Devil's Challenge Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I lost about 15 seconds from last year. Weird. I started on the outside and went too wide heading to the first buoy. I'll also add that I was the first swimmer in about 3ft of water. The chop was more than I thought so I took a couple gulps, but nothing major. Didn't get my breathing down until about the 300th yard. I was breathing every stroke up to then, but my HR wasn't high or spiking. This is the first time for this race that I actually got bumped a few times.

Not go so wide to start and have confidence that I can stay near the front (not in the front). Learn to dolphin dive...maybe that will help get me in front a bit more.

A few seconds faster than last year because I had my race belt on and gels in my pockets under my wetsuit. I also stepped on my wetsuit to take it off for the first time - wow, it actually worked! I hate the long, bumpy, acorn-filled run to T1.

Try to put helmet on while stepping on wetsuit to take it off.

I was 3 seconds faster than last year! Here's to consistency!!! I felt pretty good most of the way and maaaybe could have pushed a bit more here and there, but kept thinking of the last big hill (which I made it up with no problem) and the run (which was great). The first 20 minutes I felt out of breath and just wanted lots to drink. Through the bike I drank about 20oz water and 20oz gatorade endurance (though I made it too strong - yuck). It seems the gatorade helped me after the first 10 minutes or so, because I got my breathing back and didn't have that tingling/lack of oxygen feeling in my legs. I also had two GUs on the bike, 1 about the 8 mile mark and the other (caffeinated) at the 14 mile mark.

Train more hills a couple months prior to help gain speed. I always seem to wait a few weeks before to get some course rides and hill repeats in, but don't seem to gain speed fast enough.

Hmm, lost my sunglasses and my bike computer during the bike and into T2... yea, for throwing $110 more into this race. I also went down the wrong aisle - ugh! I hate going into T2 since it is so bumpy. I've got to learn to dismount without my shoes on for this race. I had trouble getting into my shoes even though I used the squeeze-ums on the laces to make it quicker. The tongue of my right shoe got stuck and I fumbled with it for a few seconds. I knew it wouldn't work to pull it out since my feet were wet so I just left it. I actually ran fine.

Hold the tongue, slip my foot into the shoe. Look look look at what aisle you are going into.

Awesome! I think this was my best tri run ever. Yes, 32 out of 40 and I am a poor runner, but this was great for me. I think taking it "easy" on the last long incline on the bike helped. I carried my heldheld water bottle and had two cups of water at the turnaround (1 for the head and 1 to drink.) I felt pretty confident all the way through. I did walk about 10 sec through the water station, but that was it. I had a hammer gel at about the 1.5 mile mark which seemed useless, but I think it helped give me the last 1/5 mile push and helped me recover at the end.

I think the lot of bike/run bricks I did for 3 weekends in a row helped a ton. What's odd is that I didn't feel like I was going to cramp up once, I forgot about it. Yet, during my training my calves were sore and on the verge of cramping. Weird.

Walked around for 5 minutes, went to the portojohn, found my girlfriend and her kids, and hung out for a while. Had some grub which wasn't as good as last year.


Needed more interval work in the pool. I don't think I did enough. Missed the aisle in T2. Missed the shoe tongue. More hill work for a longer period before the race. Probably could have pushed more on the bike on some of the downhills and a few of the flats. Kept thinking about "saving" my legs for the run.


This is always a fun race to end the season. It's one to look forward to as a challenge on the bike and the great scenery. Food was not so good this year and seemed to be smaller in portion. Otherwise - a well run event and fun time.