Pittsburgh Triathlon - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint

Started from in the water; casually swam out to the kayaker who kept moving around making it unclear where we were to start from. Starter was difficult to hear and understand, particularly once in the water. We were treading and had no idea we were close to starting until closer swimmers passed the word that the start was coming in 10 seconds. Buoys were large, orange, and easy to see. However they were very spaced out, so it was easy to get off course, particularly with the current. There were a few lifeguards out there, but I didn't notice a significant number of kayakers directing swimmers. It would have been helpful to have more volunteers in the water.
The biggest surprise was rounding the final buoy and seeing that the swim exit was upstream from me! The current was not at all strong, so this didn't calculate with me at the time. Later I heard that it was intentional to make the course long enough. Also heard complaints that the buoys weren't placed until the last minute.

Went out hard and finished hard, but slacked in the middle. Even sat up for a second to get my bearings. Next time, I will scope out the beginning and end of the course and trust this scouting enough to go hard the whole race without stopping. However, with late placement of the buoys, this may not have been possible in this instance. Chalk it up to experience for next time.

Decided to wear a sleeveless running shirt for the bike and run. Had to wrestle this onto my wet torso a little bit, but it didn't cost too much time.
Up until racetime, I was debating whether to clip my shoes in ahead of time and run barefoot to the mount line. Even had rubber bands in my bag. However, I didn't practice this enough ahead of time; falling in my driveway while practicing on Saturday "cemented" that one for me. Plus the grass transition area made running in cycling shoes no big deal.
Put my race belt on here even though it wasn't required because I had a Gu in it in case I wanted it on the bike.
Interestingly, I wanted to rack my bike back end first with the seat over the bar, but it was too tall to fit under the bar, so that decision was made for me, and I racked it by putting the brakes over the bar.

Either go bare chested or wear a tri top. One or the other.

Tried to spin the biggest gear I could while staying at 80+ RPMs. Got passed a lot on the uphill. Turnaround area was nice in a park and ride. Passed a number of people on the downhill even when not pedaling hard. Could have used a bigger ring on the downhill. Maxed out at 33 mph. There were people handing out drink bottles at the turnaround but I didn't see anyone taking them. Could have used those volunteers on the run and swim courses!

More time in the saddle. Just got my bike a couple of months ago and didn't do enough training rides to be fully comfortable.
Need work on shifting. Spinning classes helped with endurance. Just need more quad mass. Leg extensions / squats / etc.
Could go with a bigger ring.
Got aero-bars installed the day before the race and used them a little bit, but seems like they will help once I have more comfort getting in and out of them on the fly.

Didn't try anything fancy coming into the dismount line. Just stopped, got off, and ran in bike shoes to the bike in entrance.
Problem was I ran down the wrong row of bikes! Didn't realize the numbers were getting bigger, not smaller until about halfway. By that time, I could turn around (and risk a head-on collision with the people coming right behind me) or run all the way to the end and work my way back up the correct row.
Signs were not helpful to my muddled brain (basically went down 464-646 even instead of odd) thinking 501 will just be on the right instead of the left. Getting equipment off and running shoes on was no big deal.
A little frazzled, but overall probably a good lesson to learn. May only have cost a minute and one place in age group (and the top 10!)

Orient myself to the transition area from both entrance / exit sides. In the morning, I only ever went in and out of the bike out gate so I had the whole area flipped around in my head when I came in the other side. Wouldn't have been such a big deal if you could go between the bike racks instead of the extra long rows.
Maybe a helium balloon!

Legs felt like lead after the bike. I knew on the uphill of the bike that this was going to be a mind over matter run. Found a guy going my pace at the beginning and we comiserated a little and settled in. Breathing was a little labored. Just had to decide to keep running. Reaching the concrete path and the spectators towards the finish was a big boost. Managed a little bit of a kick at the end.

See training below. Did the best I could given conditioning and conditions.

Walked around disoriented looking for shade. I was so overheated. Once I found shade and got some water, stretched my legs on the steps.
Really wanted to find out my time which they were showing in a tent on a big screen in a tiny font. Finally gave up and looked on the internet at home. Results were posted quickly.


Being new to biking (and running for that matter). Comfort and experience on the bike. Training. Poor T2. Next year, a training plan!


This was my first race, so I don't have anything to compare it to. Seems like I stood in line a lot, but it wasn't horrible. Fee was rather expensive. But it's great to support a home town organization (Friends of the Waterfront). I thought it was a great first "big race" experience with nice atmosphere. Many have said it would be great to incorporate more of the city in the bike and run, but I'm sure that would just add exponentially to the cost, complexity, and shortage of volunteers. Overall a great time, a good performance, and I plan to come back and make some noise (in the 40+ group!) next year.