My NextTriathlon at Lake Lanier Islands - TriathlonSprint

I started well, getting into my cadence, counting my strokes, and drafting a swimmer ahead of me. Then I inhaled a lung full of water during a breath when a swimmer next to me kicked hard and a wave went in my mouth. I had to swim on my back for awhile to clear my lungs, coughing and hacking until I could swim normally again. Really threw me off my cadence.

My T1 time was reported at 3:13, which does NOT include the 3:27 tacked onto my actual swim time shown as 9:16 above, due to the LONG run from the swim finish to T1, including a steep hill at the end of the run. Before the start, some of us were joking that this tri was really a swim, a 5K T1, followed by a bike and a run. From the end of the swim to the transition zone was a least a quarter of a mile, and at the end was a hill so steep it should have had stairs on it. I was completely blown by the time I got to my bike.

Probably would have had a shorter T1 if not winded from long run from end of swim. I need to wear a tri suit or a singlet top during the swim. This is the second tri I have had trouble getting my top on in T1 due to being wet from the swim.

I started the bike well, hammering it out of T1. Shortly into the ride, I dropped the bottle with my sports drink and had to dismount to retrieve it. I dropped a chain twice, both on hills, and had to dismount both times to fix it because the chain was jammed between the chain rings. Chain drops were due to sloppy shifting on my part. I had a top speed at one point of almost 30 mph, but my average was a crappy 11 mph, due to stops for technical issues with the bike. Definitely not my best bike ride ever.

Learn to shift the damn gears properly.

Using Yankz made putting my running shoes on easier.

Not enough water stations on the run. Only one of them at the halfway point in each direction. Because the tri started 20 minutes later than scheduled, the sun was well up, and slower runners were wilting in the sun without water.

Wear my hydration belt.

None.


Lack of a deep aerobic base. I did no training in the off-season, and only about 9 weeks of light training prior to this event. This was only my second outdoor tri, and after years of a sedentary lifestyle, I just don't yet have the cardio depth needed.


I'm not sure why the tri started 20 minutes late, but it really affected the slower competitors, who had to finish in the hot Georgia sun during a week of near-record temperatures. There were not enough water stations on the run. Pre-race organization was very good. I got my packet the day before, and got to the site early enough on race day to pick a prime spot in the bike area. The last tri I did had LONG lines for everything. Even with the glitches, I enjoyed myself, and I will likely do this tri again next year.