Health First Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

My swim went pretty good. I did get clobbered in the back of the head in the first 200 yards but it didn't slow me down. I couldn't see very well so I think these goggles are done. :( I'm not sure how much zig-zagging I did because of the goggles but I felt pretty good. No cramping. I drafted where I could and tried to stay on course the best I could too. I was strong enough to freestyle the entire way but I think I need to learn to use my legs more to get more propulsion.

Better goggles for better vision and more swimming instruction.

One possible race course improvement suggestion for the swim course. It would be that much nicer if the course has 2 more big neon-orange bouys. This will definately help everyone with pre-dawn visibility problems and any bouy spacing problems, given the course length.

I felt pretty good coming out of the water and wasn't cramping so I was pretty happy about that. I received a complimentary water spray in the face just before transition to get rid of the salt water taste. All of my stuff was layed out nicely and I was able to systematically get stuff on in the order that works best for me. :) I guess I could have gone faster but I was dripping with water and my socks were getting soaked; even before I had my riding shoes on. Maybe that water spray wasn't such a good idea?!?! All in all, it was a pretty good transition

run faster to transition. I was doing a light jog thing with no real urgency.

I averaged about 18-19 mph on the northward trek from the transition area up Pineapple Ave, to US1 and then to Pineda. I was able to maintain a speed of no slower than 15 mph over the first big bridge, 21mph over the next overpass, and 17 over the last bridge before s. Patrick drive. I averaged 20 mph going south down S. Patrick the first loop. At the water bottle exchange I got an ice cold water (greatly appreciated) and topped off my aero-bottle. I also consumed another eGel heading north on S. Tropical Tr. Once I got back to Pineda, I again averaged 18 over the bridge and was able to get up to 22-23 coming south on S. Partick the second time; until a cramp in my hamstring slowed me down. I was still able to maintain 20-21 the rest of the way down s. Patrick. Once I reached Eau Gallie, I stopped looking at my speedometer so I have no idea how fast I was going, nor how fast I was going over the causeway bridge. I do know that I descended at a max speed of 29mph w/o peddling. :) My bike dismount could have been smoother but it didn't really cause any problems.

Maybe try some different hydration strategies but other than that, just keep getting saddle time. Practice bike dismounts.

This was a pretty quick transition for me. Bike racking went smoothly, shoes off and running shoes on went well. I discarded my helmet and was gone.

Not much except work on my bike dismount. Maybe take my feet out of the shoes prior to dismounting.

Cramping! I thought I was doing fine with hydration but around mile 2 my right hamstring decided it was time to slow down. :( I walked for a few seconds until the muscle released and then continued running. At each water station I slowed to a walk so i could consume all of the Gatorade and then continued running. Heat was a big factor too. On several of the neighborhood streets there was no breeze so it was like an oven; and I'm the bread. I didn't pay any attention to my HR monitor because I was feeling pretty good and wasn't breathing overly hard; dispite my HR reading of 161. Once I hit the causeway bridge I was determined to run over it and that's just what I did. Up and over! What a feeling of accomplishment. Once I reached the turn around spot, at the last water station, I again stopped, consumed 2 glasses of gatorade this time, and took off running. Going up the causeway the second time, my mind started playing tricks on me and I stared looking more at my HR. When it got to 186 I thought "Oh, Geeze - I need to get that lower", plus, my quads were burning and felt like they were cramping so I ended up walking twice up the hill; but no regrets. It was hot on the bridge. I finished the run with a smile so I was happy!

Um, more run training!!! My training prior to this race was almost devoid of running so I really suffered there. Plus, I'm going to start running the causeways too. Those hills were almost more than I barganed for.

At the finish line my legs really started to cramp up so after my chip was returned I walked slowly over to the massage table for a nice 5 minute rub down. After that it was time to find the food! Bagels, bananas, Gatorade! A triathlete's favorite group of snacks. I gathered up my gear and, with the assitance of my son Ryan, we loaded it up into the car, then headed back to watch the awards ceremony.


I have/had a lung infection that limited my breathing; I'm currently on antibiotics. My swimming ability needs work along with some "no fog" goggles. Lastly, my run was probably my most disappointing area. I know I'm faster than what I did so it's off to develop a better run plan. Heal first, train after.


The race is a "Must TRI" race. It's challenging, nicely marked and there were a TON of volunteers at just about EVERY corner of the bike and run. I've never seen that before at a race so it was fantastic to see during this race. Everyone was friendly and helpful. Water stations were awesome.

I recommend everyone mark this race on your calendar for next year!