Pasadena Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

The pool was super warm, hopefully from the heater and not somewhere else. Swimming the first lap went well, good stroke, steady breathing, no cramps. 2nd lap is where it all went downhill. Took forever getting under the lane line since no one in front of me knew where to go. When I got into the lane finally, I thought swimming next to the lane line closest to the 3rd lane would be the fastest route...I was wrong. As I start to swim, the guy in front of me stops and grabs the lane line. So, I moved to my right, where the next guy in front of me stops swimming and forces me stop, which in turn the lady behind me swims right into my back. After I get around that guy, I realized the timing chip around my ankle is loose and is causing some drag. So, I stopped momentarily and readjusted it. Finally I got to the last lap and was still going strong at the end. Unfortunately, the end was in the shallow portion of the pool and everyone stood up 10 meters from the steps, which in turn slowed me down.

I would swim on the outside portion of the lanes. The inside portion of the lanes is crowded with people who are grabbing onto the lane line or cramping up. I would also make sure my racing chip is tighetened more securely on my ankle. Lastly, I will not make a funny face when I come out of the water because more times than not, the professional photographer will take a picture of you (which in this race he got me good).

Since this was a reverse tri, T1 was running to biking. Threw off my running shoes and put on my bike shoes. Then put on helmet and sunglasses then headed to the bike exit. Put gloves on while riding bike on Seco street.

Set up transition area closer to bike exit. I didn't realize how far I had set up until the actual race.

The first half of the first lap I took pretty easy. I put on my gloves, got my heart rate down, drank some of my electrolytes, and just tried to get into a good rhythm. The second half of the first lap was all downhill so I stuck it in a high gear and opened it up. Got as high as 28.5 mph but took it down so I wouldn't burn out. The second lap I went all out on both ends, and on the third lap started to cramp a little towards the end.

Next time I probably won't take the first lap so easy and won't take the second lap so hard. I'll drink more of my electrolytes so as not to cramp up towards the end.

I had a small cramp in my left shin as I got off the bike and tried running it off while heading towards my transistion area. When I got there, the guy opposite from me put his bike where my bike was supposed to go so I had to move his bike so I could put mine in the correct spot. Then I gingerly removed my left shoe and sock so as not to aggrevate the cramp even more then took off the other shoe and sock. Threw my sunglasses and helmet onto my towel then proceeded to take off my gloves. Then the probelms began. I couldn't take the damn things off. I had to peel finger by finger before the freakin things came off. I probably lost a good 45 seconds to a minute because of theose damn things. The path towards the pool from the transition area was a mix of grass, gravel and bark. Needless to say it was a painful experience getting to the pool.

I will not wear gloves the next time I do a reverse tri. Those things caused me precious time. BOO!

I wanted to run at a 9:30/mile pace so I'm happy with the 9:27 pace I did (time is based on my Garmin 305. The race organizers did not time T1 and grouped it with the run time). The first half of the course was a gradual ascent and the second half a gradual descent. Truth be told, I left a lot on the table. I probably could have run at a 9:00 or maybe even 8:45 pace but I didn't want to burn out before the bike and the swim.

I would try to run the course before race day next time so I would know what to expect.

Grabbed a banana and some cliff food from the expo then went home to get ready for a BBQ in the park with my friends. At the BBQ, we played football for two hours so needless to say, I could barely move that night. However, all in all it was a fun day.


Considering I was sick with a cold and knocked up with Day Quill, I think I did alright. Hopefully next time I'll be 100% healthy.


Can't wait to do it next year when I'm healthy.