Virginia Run Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

The swim was pretty rough given the fact it was a TT format in a pool. Those who had the faster swim times went first, those who were slower went later.

I started at a very fast pace and quickly ran into the person in front of me. I ended up passing a couple of people, then got my goggles kicked off rounding another turn leaving me to swim a length with water in my eyes. After stopping at a turn to fix the goggles, I let two people pass and followed them the rest of the way in.

Not much I can do to improve a very short pool swim other than to improve my own time and start sooner in the lineup. Being that the swim is in TT format, I am pretty much guaranteed to finish in the time I have listed on my race profile due to the difficulties passing. I will list myself as a 5 minute 250m instead of a 6 minute as that is probably closer to my speed.

The T1 time was a bit long, but I am more than happy with the result for being my first triathlon in over 5 years. The run from the pool to the parking lot rack was pure hell as there was gravel and small pebbles everywhere, and of course my rack was at the very end.

I toweled off very quickly and threw my HR monitor and bike shirt on, then socks and shoes and helmet.

I need proper road bike shoes and not lace ups, and I need to learn to keep my shoes mounted on the bike and ready to go. I also should probably go without socks as i am sure I am adding another 20-30 seconds to my T1 time by putting them on. I am not a FOP'er however, so until I get near that point I will not worry too much about it.

All in all I had a very comfortable bike. The first time on the loop I took it slightly easier as I did not know what to expect as I did not scout it out beforehand. The second time on the loop I let loose however and felt good pushing myself through the course.

Scout out the bike course before race day.

Dismount, rack, and shoe change all went very smoothly. After I grabbed my race belt I started to run the WRONG WAY out of T2 however and had to turn around and head back up the transition area and around to get out.

Learn BEFOREHAND where the run segment begins, and do not assume T1 and T2 exits are in the same area.

The transition from bike to run was very difficult as I had pushed myself on the 2nd loop of the bike segment. My legs did not want to move for at least half of the 5k, and the 2nd half of the 5k was still rough but manageable.

Not kill myself near the end of the bike segment, do more brick workouts before the race.

I got my breath for about 2 minutes, grabbed a bottle of water and half of an orange and went to a nearby bleacher and stretched for about 10 minutes.


All in all I performed better than expected. My bike and run times were faster than training and the 5k's I ran in april. The swim was difficult due to the crowds, but not much I can do about that.


All in all this race is very good for a first timer, or someone who is just trying to get back into triathlon after a long break. This is also a great first event of the season.