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 Swim
Comments: I started my first 50-100 yards very very slowly. My positioning before the start gave me relatively clean water ahead of me. I was really aware of not hyperventilating. I didn't feel like I ever got into a great rhythm the whole time and I know that my form wasn't consistent or efficient as it has been during my OWS training. The whole time I was just trying to stay slow, keep my heart rate down and save myself. I was kicked once in the shoulder about halfway through, it surprised me and I stopped briefly. Also, near the end my sighting went to hell and I actually made it over to the wrong side of a bouy and I had to swim furiously to get back over and straight. What would you do differently?: - Get into a better rhythm as soon as possible - Stay long and really focus on form - The above 2 to speed up a bit and be less conservative - More sighting practice!!  Transition 1
Comments: T1 was so-so. I had some initial trouble finding my wetsuit cord and pulling my wetsuit over the ankle with the timing chip on it. But overall much faster than I thought I would be. What would you do differently?: - Reach up on my neck to find my cord first - Practice the night before with the timing chip  Bike
Comments: I felt really good on the bike (I was really stressing about this earlier). Starting from the big hill, I actually started passing people (which really shocked me, so much so that I was concentrating on that and before I knew it, I was already on top of the hill). I was feeling so good after that, I told myself to really put my effort into the bike. I was actually so surprised at how many people I passed, I couldn't believe it as I was mentally preparing myself to get passed non-stop. This was by far the fastest that I have ever ridden, ever. I think riding the course the week before really really helped prepare me. What would you do differently?: - Start preparing my legs and my mind earlier before T2 Transition 2
Comments: No flying dismount or other time saving tricks. I just stopped in a slow, safe manner, unclipped and swung my leg over and jogged to T2. What would you do differently?: - Roll socks on feet faster - Take a deep breath going into my run  Run
Comments: I started my run way too fast and feeling very hot. My legs definitely felt the effort that I gave on the bike as I didn't feel them loosen up until mile 3 or so. I felt very rushed and out of sync coming out of T2 and my first mile was run in 7:39. Way too fast!!! I tried to slow down a bit to get in a good rhythm and hydrate/cool myself as I started cramping during mile 2. Cramps went away around the 2.5 mile mark as I was able to get some water. After mile 4 I felt a good rhythm that I held. At mile 5 I started (tried) to run at a higher pace to finish strong but I think the combination of pushing myself on the bike and starting my first couple of miles too fast took it out on my legs as I had nothing left to really push a strong finish like I wanted to. Mile Splits: 1 7:38.5 2 7:57.4 3 7:51.8 4 8:03.2 5 8:11.5 6 8:11.9 7 1:55.2 Overall a better time than I was projecting, BUT I truly felt like I could have been faster! What would you do differently?: - Mentally slow myself down during T2 and not come out so HOT - Slow down, especially for my first mile - Breathing / Rhythm Early! - Brick Runs after Bike Tabata Intervals Post race
Warm down: Finished triumphantly and very very happily (finally a triathlete - not one in training!). Received medal which felt great around my neck. Found my wife, kisses, hugs, photos. Got a bagel and some coconut water and took the shuttle back to grab my bike and gear. What limited your ability to perform faster: There were a couple of slip ups here and there, nothing major thankfully. I need to really focus more coming into T2 and not take my run for granted. Much more mental focus is necessary from that point as I think I let myself get sloppy at the end because of my running background. Event comments: Overall, what an incredible first race! I woke up that morning thinking 'what the hell have I gotten myself into' but finished feeling so elated and blessed. I definitely have NO regrets as I felt like I gave everything I could and left it all on the course. All the credit goes to my wife for putting up with my training/diet needs for the past 3 months (I couldn't do it without my tri-sherpa) and my Tri-Rookies, Erin, James, Kate, Lisa, Mike and Roland (for giving me all of the helpful advice and support and putting up with my neurosis--I couldn't have found a better group of people to share this passion with! Last updated: 2012-02-20 12:00 AM
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United States
Koz Enterprises
70F / 21C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 333/766
Age Group = 35-39
Age Group Rank = 49/77
6 days prior I started on a carb load program (its quite hard to find healthy / tasty carbs!!). The program actually worked beautifully! Thanks to the wifey for being an exceptional chef and very very patient with my dietary needs.
I actually slept pretty well the night before. I only woke up once in a panic at 1am. I was able to get about 7 hours of decent sleep and didn't wake up feeling groggy or tired at 4am. I ate most of a bagel and some coffee and headed to the race at 5.
Once I arrived at the transition area I immediately got my body marked. Then it was just the business of checking/inflating my tires and setting up T1/T2. I've got to say that while I was doing this I was getting very psyched out, the other competitors in my wave/area were in very very good shape (I'm used to running races where there are just a grab-bag of different body types and ages). I put copius amounts of sunblock on and started lubing up with BodyGlide. At this point my brain was going into overdrive with all of the hustle and bustle around me. I tried to take the time to look at my area to make sure I didn't miss anything and then I pulled on the wetsuit to my waist.
I ate half a banana at this point and chatted with my wife for a bit (she must have noticed my nerves/dry mouth/wild big eyes). And, of course, since I had just gotten my wetsuit on my lower half, I had to go to the restroom. Might I add that #1, triathlon portopotty lines are sooooo much smaller than any running event I've been too, but also that #2, using the restroom with your wetsuit is sooooo much more difficult!!! Lesson learned.
After the pitstop, quick kiss with the wifey and last awkward photo and into the water 20 minutes before my wave. Water was actually a bit warmer than I thought it would be and I began doing some strokes and getting my face wet.
On a side note, I met someone in the water that was in my same age wave. He told me that last year at Oceanside he had his eardrum burst during the swim because someone punched him. He finished the race. Wow. After hearing that I decided to #1 stay in the back, #2 stay on the outside and #3 wait a sec after the starting gun.
Also, I floated on my back for a few seconds before the start to just stare up and relax myself, it helped.