North Shore Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

This was a combat swim the entire time. I actually had someone deliberately push me to get around a buoy. The start was very congested. Lot of coral heads. It did not present a problem for me, but a couple of my buddies had blood drawn when they contacted the reef. Sighting went well. The worst thing about the entire swim is the long run up the beach. Heart rate spike while running in the sand and uphill. The swim time includes this long run so we don't really get a good time on the swim alone.

The length of the swim felt ok. I had the endurance. I just need to work on swimming faster. Just need more training.

While there is always room for improvement, I felt good about my T1 for my level of experience. Ditching socks was a good decision and it helped me transition much faster than my last triathlon. I used a pan with water to get the sand and debris off my feet. Wiped feet with a small towel and slipped on my bike shoes.

I shouldn't have sat down to put on my bike shoes. I did not do it while practicing so I am not sure what possessed me to do it during the race.

As a beginner it has been my goal to average 20mph or more and I was able to do it during this race. To my surprise, I passed quite a few people. One thing that slowed me down was taking nutrition (gel). I wanted have some fuel for the run since I did not eat much before the race. On way back I caught up to a group that was really racing hard. We were passing and re-passing each other all the way back T2. I made a decision to ride without socks to get better transition times. It presented no problem during the race.

I just need more time in the saddle. Do more hill work to get stronger and practice taking my nutrition while riding at race pace.

I felt I had a good T2. Racked bike, helmet off. Removed bike shoes, slipped on running shoes. Grabbed my race belt and headed for the exit. Clipped on race belt while running to the exit.

I don't think I would do anything different. I just need to get experience to get faster.

Running is my biggest challenge. While I am slow, I have been steadily improving. Small improvements, but improving nonetheless. That said, I did my best running today. I have been practicing to have negative splits and I usually start out around 12 min/mile and end somewhere around 11:30 or 11:00. However, today, I started out around 10:15-10:30. My calves were tightening up and actually tingling, but I knew that would go away in about half a mile or so. At 1.5 miles I was running somewhere in the high 9s. I grabbed 2 cups of water. Drank one and poured the other over my head. It was really refreshing and gave me a boost. During the last mile I was running below 9... somewhere around 8:45. I have never run like that before! Maybe it was the excitement of the event. I also ran without socks for the first time.

I am not sure I would do anything different. I just need more experience and training miles.

Didn't really warm down. Went to the finish line to cheer for buddies that were still on the course.


My lack of experience limited my ability to perform faster. I just need to put in the training.


I enjoyed the race. It is one of those events that make racing "fun"! Before the start I asked the RD if we had to wear swim caps and he said, "Heck no, this is the north shore. As long as you are wearing shorts we don't care. Just go out and have fun. Unofficially you can even wear an ipod. Just keep the volume low enough to hear potential problems... enjoy!" It is a perfect event for beginners. The elites were tearing up the course.