Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I got jammed up at the first buoy as two guys were breast stroking around it. After rounding the buoy, I got kicked in the head and my goggles filled with water. I rolled over like an otter with an abalone to dump out the water, but had a hard time getting a good seal. It took me three attempts to get a good seal with the goggles and that cost me valuable time. After that, I was pleased with my performance. I kept a good line, and became more confident in my navigation, so I did not sight as often as I have in previous races. I felt strong throughout the race. Getting in and out of the water through the breakers was a little challenging. I need to be more aggressive.

Practice OW more.

I'm running this one through my head, because I'm not sure what I would have done differently, but this really cost me a lot of time. Everyone that finished above me came out of T1 in 2:00 or less. If I could have shaved 1:30 off my time I would have jumped up ~3 spots in my AG. We had to run through an asphalt parking lot barefoot after the swim, which killed me. The transition area was very long, so it may have been luck of the draw that I had to run almost the entire length of the transition area to get to my bike, then run the same length back in my bike shoes. Wetsuit was a little persnickety, so it added up.

Maybe try the shoes on the pedals trick. Practice T1 more.

Light breeze from the south (outward half), and tailwind for the return trip. I thought I did pretty well out on the course, but felt like I should have had a better time. Stomach felt a little unsettled at times - might have been the seawater from the swim. I guess the bridge slowed me up. Also, there was no passing allowed on the bridge, and when I got to the top of the bridge on the outward leg, I had to slow down for a racer in front of me - he's coasting off the bridge, then takes a drink - "Dude! Do that when I can pass you!" So after we're past the traffic barrels I drop him.

Push harder.

No time to analyze, but I think I nailed T2.

This really disappointed! This is the slowest I've run since my very first 10K. I must have been fatigued, because I just could not turn it up a notch. HR was in the low to mid 150's, so I had gas left in the tank, but could not push harder. Running felt labored, and lacking in good form. The voices in my head that tell me I can't keep this pace were there, but they usually don't show up until my HR gets to mid 160's. Just a bad run performance.
EDIT - Okay, I just found out that the run course was actually 3.42 miles, so my time was quite good, for me. It still felt tough, but I guess for a different reason now. Looking forward to racing after a little recovery time.

Drank some Accelerade and some water, ate some fruit and some ice cream. Stretched.


I've got to keep telling myself that this was a 'B' race. I had my hardest week of training leading up to this race, so I would peak next week - week after. My level of fatigue was probably pretty high, and that is probably what limited me from racing faster - we'll see. I have two weeks of mixed active recovery and short, intense workouts to taper for my next two races. If I do well in those races, I'll feel a lot better about this one. Of course, Brenda keeps telling me that top 10 in my AG (14.5%) is nothing to sneeze at. I also have to keep in mind that this is my first full year of racing and there are bound to be races that disappoint - get over it. I also can't feel too bad about having the 4th best bike leg and 5th best run leg in my AG. Top half for my AG in the swim. This was a fairly large race, so there were definitely some good athletes in the crowd.


Race well organized. For 700+ people, the lines were not very long. Good selection of food and beer afterwards.