Memphis in May Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I really like the time trial start which eliminates the major grouping of fast swimmers around me. I haven't been in the pool as much as I should but I knew I could do the distance even if it was slow. I had been working on bilateral breathing but had not bothered figuring out how to sight. My plan was to stay far on the left to stay out of the way of fast swimmers behind me (we were keeping buoys on the right) so I likely added a good 50 m to my swim :)
I did ok the first 100m but then my heart rate got high and my effort was too hard for not even turning the first buoy. I slowed it down a lot and just made it work. My sighting was pretty bad but in general I stayed on course until I was suddenly going completely perpendicular to the course on the last stretch. I heard my husband and son yelling for me which was awesome!

More pool time and practice sighting

I felt really weird off the swim and a little shaky so I took my time. Got my helmet & shades on fine but really struggled getting my bike shoes on. I should have just planted my butt on the ground but instead I was trying to pull them on standing up while feeling really shaky. I walked the bike out with my massive speed play cleats & My rack was all the way across from the bike out so it was a bit of a long walk :) my hubby yelled at me " run babe!" but I really didn't want to fall over at this point so no worries on the long T1

I am fine with this. My goal was to complete the race and I didn't stress about how I handled transitions this time around

This is my first race on the P2 which was fun! My goal was to keep it over 15mph and honestly I thought I had. I kept my eye on the speed the whole time and my Cateye had me averaging 15 but I think the walking to the mount line and from the dismount line were enough to throw the average speed down on my time. The first portion of the loop had a wee head breeze - not enough to call it a head wind. I was passed a LOT but managed to pass a few myself. I kept it between 15-16 mph the first 5 miles, closer to 15 the next 5 miles then kept it closer to 16 mph the last 3 miles.

My biggest problem was hydration. I must have been dehydrated from my fever the day before because I drank my whole aero bottle BEFORE mile 5! I have never emptied my bottle on a 12-15 mile ride and I didn't even realize I was drinking much until my straw was suddenly slurping. Yikes! The nurse in me started worrying about my hydration for the rest of the race and I didn't take the gel I planned on downing around 45 minutes given that I had nothing to dilute it with. I definitely didn't remotely push my effort from there out.

Oh and though I have grown accustomed to my saddle it was killing me by mile 9 and the soft tissue parts were screaming! Not sure if it's because the course was so flat that I was in aero the whole time or what but OUCH. I was so glad to get off the damned thing that I came in the finish at close to 20 mph :)

Carry more water than I would ever think I need and just keep on putting more miles in the saddle

I clomped in my cleats to my transition spot and had no troubles racking my bike. I put on socks then my running shoes but again wasn't trying to be super speedy. I did jog out though so tried to play like a real triathlete!

I am ok with this. I had practiced finishing with my feet on top of my shoes to avoid walking on cleats but I just didn't feel like doing it today. Just happy to be off the bike here ;)

I am currently doing a 2 minute run, 1 minute walk combo and I stuck with it. I carried a handheld like I do in training so that I had all the water I needed. I did take Gatorade at the water stop as well. This was a decent pace for me given that I usually do 11:30-12 in training. I was pleased with this? Loved seeing my husband and son right before the finish and getting a high five :)

I'm still working on getting my running fitness back and would love to get back to a 10 minute pace

They handed out icy cold towels and a large cup of water at the finish which was nice! I found my family and just cooled down a bit then headed over to the post-race grub.


I'm still not in great shape so I wasn't planning on kicking ass on this race anyway. I didn't follow my training plan and there was no one to blame but myself. Being sick with fever the day before didn't help much either. I am still really pleased and happy to be back into triathlon after 6 years!


This is a great course for someone like me who hates hills. It doesn't get much flatter than this! I also like the time trial start. The race organizers do a good job and it was on time, course was well marked with good volunteer support. There are some venue issues. Really hated that all that was around was casinos and fast food or casino restaurants with smoking. We will definitely bring all our own food next year. Had to drive 10 miles into town to get groceries at the Piggly Wiggly in Tunica. The hotel itself was nice with a pleasant pool area, just lacking in food options. There were also a lot of road closure issues around Harrah's from the time we arrived late Friday afternoon. we had to deal with driving around barricades just to get to our hotel parking lot all weekend which got old. I appreciate it during the race but thought it was crazy to have entrances to the host hotel blocked the whole weekend.

Overall a great weekend of racing (my husband did the Oly on Sunday) and a nice event less than 3 hrs from home. I'm happy to call myself a triathlete again and I look forward to improving and returning next year!