New Jersey State Triathlon - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint

Swim was a little slow compared to pool times, but I hadn't timed the distance in open water so who knows. Overall it was great. OWS practice in the ocean made me a lot calmer for a lake where there was no current or chop.

Get faster. Swim a little wider because people from later waves kept catching me near the end of the course.

Glad I practiced prior to the race. I knew how to find the rack and since my bike was the last one left, wasn't difficult getting out to the course.

Find a way to not have rocks in my socks when putting them on after a run through asphalt. Or, even better, get bike shoes and race without socks.

Bike course was fine. The hill I was worried about was not as much of a problem as I thought it would be. Got really used to hearing "on your left."

Use a road bike. Use clipless pedals/shoes. Find a better way to deal with hills and small incline increases that don't really qualify as hills. Towards the end of the course I felt like I was running out of gears because the lower gears prevented me from going "fast enough." Get more comfortable going as slower speeds but spinning.

Pretty quick considering I wasn't running fast with the bike, or into the run. I was surprised.

Find a better way to carry hydration on the run because trying to grab a bottle in transition felt a little clumsy.

Didn't achieve my race goal of running the entire run, but in retrospect it wasn't that bad. I will never understand why my 5K times are faster in triathlons than in 5K races (happened twice now). The first uphill section was kind of hard. I started doing a 30 steps walk, 60 steps run to actually run, but not be too tired. Think I took in too many carbs, but not enough hydration because I was thirsty, but getting stomach cramps. Cool rag was a savior. Consistently ran the last .3 miles.

Find a better way to stay motivated on the run. Train in heat more so heat isn't such a problem in the middle of a race. Find a better way to stay hydrated, and to carry hydration. Get better at running hills.

Tired from the previous events. Didn't get enough "race-like" workouts in training (i.e. bikes out on the road, runs outside on trails, swims in open water). HEAT: also part of not enough "race-like" workouts.


This was my first race, so I'm really excited!