Sylvan Beach Triathlon - TriathlonShort Course

This was my first beach start so I had done a little practicing at dolphining the day before. The slope is very gradual so you could run quite a ways out.

As soon as it was over knee deep though I dove in, pushed off the bottom and started swimming. I was swimming next to people still running but we seemed to be going about the same speed.

Before it got too deep, but where everyone was swimming my hand came into contact with something sharp. I didn't break the skin but it scratched it pretty good and I wasn't really sure for a while. It might have been a rock, or I could have hit the watch or something else on the guy next to me, but it felt pretty solid.

By this point I knew that when I put the GPS in my hat I should have left the arm band on the bike or somewhere else becasue it was sliding down my arm fast. I caught it and stuffed it in my shorts for the rest of the swim.

I started swimming and kept things in pretty good slignment for most of the swim. I did very few stops along the way and relied mostly on the pack, and side view to tell where i was. I don't think I really sighted till about half way out.

About 3/4ths of the way out I realized I might not have started the polar so I stopped long enough to hit start and then kept swimmming.

I found myself inside the buoy's once on the way out but I quickly corrected it. I rounded the first turn buoy closely and took a hit to the goggle from one of the other swimmiers just a bit jarring. I ended up swimmming a little wide on the second buoy but came fairly straight in for the rest of the swim.

My shoulder continues to give me trouble but the only time it really bothered me was when the area was really packed and I had to swim very closely. When I let my arm swing wide it wasn't a major issue.

Coming out of the water I saw Tab and Chase (our dog) waiting for me. I walked in taking the GPS unit out of my cap and putting it in my arm piece.

Swim more. Due to scheduling and my shoulder issue I've slacked off on swimmming.

I took my time to catch my breath and orgainze my gear on the walk to transition. While I had clipped my shoes in I didn't do a flying mount, more of just starting out slowly with the shoes in.

hussle

The small size of the field became apparent on the bike. As i left transition two women passed me as I was getting on my shoes. One was never seen again, the other took me 2 miles to catch and pass. No one else passed me for those 2 miles, or some time after.

All in all I think I passed more on the bike than passed me, now this maybe a false positive as there was a Duathalon as well and I suspect the Du had more first timers out there.

I don't ride a lot of hills but I think I did ok shifting for the overpasses, the down hill I never moved up into my hardest gear on my tripple so I was spinning out on the way down the hill, but hitting 28 and that doesn't happen very often so I was feeling pretty good even then.

I could tell that I was using a bit too much of my legs out there but i kept up a steady cadence and kept pushing forward. It is clear based on my rankings that my bike is a lot stronger right now than my run.

My handling skills still need work, and my control of the sharp turns while in aero as well. But other than more training I think I executed fairly well, with the possible exception of holding off a little more for the sake of the run.

I came in fairly slow and had just come out of aero when I saw the camera guy (why do they put them where you are going to be slowing down?). I did a fairly smooth exit off of the bike though at a fairly low rate of speed and ran the bike into rack it.

Took some time moving my nutrition and drinking water before I headed out.

I originally planned this race hoping to be able to run the entire run. I wasn't feeling perfect this morning, and I burned up on the bike so I knew it was going to be difficult.

I took off and made myself go a mile without stopping. At the aid station I came to a stop, dumped water on my head, took some nutrition and drank some gatorade and went on.

I only got a half a mile before I started walking again...I wanted to go a full mile, or 3/4ths... but I gave in and walked at the 1.5 mark. After that I was running .20 or .25 and walking .05 ot .1

I ran the last mile in 2 .5 segments or so, but the damage was done. I ended up last in the run for my AG and got passed right at the end by Keri (who ended up beating me by 6 minutes because of the 5 minute wave start difference).

More heat running, more bricks, more HTFU.

Water, orange, pizza, cookie.... rest.


heat and training. Also I need a new pair of shoes.


This is a very small field for the area and there were a lot of volunteers. I often saw teams of medics, police at every intersection, and fair sized groups at the aid stations.

Putting the aid stations in the middle of the road for the out and back worked well with this small of a group.

I imagine I'll do it again next year.