Take Flight Triathlon 2008 - TriathlonSprint

Felt good on the swim; did the pace I was capable of, no more or no less, felt comfortable with the breathing and flow. Had to slow up twice at the walls to let faster swimmers pass (about 10 people passed since I was the turtle among the hares) so that probably added 5-10 seconds to my time.

Log my swim time accurately so I get slotted with participants at my same speed!! Work on swimming fundamentals including kick board and start practicing in open water.

Felt pretty good in T1; one benefit of having my bike positioned alongside the top experienced swimmers was being able to observe their pre-race routine laying out their gear and preparing for the T1. Was pleased that I got on the bike and into the pedal cages pretty cleanly and easily since I am still getting acquainted with a new month-old bike.

Struggled just a bit with the gloves so that added a few seconds but overall I was pretty happy with T1 for my first tri.

The good: I had practiced enough on hills around my home to prep for the two pretty good hills on the course, passing two riders along the way. The new Trek made a lot of difference compared to my old warhorse steel-frame Schwinn! The bad: my post-race inspection confirmed what I had suspected during the ride - that I rode the last half of the course on a slow flat after ramming over a traffic reflector ... speed and handling was not quite as good on the 2nd half of the ride and I believe I over-compensated by pedaling harder which drained me for the run.

Improve recognition of bike condition during the race (hopefully this comes with experience) & learn what to do in the middle of an event in case of a slow flat or outright flat. Ugh.

Came to a complete stop at the dismount line and got off cautiously & slowly so that needs some practice. The legs were really heavy after the ride and I took some extra seconds to slurp down a gel and stretch before the run. Pretty slow transition but I needed it.

Better training brics next time going bike -> run, practicing transitions & improving endurance.

Tough run for me. Think I left too much on the bike course and could not for the life of me pick up my knees to get into a comfortable long-striding pace, so settled for the old-man shuffle. Walked a few steps on the last uphill before the final stretch but otherwise jogged it out. But that last stretch felt great running thru the finish!!

Better training brics next time going bike -> run, practicing transitions & improving endurance.

Walked it off, hydrated, ate some bagels, got a great massage. Felt pretty good afterwards with no major soreness or pain, which is about as good as I could have hoped for as an outcome.


Incorrect slotting for the swim and slow flat tire on the bike.


Great event for a first-timer, given the relatively short-distance pool swim format. Nice swim venue and course layout, great turnout and encouragement from volunteers and residents in the neighborhoods all along the run route. Well-run event and a lot of fun! I think I'm hooked!