Pacific Crest Olympic Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

I felt really, really good about my swim. I enjoyed it immensely! My goal for this race was to just complete it and I was most nervous about the swim since I've never swam this far in open water before (without resting). So I was so happy to have been able to swim the whole thing freestyle with no panic and no over-exertion. I seriously got out of the water and thought to myself "what a great way to start the day"!

I discovered once I got on the bike that I swam a little too relaxed. I had to take the first few miles to warm-up and get my HR going, so next time, now that I know I can do the distance with ease, I'll swim a little harder. I'm happy about this performance, but I also know that I can do a lot better in terms of time, so that's what my goal will be for the next one.

Transition went well, considering. We had to pack up all our stuff into a bag and tie it before heading out on the bike so that it could be transported back to T2 for us, so that took a little time. I could not get my bag tied with my cold hands! Other than that, it went well. I'm getting much better at putting socks on wet feet! ;-)

Nothing.

So the bike was both good and bad. First of all, it took me a lot longer to warm up than I had anticipated. I also had a very hard time eating while in aero, so I really cut back on nutrition (which actually hurt me on the run). I was able to get down about half a bag of sharkies before the long hill, so that helped a lot. Drinking was great and well timed. When I got to T2, I went to take a sip before heading out on the run and my bottle was empty - so I did it JUST right! The long hill actually went really well and I buzzed up it and passed a lot of folks without too much effort. I was careful to keep the whole ride at a reasonable effort cardio-vascularly despite the altitude, so I think that slowed me down more than I had expected. From mile 15 on, I FLEW into the finish. Max speed topped out over 35 mph and I actually RAN OUT OF GEARS on a few of the long downhills (even with an 50-11 combo!). I would have been able to spin faster and still generate some power on those hills if I wasn't noticing a chaffing problem with my chamois. That limited my ability to spin at high speeds (it hurt!). I doubt I would have felt comfortable going much faster anyway though as there was a lot of car traffic to worry about.

Looking back, there were a couple of things I'll do differently the next time. First of all, I'll swim harder so that I don't have to waste the first 5-6 miles warming up on the bike. Secondly, I'll practice consuming nutirition while in aero. I knew WHAT to eat for those distances, I didn't know enough about HOW to eat it. ;-) Lastly, revisit the tri suit chamois problem - body glide?, alterations?, new suit?...

I practiced running with my bike but it was for no use. The transition pathways were very narrow and the people in front of me were walking. I also felt like I was moving through molasses as I changed my shoes and put on my race belt and I was certain that my T2 time was super slow, but it wasn't as bad as it felt!

Next time, I'll grab water on the exit. I thought there would be water at mile 1 on the run, so I skipped it even though I'd just downed half a gel in T2. I was so incredibly parched for the first part of the run!

So I knew the run was going to be tough. The first two miles were torture as I was dying of thirst. Once I had my first water at mile 2, I felt pretty good and was able to just enjoy being out there a bit. By the half way point, I realized my face was really salty, so I figured I could use some electrolytes so I took a cup of Gleukos. By mile 4, I was really fading. My feet didn't hurt and my HR wasn't too high (actually too low, probably!), but I was out of energy. I was seriously dragging and that's a very new feeling for me on a run. Usually my feet give out long before I run out of energy! I kept going of course, walking occasionally. By 5.5 miles, that Gluekos was causing me stomach distress and I had visions of throwing up in the finishing chute. At 6 miles, I saw my friend Jill who ran with me up to the finish chute and that was a total lifesaver. I knew then that I wasn't going to puke and as I crossed the finish line, I found myself holding back tears. It was a combination of joy at finishing, pride at making it, and happiness at knowing the torture was over!

Next time, I know that I'll need to rethink my nutrition. That seriously made a HUGE impact on me during the run. I wasn't even as hot as I expected to be...I was just out of energy. I also need to rethink my shoes. My right foot was cramping up because my toes could not spread out. I don't regret my choice because I'm certain that had I worn my wider shoes, I'd have been tripping over them (they are slightly too big) by the last couple of miles. All in all, I was shooting for an 11 m/m run, so I wasn't all that far off. Next time, I know I can do better.

Immediately afterward I wandered around a bit looking for water (they seemed to have run out of the water bottles they were handing to racers), then had a few bites of strawberry shortcake while waiting for my friend to finish. We then took a few photos and discussed race experiences before making the trek to T2 to pick up bikes and gear. I went back to our house, showered, and then we headed out for the 4 hour drive home. I couldn't sleep in the car but I'm damn glad I wasn't driving as I was totally loopy.


I was absolutely limited by my lack of experience. This was my first OLY and I didn't get either the pacing or the nutrition quite right. Even at my current conditioning level, I think I could have finished a solid 15 - 20 minutes faster overall had I paced my swim correctly and gotten the nutrition right. At least I got the hydration right! I weighed myself after we got home and I was exactly the same as the day we left!


So far, the best race event I've attended yet. Great location, great organization, great extras...the only flaw was the post-race food which was very unimpressive. Overall, a great weekend (loved watching the other races too!) and we'll definitely be back in the future!