Lakewood Valley Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

My first tri and first open water swim--all the practice went by the wayside in the first 50 yards. Went out too hard and I was not prepared for the amount of contact in the water

Start farther back in the pack and strictly focus on swimming my pace and maintaining my breathing.

Quite a hill to jog up out of the water--did not have a proper tri-jersey and it took me over a minute to get my jersey on.

Get a proper tri-jersey--otherwise transition went well

I cruised the bike portion due to being tapped out on the swim. The course was much more hilly than I have typically trained on but overall I just did not have the legs to push this leg.

Need to bump my cycling mileage back up and start with more hill work.

T2 time unknown but went smoothly

Felt fair the first mile but the last 2 miles was just one foot in front of the other.

Forget the warm down--I jumped back in the lake to cool down! It was getting pretty warm by the time I finished


Lack of experience in competing in open water


My first tri--I probably set my expectations too high, however I am grateful for how far I have come in the past 18 months. I quit smoking 18 months ago, lost 25 pounds and eat much better. Overall my health is much better. Additionally, I hope my dedication to this endeavor will serve as an example to my family.