Athleta Iron Girl Lake Las Vegas Women's Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

For the bike and the run I will use my Garmin data. The paces the race has for all participants is off because they used the times but they used 14 miles for the bike and 3.10 miles for the run. The bike was 13.65 miles and the run was 2.71 miles. The Garmin decided it didn't want to record distance for some reason so I have to go off 800m.

Third year doing this race. It's a time trial start. This is my fourth triathlon and I have done just one wave start, and I like time trial better because your time starts when you start. I positioned myself towards the end because I hate people passing me in the swim because there's more of a chance of getting kicked. I was almost last. I think next year I will position myself in the absolutely last spot.

The last two years I didn't train, this year I did. I was surprised I was passing people in the swim as I suck in the swim. Great feeling to pass people. Someone got a good kick in the back on me, and I got grabbed quite a few times. Lots of elbowing also. Almost ran into somebody when they were swimming in front of me and decided to just. Stop.

Right goggle was leaking from the beginning so I swam the whole thing with my right eye closed. The left goggle had a good seal. I did slow down about ten times to empty out the right goggle so maybe that slowed me down overall even though I was trying to make it quick.

The defogger worked!! The one eye that was open had a crystal clear view.

My enjoyment was diminished because of the Goggle issue but I love swimming specially in Lake Las Vegas (which is private and only accessible through special training clinics and at two triathlons per year, this one and Amica). Everyone likes Lake Mead better because you can see the bottom but I don't mind not being able to see below the water. Each lake has is ups and down (LM is choppier (which is a plus for me, the choppier the better) and colder). I actually HATE seeing below the water because there's coral reefs at BB and I feel like they're going to rip into my wetsuit, haven't gotten used to that yet. People say they can see fish but I haven't seen any yet but I would probably freak out if I do, I hate fish when they're swimming next to me.

Per my coach I stroked fast, rotated a lot, kicked a lot and hard from the hip. Per Speed Swim Secrets, recently updated by its author Sheila Taormina and which I haven't even reached halfway yet, I focused on high elbows with the forearm as a lever at a 90 degree angle and used that to distract me in the swim. Still as slow though!

They started on time!! Last year I think they were about half an hour late, this year they announced the first into the water at 6:30:00 on the dot.

Get new Goggles.

Going by my times instead of race times from now on. My total time on the Garmin was 2:00:30 and on the race site it was 2:00:24 and the extra seconds were probably right before the timing mat and hitting stop after the finish.

Cannot get the hang of getting that wetsuit off standing up and this time I struggled with it. Had to sit down and wasted maybe a whole minute getting it off.

T1 is long and I have to toughen up my feet to be able to run fast barefoot. Got the top off while running.

The race has me at 7:41 for T1.

Toughen up the feet.

The Garmin calculates the average as 14.5 MPH, BT has it at 14.55 rounding up.

This was my best bike ever. Wanted to bike on feel since I can run on feel, and only used the Garmin for the distance. Helps me mentally feel like I'm progressing and helps in pacing myself. So I tried to spin fast with a high gear on downhills, spin fast on an easy gear on the uphill, and spin fast on the highest gear I could on the flats. I purposefully pushed myself more than I usually do not knowing if I would have much left for the run but I was willing to chance it.

Passed sooooo many people. And there was A LOT of blocking going on but a simple "I need a left" would cause the person on the left to move. One person pulls up to my left and starts chatting me up and I tell her she can get disqualified for that and has to either pass me or get behind me, she said incredulously "really??" and sped off ahead. In the pre-race meeting they were very direct and clear: blocking was an immediate DQ.

Sooo much silent passing. After the race I realized why all the passing and blocking.... mostly beginners.

I only drank about a quarter of my two bottles, I had Fizz in each. No good explanation. One gel at the beginning.

DRINK THE TWO BOTTLES NO MATTER WHAT!!

My watch has T2 as 1:58. Need to get even faster. As I was going into the chute this person was going very slow (long chute) and I said on your left, they nodded but then veered left as I went to pass, and were going soooo slow I even said half-jokingly "speed up!" Almost toppled over when I got off the bike because of the effort.

I usually rack bike, helmet off, then shoes off/on.

Faster faster faster!

Not my best run but I left a lot on the bike and it was what I wanted, a "decent" run. For the next few Sprints I will be experimenting going hard on the bike until I find the right balance of pushing on the bike and having enough left but not too much because I took an easy bike.

I LOVE uphill, so this was a great course. But come on, 2.71 miles??? I know it's never exact but that's 0.39 off. And it was an out and back course, how can you mess up an out and back course? Lots of people walking the hills.

One gel at the beginning.

Nothing!

Walking around chatting people up.


I love Irongirl. Fourth time next year!! First triathlon and close to my heart, I will do this every year if the city I live in offers it.