Terre Haute Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I started panicking/hperventilating/etc at the beginning, partly because it was so cold and partly because there was so much splashing and thrashing at the start. I had to have a conversation with myself and tell myself to relax and swim like I do in the pool-long and relaxed. Within a minute or two I found my groove and was feeling awesome. This was a fantastic swim time for me even though I was almost last in my age group.

Try to take it slow at the beginning. Not be afraid to put my head in the water even with tons of people around me.

T1 was longer than I would have liked because I was so cold, I felt the need to dry my whole body with the towel, and I also had to put on my tri-top while wet which didn't go that smoothly. I don't think this will be an issue in the future, it was cold-temperature-related. Also, I don't think I will start with my shoes on the bike anymore. It was too awkward and most other people were just running with their bikes in their biking shoes. I think I wasted time rather than saved.

No shoes on bike. Jog to transition area instead of walking. My heartrate wasn't that high so I could have jogged.

I was conservative for the first half. I felt really powerful and in control for the bike segment. No women passed me, only men, and I passed quite a few women. If I improve my swim time I could move up significantly in the rankings. I spent about 50/50 in the aerobars vs. drops. It was good to be able to switch positions now and then.

Nothing. It went pretty well. I just need to log more hours in the saddle to improve the bike time. I had only ridden a few times this season since it has been so cold!

Nice quick transition. I will wear a hat next time though. Helmet hair flew all over face.

Wear a hat

I ran faster than I thought I would. I was expecting 9:00+ miles but I held on for a little faster. I was a little irritated they ran out of water on the run course and only had gatorade. My quads started to cramp up after the halfway point but I tried to alter my stride length and speed to work it out and it went ok.

Get new running shoes. I think mine are shot.

Walking around and eating.


I suck at swimming. And I need to build muscular endurance on the bike. And not drag my a** in T1.


I really enjoyed this race despite the cold water. I would definitely do it again if I am able, though next year at this time I will be in surgical rotation and probably won't be able to but who knows.