a better time estimate pre-race. I was almost a full minute faster than my anticipated time.

I took 11 seconds off my T1 time from last year.

Pick a different extra layer to put on (it was chilly & damp). I'm glad I put my long sleeve tech shirt on, but being wet the sleeves were really sticky and hard to pull on. Probably pick a looser option next year or at least practice with different shirts to see what works best.

Lost time on the bike. Couldn't find my breath and as a result probably didn't push as hard as I could have. Kept my cadence high. Was doing fine with hydration the first 1/2, but my fingers were so cold I dropped my water bottle and realized I hadn't racked my 2nd bottle, so I was out of water until I got back to the transition area. Waited for a smooth stretch to have my gel - still had water at that point. Again, because it was cold, the gel was a lot thicker than I was expecting and I probably took too long getting it down. I know I could have pushed harder on the bike, because about 3 miles from finish a guy from my swim heat biked up behind me & we paced each other for the last couple miles. I picked my speed up from 18 to 20 and could still hold a conversation with him, so clearly I should have been biking faster prior to that. I lost him on the last hill though, and didn't catch him again. Bike time was 2 minutes 5 seconds slower than last year.

make sure to rack a 2nd water bottle.

I wore running shoes for the bike segment, so all I had to do here was drop my helmet, sip water, grab hat & gloves, & run back out. Took 16 seconds off last year's T2 time!

nothing

The run felt great. I knew I was holding something back for a sprint at the finish. Despite this, I felt like I was pushing myself as fast as I could go w/o regretting it towards the end. My form felt good, I managed to get some water/energy drink at both stations w/o stopping. Breathing felt labored, but thanks to training I knew I could push through it. I was glad to have grabbed hat & gloves because it was drizzly & overcast. My shoes/socks were soaked through and cold by the end. Hands were a bit cold too, but I carried the hat for most of the 2nd 1/2 of the run. Started getting abdominal cramps around mile 2. Mild, & I think just gas, but didn't feel great.

start sprinting a little sooner.

walked until I could breath evenly again. then got a banana and a recovery drink I'd brought from home. Unfortunately once I'd eaten about 1/2 of these I got bad indigestion/cramps. Had to wait a while before I could finish eating/stretching.


I ran fast compared to my training. I feel good with my performance.


Everyone at this race is SO nice and encouraging. I got to encourage some ppl too, this year, and got extra thank you's for my effort. I wish my bike performance had been better, but overall I feel great about my race! Best part of the day though, was that my mom got 3rd place in her age group, and it was her first triathlon!