The Nations Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Swim was good. Suit felt good and start wasn't bad. I waited at the back of the group and waited a few seconds to let people clear. Several others had the same plan and I ended up swimming with the pack. Stayed mid-pack for quite a while and it was maybe 400y before we started getting strung out. First guys from the following wave (4 min behind) caught me at 600y, but there were still plenty of guys from my wave behind me. I started catching guys from the wave in front of me at about 800y. Breathing was good, but it would be nice to learn bilateral. Waves were not bad, but they certainly do make it a bit more difficult. Current was noticable on the way back up the river. It was really noticble swimming back in and constantly having to correct course to the last bouy. Sighting could certainly be improved.

Need to improve my sighting. I probably swam quite a few extra yards. Swimming in general needs to improve. Didn't really try much drafting. A bit, but I really just wanted to cruise along on my own.

T1 was good. Very long run from swim to bike and then a good 100y from lane to bike out. Wetsuit came off w/o too much trouble and I took the time to wipe the mud from my feet before putting socks on. I was concerned about mud getting in the bike cleats, but there was only mud at the transition entrance and the run out wasn't a problem.

Nothing really, maybe run faster once I get my legs under me.

Slick wet roads and not the smoothest surface made for a tough ride. I wore my orange lens and though it brightened everything up, water drops made it really hard to see. I hit one bump with about 3 miles left and the sponge in my aero bottle ejected onto the roadway. No way I was going to stop for it though. Saw several folks changing tires; mostly rear tires and mostly on high-end wheels (Zipps, etc). Also had one guy totally crash right in front of me. He clipped a curb on a straight and went flying into the bushes. I asked and he was ok, so I pressed on.

I used electrical tape to tape 2 gels to the downtube of the bike inside the bottle cage. This worked pretty well and they were easy to tear off. Took one gel as soon as I hit the bike and the other about halfway through. I also hit the fluids as soon as I got out on the bike.

Got clipped into the bike easily and started clicking up the gears. Noticed I was going faster than normal and front gear had clicked up to the big ring. Left it there for a bit, but didn't want to tear my legs up before the run, so backed down to the middle ring for most of the ride. Was fairly comfortable during the ride and passed quite a few people.

Felt like I could have gone a bit faster, but I didn't want to destroy my legs. Need to find the line where I can go hard, but not too hard. Need to use the captive top on the aero bottle. Refill from the frame bottle.

Rode my bike to a stop, clipped out and dismounted. I've tried the pull feet out on the move thing and it's closer to crashing for me. Not worth the few seconds it might buy.

Shoes went on well, skipped the hat and glasses due to the rain, grabbed the race belt and took off.

Nothing really. T2 went pretty well.

Run went fairly well. Only had a few real problems. My lower left leg tightened up and I stopped twice to try to stretch it out. This has been a consistent problem and I've not found a solution yet. Even solid stretching doesn't seem to help (unless it's well into the run). The only other problem I had was the necessity to stop for a "natural" break. Had to do this before I got off the bike and passed up one place early in the run. However about 4 miles it, there was another restroom and I suffered no longer. There were 2 others in there as well, so I wasn't the only one.

Again, like the bike, I think I probably could have run harder; but a bit worried about my leg so it was probably best that I didn't. Could possibly have skipped the potty break, but where I stopped was the last opportunity and I might not have made it otherwise. Considering where I was (rank-wise), I know I made the right call.

Some walking around and stretching.


Inexperience. As I do this more, I'll learn how hard I can push and still finish. The goal for this race was to cross the finish line and I thought I could do it in 3 to 3.5 hrs.


Great race, despite the poor weather. Would like to do it again.