Hansen Dam Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Swim was great--I hoped to come in under 15 mins. but had figured at around 15 based on my pool swim times. I'm slow--but there were still people in my wave in the water when I got out, so that made me happy. The water was extremely warm--glad I didn't wear a wetsuit. I had no trouble with breathing or nerves and was able to concentrate on my form. I didn't have much trouble navigating, but did correct myself here and there and I imagine lost a little time doing so. I really enjoyed everything about the swim, well, except the physical contact. I found if I accidentally hit someone while I was stroking, I moved to the right or left to avoid them, but it didn't seem others were aware that they were all over me, and I had to move away from them, too. However, this was mostly an issue in the beginning.

Not much to do differently but learn to swim faster for next time. I've only been swimming since March, so I have a lot of room for improvement.

I'm not sure I could have done much differently but run faster into and out of transition. I only had to take off goggles and cap, pull on shoes and helmet and sunglasses and I was off.

The bike ride was fun--the hills slowed me down quite a bit but not too bad. I did notice that my legs start burning quickly after the turn onto Foothill. This caused me to downshift early on. I found actually the transition from swim to bike harder to adjust to than that from bike to run later. I was passed a lot, but did some passing. Much more than my first tri. I felt good--especially NOT getting a flat as a few others did. I really enjoyed the view from the top of the dam. Part of me wanted to slow down to enjoy it, but I was in a bit of a hurry. I was really happy with the traffic control and the bike hazard warnings.

I just need to ride my bike more so I can ride faster and getting better at taking corners without slowing down so much. Also, I would have passed the girl that in was in front of me just before we headed into transition. Once we got into the parking lot, it was too late and I would have shaved a little time. I could have passed her, but just didn't feel like pushing it and I should have.

I spent the most time putting on my socks. I had them rolled down and ready, but it was still a little rough. I used Yankz (bike shoes and running shoes) and that did help a lot Also, pulling on the race belt. I used underwear band and had to step into it so it wasn't something I could do on the run. I also had a drink of water that I'd hardly touched on ride. Also, my left calf cramped as soon as I racked my bike. It was brief and didn't return, but did make me pause to stretch it out.

Get a real race belt, ditch the socks on the run. Drink more on the bike so I don't feel parched in transition before the run.

Funny, my legs felt fine after the bike. Even that brief cramping of my calf was not an issue. What I did find is that my legs just wanted to keep going and I ran out a lot faster. Yet, I was breathing hard and could hardly catch my breath, so I had to force my legs to slow down. One the first slight uphill my legs did not want to run. I tried, but it wasn't happening. I was surprised that they had three water stations on a three mile run! Unheard of, no? I didn't partake at the first one, but did on the last two. Drank some, poured the rest over my head. It did feel good.

Again, I don't believe it was 3 miles. I didn't suddenly get that fast and my overall ranking would support that, I think. I'll bet everyone else was suddenly faster as well.

I will continue to train as I have, running 3x/week and gradually increasing my distance to build my endurance. I am going to try to incorporate some bonafide bricks (instead of running 10 mins. or more after stashing my bike in the car).

Once I crossed the finish line I was feeling a little disoriented. Why is this person reaching for my ankle and who is this guy that is stopping me what does he want? Oh, the finisher's medal. Thanks. Where is my family? Is there food? Water? That was my warm down.


My current aerobic capacity. My legs will go faster, but my heart and lungs won't support it yet.


I only have one other triathlon against which to rate this race. I think this race would make a perfect first triathlon but also great for anyone who wants a good time. I had a blast. I was disappointed that at the end there were only a few apple slices and a few bottles of lukewarm water left. That's what I get being older and a woman? Is that the thanks I get? At the end of the Possabilities tri there were lots of vendors giving away tons of fruit, energy bars and trail mix. Here, just a few apple slices, about what I get from a local 5K with a $25 entry fee. Still, I will definitely do it again next year.

The weather was perfect! Even though the morning was quite cool and I thought I would be cold on the bike, it wasn't the case. It warmed up just enough.