Downtown Orlando Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I made the mistake of going out way too fast on the swim in my first triathlon last year, so I went slow and did a lot of breaststroke to just save energy for the bike/run. I took water in my right goggle right from the start and kept having to clear it -- it was annoying but didn't effect me much. My goal was to do a comfortable 8 min swim, and I was at 8:11.

Swim more in preparation. I have only been in the pool three times in the last 8 months, so I need to get a stronger base so that I can do free the whole way without getting too tight. But, I can still go FOP without the swim training, so I need to focus on my run and bike (as you'll see later!) I would like to do a better job drafting off the front couple people on the swim to save even a bit more energy, but not a big deal on such a short swim.

I don't push hard through the Transitions because I know I'm not going to be competitive by the end of the race. Once I get better legs for running, then I'll worry about shaving off a minute from T1 and T2. At this point, I need to shave SO much off the run time that's it is a bit silly for me to kill myself going through T1 and T2.

Once I get more comfortable with my body (still got about 50 pounds to lose), I'll get an actual tri top to wear. At this point, I put on a shirt after the swim, so that takes some extra time. Also, I wear socks. I should try riding and running without to see if I can do so comfortably. That would also help drop some time in T1.

I was really happy with my bike time. My goal was 35 min, which I thought might be pushing it a bit too much for me, but I was right on it, so I was extremely happy. It was a steady pace for me, but I still felt pretty strong when it was over. I did push my heartrate higher than I thought I would, but I didn't feel the strain. I was running at around 90% of my max HR, but like I said, I felt good so I kept going. I passed a lot of people and didn't get passed by more than 2 or 3 that I remember (and they may have been on their second loop when I was on my first -- not sure).

Hills. There weren't any real "hills" to speak of, but even the little inclines kill me. That's what I get for being so overweight, but I really have to manage better going up. It takes quite a bit out of me and takes me a while to recover afterward. That will come with more saddle time and dropping the pounds.

Here's where the race went to hell in a handbasket. I thought I was feeling good coming into T2. My head was in it, my heart was in it, my breathing was calm and collected. My legs...well, they had other plans for the day! It was a fairly decent distance down the chute to get out of T2 and I had to walk, not run, because my legs just quit.

MORE BRICKS. Like I said, I haven't trained for more than about 4 weeks, but still. I wish I'd done a couple bricks beforehand. I trained a bunch more for running, but never straight off the bike. That caught me a bit off guard, especially because I pushed the bike pretty hard.

This was a pathetic excuse for a "run" segment. I had to walk the better part of the first two miles. It wasn't that I wasn't into it, but my legs just literally would not go. I felt so tight and my legs felt so heavy, I watched so many people pass me and I just couldn't get going. I knew that I would struggle with the run, but I thought I could probably do it in 40 min. Wound up taking 50! I know that I need to spend more time getting a running base, dropping pounds, and training bricks, but still....to say I'm not a runner, well, that's just plain embarrassing. I'll get there, but I'll hate every step along the way. I hate you skinny runners! (just kidding -- sort of!) =)

Run more, do more bricks (and get this 50 pound backpack off my back!)

My wife brought my oldest two to cheer me on at the finish line. It was awesome to see them there and really brought a smile to my face. They couldn't make it to my first triathlon, so this was a real treat for me. I just hung out with them and chowed down on some fruit and a bagel and lots of vitamin water. I was a good boy and stayed away from the free beer. Which, as a clyde, was very tempting I must say!


Being fat, lazy, and out of shape probably played a small factor. Other than that, I'm not sure what happened! Looking at active.com tonight to find the next triathlon to do in Oct. or Nov. I am going on a cruise next week, so there will be lots of temptation. I'm going to try to run at least 3 times while on the ship, but we'll see.


I really enjoyed the race. I had a really good time and I was most impressed with the bike route. They had every single intersection covered and I never had to hit the brakes once for traffic. Very friendly volunteers and a decent after party. This is only my second tri, so I can't really compare it to much else, but I thought it was a nice finish.