Papillion Mayor's Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I'm a little disappointed by my slow swim time, but it could have been a lot worse. I just can't get over my OWS anxiety. For the first 200 meters, I felt really uncomfortable and had to really back off of the crowd and breaststroke a bit. The whole time I was thinking, "I'm never doing this again--clearly tri is not for me." As usual, once I turned around at the buoy, I was fine and could actually push myself and swim.

I clearly need more OWS practice. This is so frustrating for me. I know I can swim the distance easily, and it's a completely mental problem.

I felt like I was moving in slow motion, but pulled myself together. I had a little trouble clipping in and getting on my bike, but the way the transition was set up, I finally got off without too much trouble or getting in to anyone's way.

I'm not sure I need all the gear I wear, but I don't want to give up my glasses, socks, or gloves--I'm still nervous after falling at a previous tri where my gloves really saved me.

Even though my time is less than impressive, I'm happy with it. I was very nervous going into the race because the course had some pretty tight turns on a narrow bike path. I was worried about my bike handling skills, and I was more worried that I would be in the way of faster riders. I feared that if someone tried to pass me on some of those turns, I would freak out and lose control. Thankfully, the volunteers and signs did a great job of warning about upcoming turns (I was really glad I had ridden the course ahead of time--that helped a lot). And, the faster riders who were lapping me were really great about announcing their presence so I had plenty of time to make sure I was out of their way.

What I didn't plan for were some of the hills, especially at the long straight parts that I counted on to make up time. Even though I felt like I was going extremely slow, I still passed lots of people, so that felt good.

I need to train WAY more on hills. I felt like I was having to put in way more effort than I should have. Apparently going over the pedestrian bridge occasionally to get to the Council Bluffs trails is not enough practice...

Not too bad. I had a little trouble tying my shoes, and had to stop and fix them, but overall, i felt like I got out pretty fast.

I am going to consider speed laces for my next tri. Trying to tie my shoes has been such a pain.

I felt surprisingly good running out of transition, but then felt pretty bad. I just tried to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It was fairly humid, and I still haven't figured out my pacing. I sometimes feel like I need to push myself, but I'm afraid of running out of gas. Water stations were great. I would have taken advantage of them more if I didn't feel like puking during most of the run.

Need to work on pacing. I hate to take the time to put on my Garmin in transition, but it might help to have a better idea of where I am on the course.

I'm not a huge fan of the bike course with the narrow bike trail (and the hills-but that's a personal problem), but this was one of the most well-organized races I've done. The volunteers were plentiful and helpful, and the course was very clearly marked. I never once questioned where I was going. The awards were fun--very supportive--as some of the later finishers came in, they made sure to stop and cheer them on. Overall, I was really pleased and would definitely do it again.