Mini MightyMan Triathlon - TriathlonMini Sprint

Back in 2008 (this was my first Triathlon race) I swam a 9:05. In 2009 the pool was closed for maintenance. In 2010 I swam a 7:40. Now, 2011 a 7:05. So it's taken me around a half million meters of swimming to knock off 2 minutes!! LOL!! Seriously.

I seeded myself further up this year, but still got stuck behind another athlete. I wasn't fast enough to quite blow past him so I just hung on his feet and drafted. A few other swimmers caught us and it cause a log-jam at the turns. As a result, I wasn't able to cleanly flip-turn and push off diagonally into the next lane. Regardless, unlike past years I felt 'in control' this entire swim and I'm pretty happy with my time.

Nothing really. I swam 112k meters already this year. My swim fitness is excellent, but when athletes are allowed to seed themselves - people are always going to seed themselves faster than they are. I've learned to accept this.

6th OA
Last year my T1 time was :58 seconds. This year 1:01 which is actually really good considering Transition was a MUDDY MESS!! And considering, I RAN DOWN THE WRONG TRANSITION ROW!!

In short distance Triathlons Transitions are so damn critical. I've preached this time and time again, the fact that in prior races I've actually finished higher in the standings than athletes who have Swam, Biked and Ran faster than me because my Transition Times were faster. So for me to make a mistake like this bothers me.

Also, I promised myself I would race shirtless this year as I lost precious seconds last year putting my Tri Top onto a soaking wet torso. Since it was 44 degrees and raining, I decided I needed my top on. Meanwhile, the first place finisher in my AG (3rd OA) raced shirtless. I vow to race shirtless next year regardless of conditions (and the race organization does not have a particular rule against this).

Take more time to memorize my row. I normally do a mock run where I pretend I'm actually running out of the water in the race, and I run to my transition area. I can't express how fantastic a tool this is. And for some strange reason, this never-fail routine is something I did not do today. I'll blame the stormy weather for throwing me off my game ;)

Despite my gaff in T1, I ran with my bike and ITU-style, running full-speed, I leapt onto my saddle and started cycling - feet atop the shoes, and once up to speed I slipped my barefeet in. I felt really good on the bike and despite the weather conditions I absolutely hammered the course. Last year my time was 14:45, and in stormy/windy conditions I cut off :13 seconds.

This course is definitely short. My real speed was probably closer to 22.5 MPH.

Nothing. I am beyond thrilled with 3rd OA.

142 OA
Last year my T2 time was :32 seconds and I was 2nd OA!!! This year I took my feet out of the shoes, did a perfect flying dismount, used the momentum to carry me quickly into the transition area.... and I RAN DOWN THE WRONG ROW AGAIN!! WTF is wrong with me!! Seriously, dammit!! I panicked and lost my bearings, my HR spiked, finally I went down the right row and slipped my Asics Speedstars on, grabbed my race belt and headed off.

Yeah, so this year it took me :50 seconds longer. And I honestly can't blame the mud, or weather; it was due to my lack of transition prep. And yeah, the athlete who finished one spot higher than me in the standings finished :12 seconds ahead of me. So, yeah, my transition screw up cost me 4th Place OA.

Practice what I preach and spend more time in transition pre-race doing mock transitions, and concentrating on where my actual bike rack is.

Last year my time was 13:55, 12th OA. This year I ran :36 seconds slower and was 8th OA. There were a couple of HUMONGOUS puddles, and the overall conditions for running were pretty poor. Having done this race twice before in April, and once in August, I know exactly were the first turn-around cones are normally positioned. This year they were about an 1/8th of a mile further down! Which is fine, because everyone has to run the same distance. But I'm pretty good at knowing my run pace and I know my pace was closer to a 6:5X.

I thought about my Mentor Group during this run and used their positive thoughts to push me through.

Nothing really. A straight line wasn't always the fastest route due to some decent mud patches and puddles.

Sat in a hot tub with the other top 8 finishers. Good times :)


The cold, wet and windy weather conditions definitely slowed me down; however, everyone had to race in the same conditions. Truth is, I blew it on transitions. And that's why I love doing this Race as my first race of the season. It reminds me of the basics, the fundamentals. Now going into Rev3 Quassy 70.3 and Ironman Lake Placid I WILL MAKE SURE to be a lot more attentive to where my bike is racked.

Luckily my transition goof-up didn't cost me a ranking in my AG or a Top 3 OA spot. Live and Learn. Learn and forget, and then have to re-learn!! That's been my experience!!


This is a great race to start the season for a beginner or a seasoned veteran. And the truth is, I'm still a beginner!! And the truth is, despite the short distances, it still hurts just the same!! Just for a shorter amount of time.

HUGE CONGRATS to my buddy Derrick (Sevenride) for a 1st in his AG and my friend Dan (Elroy303) for 2nd in his AG. If not for my mistake in T2, I would have only been 2:20 from 1st Place OA, and 1:32 from a Top 3 spot. So with continued time in the Pool, as well as Biking and Running fo course, I know an OA Podium is a realistic goal for me at this event. A goal I intend to chase until I've captured it. :)

Also, a huge thanks to all the amazing volunteers clad in raincoats and plastic bags, braving the stormy conditions so we could race.