Culpeper International Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

I did it! I was in a novice wave which was pretty cool because we were all joking and betting who would finish last so we could pass more on the bike :) It helped me relax before the start. Looking out at the lake and seeing what 1500m OWS looks like in a full distance is a lot different than doing 1500 in the pool. My fist 200-500m is always my worst. I used free, side, and back to try and get my breathing and heart rate under control. Sighting wasn't to great the first 200-500. I got better as I went and was able to stay with freestyle stroke. My last 200m was strong as I turned for shore. I passed some people from my wave and some other waves so I thought that was a good sign.

Just need to swim more and work on my anxiety or whatever gets my breathing and heart rate up during first part of swims.

This was pretty smooth and I am still working on best place for my helmet and sunglasses. I had some grass on my feet which I thought might bother me so once I got going I brushed off the best I could and slipped in and went.

Not much. I am sure I will drop seconds eventually.

So you start at the top of a hill on the mount but straight into a two pretty big hills. I get into my shoes on the first downhill but didn't build in momentum into the next. I was getting into a good rhythm and was changing gears for an uphill and clank! off comes the chain! No worries I hop off real quick and get moving again. So I get to some good downhill sections and get into the best aero position I can and was amazed the momentum and speed it gave me especially into the uphill (note to self, get a tri bike and get comfortable on it for next season) I was able to pass a couple of folks by doing this and then I get to a one lane bridge where they have you slow down. Lost some momentum and then my chain fell off again. Ugh! I am a little frustrated at this point and lose almost all momentum as it was at the bottom of a set of hills coming up. I pedaled through them and just tried to bring my heart rate down before the transition to running.

Just need more time in the saddle and learning to shift better. It will come with more time.

Pretty consistent times on my transitions! Went well and getting out of my shoes was much better than the last two tri's.

Not much this went pretty well.

First time I have ever walked in a race...the heat started to get to me early and my legs were more shot than I thought after the bike. The volunteers were awesome especially one of them which really helped me get through it. Being near the BOP was fun and talked to some folks and lots of encouragement from everyone in the race. It was a brutal one out there. Everytime I tried to run up a hill my heart rate would sky rocket and would just wear me out. So just did the best I could and finally was able to finish the last mile without stopping.

Train, train, and train more. I just need more experience with saving my energy and having some left for the run.

Went up and got some food, water, and gatorade. I got a little light headed and sat down to get things under control. I watched the award ceremonies and got to see someone I knew get second in there division.


Just need to stick to my training better and control my energy expenditure to last the whole race. It will come with time and experience.


Setup did a great job as far as I am concerned and the volunteers were awesome! I will be back next year for sure! I loved the challenge and it was awesome to finish my first Olympic distance.