Nathans Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

First open water swim tri. I was surprised how far we had to swim to the start buoys. I didn't expect that. I didn't really know where to line up for the start so I just stayed in the middle of everyone. It was really hard trying to not to hit people as I was swimming in the beginning. After the first 200m people did start to spread out but I had to keep raising my head to see if I was going to run into anyone. I really wasted a lot of energy trying to avoid people. One person ahead of me for a bit had a huge splash with her kick and everytime I tried to take a breathe I got a mouthful of her kick water. I quickly got around her. The other lady I passed kept swimming at an angle so when I would look up to see where I needed to go to pass her she kept moving over in front of me. UGH!! So much to figure out and work on before my next open water swim tri. Plus, it was a big step to get out of the water onto the exit stairs....managed to get a big gash/bruise on my shin during the exit that I didn't even realize I had until I got to the bike/run transition and saw the blood dripping down my shin when I went to put on my shoes. Geez!

Not look up so often. Get more open water swim practice in.

I spent time getting my socks on properly so that they wouldn't bunch in my bike or run shoes. Took a big drink before leaving. Had quite a ways to run to get to the bike mount. Running in bike shoes is not easy.

just try and do it faster.

I felt good on the bike. I passed several people and had lots of really fast people pass me with their disc wheels on...woosh..woosh..woosh...
I didn't go as fast as I could have because I was trying to save some energy for the run.

go faster.

just try and do it faster.

my plan was to not go out to fast which I tend to do and then I have to stop and walk for a bit. I was able to run the entire route but my pace was slower than I wanted. I was aiming for a 9min/mile pace. I didn't look at my watch during the run...I was just listening to my body and letting it determine the pace.

go faster. pay attention to my watch for pace time.

none...just drank lots of water


lack of open water swim experience. Not pushing myself harder on the bike and run.


I learned a lot about open water swimming. My goals were to conquer the open water swim without becoming fish food and complete the race. I feel bad that I didn't push myself harder. I need to find a balance between pushing to exhaustion and not pushing hard enough. Overall I had a great time at this race. I can't wait for the next one!!!