Schiff Scout Off-Road Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Much better swim results than I thought I was going to have. I got off to a rocky start as I got kicked in the face which was a new experience. I think I might have tried to go too fast in the beginning and I was shot after the first 440yds but I knew that I had to just keep going.

-Wore a full wetsuit - need to invest in one.
-Practiced open water swims

T1 one time was extremely long, mostly because of the (what felt like) long uphill walk from the lake to the transition area. Halfway up the hill, I toweled off my feet and put on my bike shoes. By the time I got to the transition area, I was a bit tired and took a minute to catch my breath and gather myself before heading out on the bike loop.

Entered a race without such an arduous journey to the transition location.

I passed a lot of people on the bike, but unfortunately, all of those people passed me on the runI knew that the bike segment would be the easiest for me and I knew I'd be able to take it easy a bit, but perhaps I took it too easy. I got into a group of riders about half way through the first loop, nice guys, but I think my socialness got the better of me and perhaps slowed me down.

I think I would have pushed a little harder, but also tried to keep a little in the tank for the run.

Another slow transition time. I didn't put socks on before the bike shoes at T1, so I had to put them onto wet feet at T2. I had practiced my T2 before, but never included puting on socks, so this slowed me a bit. I also used some of my T2 time to rest and wonder, "why the hell am I doing this?"

I should have out powder in my socks and shoes like I have read here so many times. I also need to get to a point in my training where I don't need to rest between a tough bike segment and a run.

Holy crap this was hard. The run was more like a hike that was up and down some of what felt like the steepest hills on Long Island. I had to walk more than I thought I would, but I also didn't expect the "run" to be like this. The "run" or should we call it hike, was extremely hard, lots of very steep hills that were almost like the steepest staircase you could imagine. I had to walk a lot more than I thought I was going to.

I need to train more off of a treadmill on 0 incline. I think I will do some leg weight training this winter to strengthen my lower body some and hopefully, that will pay off. I just need to run, run, run.

Walked back to transition are with my wife and mother-in-law and drank a lot fluids.


I know this sounds like a cop out but, I may have chosen a too difficult tri for my first time out. From what I have heard, the XTerra series races are very tough, and this one lived up to that billing. I am looking forward to doing an "on-road" triathlon next year. There was actually a lady there who said she has done 11 tris and this one was the hardest, so that gives me some confidence as I move forward.


I finished my first triathlon today. It is such an amazing feeling that I have right now. I feel a little like a superhero. I finished my first triathlon today and I can't tell you (but I am sure you all know) how great this feeling is. I finished it and, here's the great news, I didn't finish last, close (141/156) but not last.

I did the Schiff Scout Off Road Triathlon here on Long Island. It is an XTerra series race and it was way harder than I thought it would be. The "run" or should we call it hike, was extremely hard, lots of very steep hills that were almost like the steepest staircase you could imagine, but I did better on the swim than I thought I would do and the bike was so-so. I may have chosen a too difficult tri for my first time out and I am looking forward to doing an "on-road" triathlon next year. I can honestly say that this was the hardest, but still most rewarding and enjoyable thing I have ever done. There was actually a lady there who said she has done 11 tris and this one was the hardest, so that gives me some confidence as I move forward.

When I crossed the finish line and heard the people cheering and saw my wife, I felt like I was going to cry. I just kept saying to myself over and over again, "I DID IT!!"