TwinCities Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

This was crazy. I did struggle a bit, not being used to swimming without the wetsuit for any length of time without being able to stop and stand. If it was a longer swim, I would have had to find a way to relax. The current was so fast I am not even sure I had to swim, just float and go with it. When we got around the paddleboats, I knew we were to turn right towards the finish, but I couldn't believe we were already there. Several folks were yelling to turn right but I really underestimated the strength of the current and didn't do it sharply or quickly enough. I could see the exit going by and I was basically aiming now against the current (panic time!) to reach the steps. I finally made it, about 30 feet further than I should have gone, and ran up the hill to transition. Everyone's times were so close together, I really wonder how much our swim ability factored in. I bet if I had planned the exit better I could have gotten out 30 secs faster.

Nothing, I felt like this was basically out of my hands. What an experience!

Weird not to have the wetsuit! I chatted for a few seconds with a guy near me about that crazy swim until I realized I needed to hurry. Passed a few folks in transition, which is always good.

I could tell my legs were tired from Saturday when I hit the first hill, because it was harder than my practice run by a lot. After that hill, and the next, I thought I was home free from what I remembered from the map. But alas, no, there were many more hills to climb. I spent a lot of time in my small ring. Around 9 miles I heard a photographer say that was the last hill. And he was right! The next bit was SO FAST. I am definitely not as brave as many folks out there. It was so fun to really let loose when I could. Towards the end, back into a business area, the traffic was tricky. I give major props to the police offers helping us, I am sure it was very stressful. I was really glad to be finished with this ride!

If this was a really important race to me, I wouldn't have done the Warrior Dash. I would be interested in trying this next year after a rest day :)

This was fine. I realized that I really beat the girl behind me in transitions alone, which is a good lesson. I think most T2s could be under a minute, I will keep working on that.

For me, this was a really good run. I was really super excited about the weather, it was my kind of day. I shuffled up the bridge as best as I could and then hauled ass down to Shephard Rd. I made the most of the flat part, knowing the hill on the way back would be tough. I did walk for a few secs here and there on that hill. When I got back to the top of the bridge I really let it fly. I worked with gravity and also upped my turnover to take advantage of the break. The last section was very flat, so I just gutted it out and am very pleased with this pace for a very hilly route.

As I was finishing the crowds really started to cheer and I was SO impressed with the effort they would be putting forth for an average age grouper. Then when I crossed the line I heard the announcer say "And here we have our first Olympic female finisher coming down the chute..." Oh, I guess that wasn't for me :)

Walked around and did stretch my legs a little. Eventually got my clean clothes and cleaned up and then waiting for a zillion hours for awards.

I was third in my AG, but since the first person was the overall 3rd female I moved up to 2nd and got that award. They had a real podium and nice stuff for the awards and they also took our picture afterwards. I wanted to stay, of course, but if I had any clue it was going to be 3 hours later I would have just left. That was a buzz kill. I almost cried when they finally started the ceremony and said they would do the Olympic awards first. Ugh.


This first time race has a few things to work out. The communication was very poor, I thought. There was one email a few days out from the race - I guess we were supposed to check the web site? That's unusual in my opinion. On race day the announcing was spotty. I learned about the wet suits from friend. No race morning meeting - odd. We stood for a long time at the sprint start wondering what was going on, it would have nice to have one official with a radio there with us. Especially since it was so late. Finally, the awards thing was crazy. They wait for the last finisher, whom I am sure - if asked- wouldn't want us to wait. They most likely don't give a rip when we do awards. I think they should set a time for awards and stick to it. I am going to send an e-mail about all of this.

Aside from that, this race course is pretty awesome. Really challenging and fun and you can't beat a swim with the current! I will most likely be back.