City of Santa Fe Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Part of the problem with reverse tri's is starting the swim out of breath with an elevated heart rate. Add to this one the fact that I'd basically run the length of two football fields for T2!

I had a hard time getting my breath for the first 100 meters or so. Once I got my breath I felt like I got in to a pretty good groove but I don't know that I really ever got my effort level up where it should be.

I was feeling pretty confident about the swim after my swim in my last swim session but it did not translate to race day! Once I finally got my breath I felt like I was doing a "full pull" but maybe it was too little too late.

There were a couple times a slowed to get around back-strokers/breast strokers/side-strokers, but not too bad.

AND, when I got to the end there were 3 guys ahead of me waiting for the ladder out of the pool. WHY DID I WAIT FOR THE LADDER?! I lift myself out of the pool without a ladder every time I swim!?!?!?!!?!?

Keep working on my swim...

This is a reverse tri so T1 was the run to bike transition. Transition was REALLY REALLY LONG! Like 150-ish yards long! I've had long transitions before but not for a race this small. Wasn't a huge deal in T1 as I was in my running shoes for most of it, then in my bike shoes for a short while to the bike mount.

Changing shoes went well, put on helmet, no issues. Gloves... do I really need them for a sprint?! Took WAY to long to get one of them on, finger got stuck.

This is the first tri i've done where the transition times were rolled in to the main segments. Not thrilled with that especially considering the length of the transition. I think both T1 and T2 were rolled in to the bike time...

No gloves maybe, otherwise pretty happy with it

Legs started screaming as soon as I got to the first hill. Don't know if it was because of the run on the hills or residual from my last ride. Pushed through it. Got passed A LOT on the bike tho. Passed some too, mostly on the hills. Maybe I'm so focused on hills lately that I've neglected increasing my cadence on the flats! Maybe I just need more T.I.T.S.! The legs were burning some though, so I was working it, at least part of the time...

I was happy with the way I handled the traffic circles, didn't touch the brakes. I think I'm still too cautious on the 90 degree turns. And on the turnaround I had to unclip for crying out loud! I think it was because I went into it too fast tho.

Oh, a "character" that I shared the race course with today... When I started the run I passed a 74 year old man in a budgie smuggler... more than I needed to know about that old man... Left him behind pretty quickly. So about 1/3 into the bike ride, Sr. Budgie Smuggler passes me like I'm standing still! Still wearing just the BS!(and shoes of course)

Enjoyable ride overall.

Need to get a move on! More hard T.I.T.S. I suppose. More bike handling skills. I dropped from 7 to 8 in my AG and 39 to 51 overall! ICK!

T2 was pretty much across a football field, twice! Once in bike shoes and once in flip-flops (to make the trek down to the pool). I ran with the bike part of the way, kinda off n on.

Getting out of the bike gear was smooth. Then I put on my flip-flops and grabbed my goggles for the trek back along the lengthy transition, down the hill and in to the pool. Whew!

Run with the bike.

The run was first and started at 6:30. It was a wonderful, cool run! This running path is one I've run many many times so I am quite familiar with its hills.

Before the race I stood in transition looking for the other women in my AG but didn't see any. Well, I got to see 3 of them as they passed me on the run. I walked the water stations, which were oddly weighted toward the end of the run. I walked a couple other times for 10-15 seconds.

Overall I felt pretty good but I need to push just that little bit harder each time. HTFU already!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Push harder on the uphill. My pace was pretty good on the downhill, and once we turned uphill I was at an average pace for me. Would sure like to crank it up for races tho!

I had my first MASSAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG why haven't I done this before?! She. Was. AMAZING! The cool part? She is the massage therapist at the community center! That's where I swim! Of course I got her card. It says "Yummy Therapeutic Swedish Massage", um, yeah!

And they were calling out finishers names throughout the time I was getting a massage. nicetonotbeneardfl

Bagel and water. Decent spread of food. I had my heart set on a dirty chai from Bux.

I walked (hiked) back up to my bike to pack up and I realized that everyone (except me) had cute blue finishers ribbons (think field day). Not a big deal but I thought it would be nice to have to put with my bib (I save the bibs). So i walked back DOWN to the finish line. They couldn't find the box with the ribbons but I could wait till after awards... not that important. So I walked (hiked) back UP to my bike, packed up and carried my trusty steed back to the car. (She did great, my problem is with the engine).


No excuses for heat this time, I just need to push myself


Great venue, well organized.

The water stations on the run were spaced a bit weird. I think the first was at about 1/2 way and the second was about a mile after that, pretty close to the end of the run.

There were a LOT of volunteers on the bike course to control traffic. AWESOME!

There were probably 8 or 10 massage tables! For a race this small that was surprising. I usually don't get one because the lines are usually so long but this one was well staffed with massage therapists!

The food/drink spread was the best I've seen for a race this size as well. There were bagels, cream cheese, cold cuts, whole foods nutrition bars, fruit... Nice spread.

This one will def stay on my race schedule!