Chaska River City Days Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Quite a few folks thought the water was freezing, but for me the water temp was just about perfect and there was no chop to speak of. This was only my 2nd Tri, my first being an Olympic. So, I wasn't sure how to pace myself. I figured I'd start in the back of the pack and let the more experienced folks go first. Waves went out at 2 minute intervals and we were in the 6th. In hindsight, I probably should have started in the middle of the pack, because for whatever reason, I started passing people within the first 100 yards. Sighting was pretty easy, but since the lake is so narrow, I felt like I was taking the course too wide. By the time I hit the first buoy, we were already starting to catch groups ahead of us. The second half was easier, as swimmers were a bit more spread out.

I don't consider myself a strong swimmer compared to most of the ones competing in the 30-34 age group, but I couldn't be happier with my place. Coming in 10/30 on my first sprint feels pretty sweet. My goal time was 10 minutes, and I came in at 11:34, so either the course is longer than advertised, or I need to re-assess my goals. Next time around I'll try to start closer to the front.

Tied for 12th in T1 overall. Hooray. Coming out of the water and running up the beach made my stomach a little queasy for some reason, but not nearly as bad as my last race. My spot at the end of the rack made it easy to find. The suit came off easier than expected. I had to run my bike around a guy trying to mount in the transition area. Grrr. I successfully hopped on the bike, but tried to slip the shoes on too soon, causing me to slow down and almost hit the curb.

Try to gain more speed before slipping into the shoes.

The battery went out on my cycle computer, which is frustrating considering how many times I checked it beforehand. Fortunately, I rode the course a week ago and knew most of what to expect. The first third of the ride is a long uphill out of the valley. I tried to spin as much as possible and 'reel-in' slower riders from the earlier waves. I got passed a few times, but it was always by a hard-core racer on a fancy-schmancy bike whose wheels cost more than my car. The weather was cool, but not cold, so I didn't shiver and didn't really sweat much either - which is good, because my butterfingers dropped my water bottle during a long decent out of Victoria. Oops. The tail end of the course is almost all downhill, so I tried to hold up the effort a little to keep from blowing out my legs before the run.

Put fresh batteries into the cycle computer beforehand and hold on to that water bottle.

Due to the downhill finish, the dismount line kind of sneaks up on you. I had just enough time to take off the shoes and hop off the bike without having to break too hard. I lost focus while running through transition and actually passed my rack. Whoops. Fortunately, all I had to do was throw on my shoes, grab my hat, and go. I ended up 24th overall for T2. Not bad for a noob. Too bad they couldn't hold the whole race in the transition area.

Pay better attention and try not to run past my rack.

Running is by far my worst event. Considering that the 1st mile is a 200-foot ascent, I wasn't expecting to do well. My goal was to finish with a sub-30 time. During the up-hill I tried to stretch out my stride, but spent most of it just shuffling along. My calves and hammies weren't happy with running, so I had to muscle through the last half of the hill. When we made the turn and the course flattened out, it felt great. My tempo increased and my hammies started to relax. By the time we made the turn for home and started heading down the hill I was cruising. I was hitting the pavement so hard my feet started to hurt. It got to the point where I was scared I'd trip and end up rolling down the rest of the hill and tumbling over the finish line. I ended up finishing at 27:27, which is pretty slow for most, but feels pretty good for me. My goal was sub 10-minute miles, and I squeaked in with a sub 9-minute pace. Hooray.

Do more speed work and interval training. Mix in some more bricks to get used to the muscle strain when changing from the bike to the run.

Jogged a little, walked around a little more, stretched some and started hauling gear back to the car.


Inexperience. Physical conditioning. Basically, I need to train more and race more. Losing a little more weight wouldn't hurt either.


This is a smaller event and it felt like there were just the right number of people for the venue. The course is well laid out, with smooth roads and good volunteer/police support. The entry fee was only $50, and the swag bag was nice, so not having a lot of snacks at the end wasn't a big deal. Plus, I just wanted to get home and watch the Tour, rather than wait for the BBQ.