Silicon Valley International Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

What can I say? My swim was a disaster -- very disappointing. I sputtered right from the start and never found my stroke or rhythm. At least I finished...

There were so many things I did wrong... so many things. This was only my second OWS surrounded by other swimmers. For some dumb reason, I thought I could handle it, and I started out on the middle right side of my wave. I was dunked repeatedly, drank a ton of water, and was exhausted after about 150 yards. I kept thinking I would eventually settle down and find my stroke, but I never did. Every time I relaxed, and I either veered off course, or collided with somebody. Next time, I'm starting from the back and side and swimming my own race.

My shoes were already clipped in the pedals and I did a running mount. Worked out good -- no mishaps, no blood.

Need to run a little faster after exiting water.

Overall, I was happy with my ride. I pressed it to make up some time after my poor swim. I held my aero position for the entire course, except for the hill in the middle.

In hindsight, I might have gone a little too hard on the bike -- my legs were zonked for the run. Also, I changed my bike fit position several times during the week leading up to the race, and I think my legs weren't quite accustomed to the new position.

Considering the fact that T2 could have been a disaster, it went relatively good. As I was putting on my running shoes, my right quad tightened up and started to cramp. I immediately stepped back, then hopped up and down for a few seconds. Fortunately, the cramp went away. I sacrificed about 20 seconds in the process, but it was worth it.

Next time, I'll make it a point to stand up on my pedals and stretch as I approach the end of the ride. I pushed the bike ride hard, and should have realized my legs would react during the transition.

My legs were sore right away. Not my best performance. I just gutted out the run. The heat got to me a bit near the end. I'm just glad I was reasonably fit, or I could have been in trouble.

During my brick workouts, I need to push harder on my bike. My legs were not accustomed to the level of fatigue I felt during the run. Also, I regretted changing my bike position repeatedly during the week before the race. It affected my run more than I thought it would. Live and learn. But it could have been worse.

Walked around, stretched some.


I thought I was a better swimmer than I actually am. I still have a lot of work to do in the water! Actually, I need to work on everything. But a decent swim would have left me feeling a lot better about the race.


Everything is great about this triathlon -- except for the lake. It's too small and the water tastes bad. But I'm a terrible swimmer, so I'm probably just whining...

The race organization, bike and run courses were superb. Just wait 'till next year -- I'll be ready for the swim.

You can read a complete commentary of my race at:

http://stevendellago.blogspot.com/2011/06/special-of-day-duck-poop-...