Gateway Triathlon - (Sprint) - TriathlonSprint

Sprint women were the 3rd wave to go off, about 25 min after the Olympic men and women. Small wave, only 24 of us. I started at the back and off to the side. I'm not sure if it was the chilly water or the newish experience (I only had 1 OWS practice before this), but I had a hard time getting into any kind of rhythm. I wasn't panicking, just didn't feel smooth. Also, I need to work on siting - I got off course during the first 200m. Once I rounded the first buoy, I did better. Still felt a little like I was fighting the water, but just kept my head down and kept going. Felt good to hit the beach though! Pulled my wetsuit down to my hips while going up the hill to transition.

I need more swimming, both in general and in OW, especially if I want to do the Olympic in Sept. Right now I have serious doubts that I could do triple this distance and make it through.

Slow, slow, slow. I could not get my wetsuit off! Finally had to sit down and managed to get it off. Shoes and socks on, sunglasses and helmet on. I also took a few seconds to spray myself with sunscreen. Glad I did - the few small spots that I missed got pretty red.

More practice getting the wetsuit off.

I hadn't ridden or driven the course, but we were told that it was flat and fast. I was hoping that was true - the temp was starting to go up and there was no shade on the course so I wanted to get out and back as quick as possible.

Started out pretty well but about 1/2 mile out I realized something seemed to be rattling a lot. Hoping it wasn't my tires or anything serious, I looked down - and saw 2 empty bottle cages! Not good - I had forgotten to put my bottles on the bike when I set up my transition area that morning. Considering the increasing heat (especially out on the pavement) and the lack of shade on the course, I knew I could have a problem. I rode on for a while wondering if I should just go back. I decided to continue on for 2 reasons - it was only 12 miles and supposed to be a flat course and also I seemed to be pretty well hydrated (I had pee'd once during the swim and already had to go again). I figured if I just took it easy and not pushed it too much, I might be OK. If not, I could always stop at the turnaround and have someone come pick me up.

So the first 1/2 went pretty well, I tried to keep an even pace, lots of people passed me but I was OK with that. Coming up to the turnaround I was feeling pretty good so figured I could make it back alright even without water. I didn't realize until I made the U-turn and headed back that I had been riding with a tailwind. Riding back was a lot tougher - very strong headwinds/crosswinds. I still tried to keep as even a pace as I could but the ride back definitely took a lot out of me. I finally made it back to the transition area, stopped for a potty break and then got ready for the run.

Not forget my water bottles! Other than that, the ride really went OK.

Quick transition since I don't have to change shoes. Helmet off, bike racked, picked up visor, race and water bottle and off I went.

Not sure - went OK.

I knew after forgetting my water on the bike that this run would probably end up being more of a walk. I grabbed some Gatorade on the way out of transition and drank that along with some water as soon as I started out. This was not going to be fun. Thankfully the RD added an extra water stop to the course because of the heat so I was able to pick up both Gatorade and water at the 1 mile and 2 mile marks. Between that and the 20oz of water that I was carrying, I was hoping to just get through the run. I walked a lot, running when I felt good enough. On my was back across the dam, I passed 2 runners who were down. One was totally passed out and someone had covered him with a towel - didn't look good but an ambulance was on the way. The other was down but conscious - EMS was attending to him. I really didn't want to end up like that, so I just took my time. It was one of the slowest 5k times I've ever had, but at that point I didn't care - I just wanted to finish in one piece. I did manage to run across the finish and after getting my medal, I immediately headed for the shade and some water.

Under normal circumstances, I think I could have taken about 10 minutes off this run time. Can't change the weather, but next time I need to make sure I have everything before the race starts - no one but myself to blame for that.

Lots of water and Gatorade, sat in the shade for a while. After I had cooled off some, I went back down to the lake and sat in the water for a while. It may have been chilly when I started the swim, but sure felt good after the race!

During the awards presentation, the RD let everyone know that the athletes that had been transported to the hospital were OK. That was good to hear.


Post race they had cookies, crackers, watermelon and sub sandwiches. Also lots of cold water and Gatorade which was needed considering the weather. Overall, I enjoyed the race and would love to do it again next year.