Miami University Student Foundation Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Didn't really know what to expect since this was my very first tri-event. Not sure why I put in such a lengthy expected finish time for the given distance and ended up being the 5th to last person in the pool. Passed swimmers on the turns and in the lanes. Only got slowed down once by a guy doing breaststroke in the left side of the lane. Once I inadvertently slapped his calf he moved over and let me pass. The swim felt good. I could have gone faster, but just wanted to post a respectable time.

Seeded myself a little higher in the swim starts because I warmed up at 6:15-6:30 and then didn't start my swim for the event until 8:30! At least I got to see literally every swimmer ahead of me and plan my strategy. I met some really cool people in line.

Was pleasantly surprised with my T1 time. Took the 20 seconds to towel off so my shirt and jacket went on smoothly without sticking to my wet body and suit. Also made certain to take in a GU before heading out on the bike since I thought trying to get it on the bike would slow me down. Socks/shoes on quickly/easily and I was off after confirming with those around me which exit I needed to head toward to begin my bike.

practice

I didn't know what to expect on the bike. Felt like I wored hard on the hills. Discovered I need more hill work/exposure to gradient changes and climbs, but all in all it was a blast!

Hill training.

Didn't realize just how frozen my feet were from the bike until I tried to exit the transition area. Saw my competition already leaving the T2 area and decided that I would take in a GU shot before heading out on the run. I figured I would again use this participant to pace me. I had placed my running shoes in a large Ziploc bag so they would be dry if the rain began while I was out on the bike. Decided to begin the run with my bike gloves on and remove them as I was running.

Practice!

My feet felt like blocks of ice hitting the sidewalk. I decided to let my legs and feet warm up as I concentrated on form and assessed my ability to push the pace. After a mile I felt "normal" and began picking up the pace. I grabbed a drink/swallow of water as I went through the H2O stop and continued to feel good. I saw my competition in the near distance as I entered the last mile and low and behold I caught her. I reminded her of our conversation before we hit the pool: being so late to start would allow all of the people at the finish line to arrive in plenty of time to cheer us on :) She agreed and with that I began to sprint the last couple hundred yards to the finish with a smile on my face. I was happy with my 8:52/mile pace since I claim to be more of a distance runner instead of a sprint runner.

Not sure except to work on sprints and hills more.

Got my bag of food, grabbed a big, fat glazed donut and walked back to the transition area to pack up. Loaded my bike into the car, showered at the Rec Center and headed home. Would have stuck around to cheer on participants, but was too cold to stay out in that weather longer.


This was my first tri event so I was just trying to learn the process, meet people and experience the transitions. More training and more events will help me as I moved forward with this addictive sport!


Awesome event! Close to my heart as I am an MU alumni. Volunteers were great and friendly. Students out on the course were excellent. Even though they were freezing (it was obvious) they cheered every single swimmer, biker and runner on at every turn. I thought the event was just relaxed enough for a first-timer like myself, but competitive enough for the triathlete getting in that 1st race of the season and working out the bugs/fine tuning their race for the upcoming season.