Danskin Chicagoland - TriathlonSprint

I wasn't really focused on my swim because my friend who was in the wave with me was panicking! She is a relatively new swimmer and she had a bad experience in her first OWS at a tri and this swim looks really intimidating because you just go across a lake. The whole time we were being talked to by Sally Edwards, I was trying to convince her that she couldn't sink in her wet suit. Once the swim angel took over and promised to swim with her the whole way, I could then turn my attention to my race. From the very beginning of the swim, I felt comfortable and quickly found a comfortable freestyle. It was a little crowded in the beginning, but it didn't take long to find my own space. I didn't even try to draft because I was more comfortable having my own area without having to worry about passing. I started sighting every 10 strokes and that worked well for me. A few times I had to switch to breaststoke when somebody bumped into me, but overall I was freestyling the whole time. When I started catching the wave in front of me, I realized that I must be having a great swim!! About 3/4 of the way across the lake, I realized I had gone a little right so I then angled back left to the swim finish. When I checked my watch getting out I was SHOCKED! I've never swam 1/2 mile that fast in the pool let alone open water!!!

Maybe try to draft and not fear having someone else in my swimming space.

Coming out of the swin I jogged to my spot and was happy to find it easily among the confusion. This was my first time racing in cycling shoes and I found it really hard to walk fast in them (running? forget about it!) Also the transition area was huge and my bike was on the complete opposite side as the bike exit so just getting to the mounting area really slowed me down.

Arrive earlier to get a spot closer to the bike exit and learn to transition with my shoes attached to the pedals to avoid the ridiculous cycling shoe walk.

This was a nice course and I really enjoyed riding it. I am SOO glad that I rode with my new shoes and pedals because I really think it helped me with my speed and efficiency. I felt strong the whole ride and I passed quite a few people but got passed a bit myself. I tried to keep a consistent pace and I tried to push my speed when I realized the effort was too easy. My shifting was good and I didn't have any problems on the hills. I never even got into my third chainring ... or whatever the little one on the front is called - the one I used to always have to use to get up a hill. The course was a little scary at times due to the sheer number of riders and having folks in front of me that were clustered together and at times moving erratically into my line. Several times I had to slow down because cyclists were so far to the left and I would have to let them know my intentions and give them plenty of time to move over so I could safely pass. This is a first timer race though, so I wasn't bothered at all by it and I didn't mind slowing down for safety because I didn't want to zoom close by someone screaming "on your left" because I know how scary that can be. I liked that aspect of the women's only event, everyone seemed very considerate. I also spent most of my time on my aero bars and I LOVED them! It was a great bike leg for me because it's the first time I've really enjoyed it ... and most importantly I didn't fall over when getting clipped out!!! I don't know if it was the shoes and pedals, aero bars, my comfort level with the bike or what but this was by far my best bike leg during a race.

I need a bike computer so I have some sense of how fast I'm going. Other than that I think I just need to "ride lots" which seems to be the advice all over these forums.

Again, the cycling shoes are new so I haven't practiced riding with my feet on the top of the shoes. When I was trying to walk/ run with my cycling shoes ALL the way to the back end of transition area I was really wishing I had practiced this. Also I HAD to pee so that slowed me down. I was hoping I could just hold it but I knew there was no way a 5K was going to go well with that feeling. I was so frustrated but I just jumped in and out of the porta potty as fast as possible. Luckily I felt pretty quick getting my cycling shoes off and running shoes on.

Learn to get my feet out of the cycling shoes while riding and wish for a smaller bladder :)

I felt AWESOME going into the run, I hit my normal running stride almost immediately so apparently those bricks paid off!! I started to slow down between miles 1 and 2 and then stepped it up the last mile. I felt some side pain towards the end and had a hard time bringing up my speed for the finish. I did walk through two aid stations long enough to drink my water. I saw my friend Misa on the out and back portion which really made me step it up at the end because I didn't want her to catch me :)

It seems to be a constant refrain ... but I need to push harder and learn to accept a little discomfort. I cooled down really quickly and realized I probably could have pushed a little more that last mile.

I just walked a bit and tried to get away from the overwhelming crowd at the finish, but I didn't go too far because I knew my friend was only a few minutes behind me. Later on (probably too much later) I was feeling stiff so I stretched.


My only limitation is in my mind ... I need to learn to leave that "comfortable" race pace and move into the slightly uncomfortable zone.


This is a fabulous event and I would recommend it to any woman just starting out or looking for a "feel good" tri experience. I thought everything was well organized given the sheer numbers of racers and spectators, and though there was a line for just about everything ... racking bikes, porta potties, shuttle buses it seemed to move as smoothly as possible. The best thing was the comraderie among the participants, everybody was so supportive and encouraging - it's hard to even explain. And the community, what a fabulous community! People camped out in their front yards and along the route cheering the racers - that was a first for me! There were tons of volunteers and the course was well supported along the way. The best thing was the swim support - tons of lifeguards, docks positioned all along the swim, kayaks and the volunteer swim angels. My friend swam with a noodle and a swim angel by her side the whole race - where else would that have been allowed?? It built her confidence and allowed her to tear up the rest of the course and I'm sure many other women were able to conquer the open water swim as a result of the way this is organized. I am SOOO happy that I did this race, it was a fabulous racing experience and I was so happy that I was able to experience it with a friend who had an amazing experience as well.