Showman Shooter Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Swimmers were lined up for a time trial start by race number. My number was 14, so this slow swimmer was among the first into the water. My sighting went pretty well so I felt like I swam a fairly straight line to the buoys. I had some concerns about the faster swimmers behind me, hunting me down and swimming over me and getting thrashed, but I managed to stay out of harms way.

Make time to practice diving with goggles on before the race. I would have preferred to have dived from the pier, instead of jumping, but I didn't want to risk losing my goggles in the process, especially since I wear contact lens. I will practice diving with goggles before the next pier start event.

I had trouble removing my swim cap - couldn't get a grip on it. I spent too much time in transition trying to pull it off - very frustrating. I also fumbled with getting my bike shoes on - seemed to take forever. I was having issues keeping my balance on one foot while putting a shoe on the other. I didn't clip my shoes on my pedals before the race since there was a mild hill to climb exiting the park, and I didn't want to risk an accident coming out of T1.

Get an earlier start on removing swim cap and goggles as soon as I come out of the water on the way to T1. Practice transitions with particular attention to balancing on one foot while putting on bike shoes. I didn't clip my shoes on my pedals before the race since there was a mild hill to climb exiting the park, and I didn't want to risk an accident coming out of T1.

From where I am in my training, with mostly Zone 2 / Zone 3 rides, I'm pleased with my ride results. I actually did a little better than I thought I would. I decided to do this tri several weeks ago, but did very little speed work in preparation for it. I gave it my best effort.

Work a training plan with more hills and more speed intervals. Train and get faster on the bike!

T2 was slower than I would have liked. Although I had rolled my socks into doughnut shapes and placed each sock inside each shoe to simplify slipping them on my feet, I still wound up taking too much time putting them on in T2 - trouble with balancing on one foot while putting on socks and shoes. My running shoes had speed laces, so once the socks were on, the shoes went on quickly. I took off and left my sunglasses behind - no big deal for this short distance.

More transition practice with putting on socks and running shoes while balancing on one foot. Even better, lose the socks and practice running without them, especially for the sprint race distances.

I stopped a couple of times for about 30 seconds, climbing hills on the trail to catch a breath. Avg. HR was 173 bpm, Max HR was 182 bpm. My run LT is 163 bpm. Although I know the measured distance is correct, it seemed like a long 2 mile run. I think the trails in the woods make it seem farther. Lots of turning and adjustments for the trail conditions yielded a little slower time than running on the roads. It was a fun run on the trail, nevertheless.

Work in a few trail runs in training for this event.

I did not follow a warm-down protocol for this race. After finishing, I cheered members of my tri team and the field in general as they crossed the finish line. I drank a couple of bottles of water, cleaned up my transition area, loaded my gear in my car and spent some time in the transition area watching (and looking for pointers) as the front long course participants came in and moved efficiently through transition.


Little time training in the upper HR Zones, no speed work in the 3 sports. This was my first tri of the season, and I decided to do it at the last minute with limited speed work and only a couple of brick sessions.


I enjoyed this tri, and I'm pleased that I did the shorter of the two distances this year. This was the inaugural race for the Sharpshooter Tri Supersprint. I thought it was very well organized and supported. The race site is only half an hour from my house - the closest tri from home, so the logistics were nice. Herb Parsons Lake is a great venue for this tri. I look forward to doing it again next year with more training to prepare for the event.