Callaway Gardens Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

OMG, what a disaster! I was very excited/nervous, and started out at the front of the pack, thinking, "I'm a strong swimmer; I don't want to have to pass a bunch of people." I went out doing crawl WAY too fast, because I was keeping up with the gals around me. There was one gal to my right who was tearing it up, and I kept up with her for about 90 seconds, in spite of the flailing arms and legs, and bubbles all around me. Then I ran OUT of air, and went completely anaerobic. My legs felt like lead, and I panicked. I was in over my head and there were still lots of people splashing around me. I did breast stroke and made my way over to the shallower part of the course and STOOD UP, and tried to catch my breath! I was breathing so shallowly and fast, I couldn't fill my lungs. I did some more breast stroke, but even that was too much for me. I turned over onto my back and kicked a little and sculled with my hands and made a little progress. I noticed my breathing was so shallow and fast, but I couldn't seem to control it. I went the rest of the way using a combination of WALKING, breast stroke, and sculling on my back. When I got out of the water, I couldn't jog; I walked and tried to get my breath back. I was still hyperventilating up until I got to the transition area!

I've never swum competitively, and was NOT prepared mentally for this event. I can swim a mile in the pool without blinking, and was doing fine in our open water swims after the first freak-out. I don't know how to prepare for the nerves, but next time, I will start at the back of the pack and start out slowly until I'm calm. Funny, that was the advice I gave to the TriTeam participants--too bad I didn't follow it! Russ suggested that I work off the adrenaline by swimming before the event.

I took my time in T1 because I was still recovering from the swim. I rinsed my feet off, put my socks and shoes on and remembered my helmet. That was a victory for me!

Practice this so it becomes second nature.

I felt very comfortable on the bike; it was like a vacation after the swim. I passed a lot of people, and enjoyed watching out for Oakbridge TriTeam members and saying "Oakbridge TriTeam rocks!" The hills were challenging, even though they weren't very steep or long.

More hill training!

This was much faster and smoother, although still slow compared to the competitive participants.

Practice!

Started out 3:1, then went to 2:1. It kicked my tail, but I think that was as much because I'd already shot my wad on the swim! I find it hard to believe that I did relatively better on the run than the bike, because I felt so much better during the bike. Must be some people walked the 2 miles...

Swim better!

Walking, hugging.


Just the panic in the swim. It's impossible to evaluate my nutrition or my other activities because that was the overarching factor. I will say I was pleased with my ability to perform in the bike and run. My training took over and I did it. Thanks to Reno, Wes, Clark, and Russ!


This was the most physically challenging thing I've ever done, but it was because of the mental issues during the swim. I'll absolutely get some training on that and do better next time!

My main goal was to lead Oakbridge TriTeam members in successfully doing their first triathlon, and that goal was accomplished! It was fantastic to see so many happy faces!