Memphis in May - TriathlonOlympic

Really enjoyed the swim. Water temp was perfect and the time trial start gave me a second to get comfortable in the water. So glad we had a practice swim the day before...the green water is a little startling when you first put your head down!


NEED tinted goggles. After turning the corner at the bouy, the sun was shining straight into my eyes and I was left to blindly follow the masses in front of me (hoping they could see!)

Was a little groggy and dizzy coming out of the water. Had to find my balance and focus on getting to bike. Got everything together for bike fairly quickly. LOVED my elastic laces that I didn't have to tie!



Mentally prepare for transition as I come into the swim finish. I should have been taking off my wetsuit as I was running.

Really enjoyed this part of the race. Was able to push myself, but enjoy the course and my surroundings. I think this is when it really hit me that I was "doing it"! Surprised myself at my pace (faster than I expected), but also had some pretty great conditions helping me out. My bike did great and I was so glad that I had made that investment as I was passing people with bikes that didn't fit or that had fat tires!

Need to work on turns! Almost wiped out on a left turn...took it too wide and lost control off the side of the road for a second (oops!).

I was ready for this transition. I packed my Gel and inhaler in the back pocket of my shirt as I was finishing the bike. The dismount area was a little tricky...haven't practiced jumping off while moving. Without the shoe change, I really just had to throw down my bike and take off my helmet.

Practice jumping off bike. Oh...and start running out the correct exit instead of back into the bike entrance. That lost me a good 15 sec!

Felt surprisingly good on the run given the end of the race, the heat, and the hills! Pushed myself on flat stretches and tried to keep pace up hills. At this point, I was so happy that I had made it this far that I was on auto-pilot. I didn't think much during this run and just kept telling myself to keep going and ignore the heat.

I have not mentioned that through this whole race I had to PEE so bad...yes, from before the race even started. I kept thinking "I'll just go in the water" or "I'll just stop in the transition"...but I couldn't in the water and the thought of taking the time to stop just killed me. Well, on mile 4 my body just gave up. I ran to the porta-potty and was met by a girl taking her time and a guy in line before me. Doing the "hurry up I'm gonna explode dance", I waited PATIENTLY...all the while thinking about how much I was killing my run time. I managed to stay under my goal of 60 min (barely!) and can say that I enjoyed those last 2.2 miles MUCH more with an empty bladder!

Lesson - GO RIGHT BEFORE THE RACE OR THERE WILL NEVER BE A GOOD TIME!

Other major issue was the Gel sitting in my stomach. After 3 packs of gel and a pack of Cliff Shot Fruit Snacks, I was burping up fruitiness. Not fun while running. Luckily, it stayed down. Will definitely mix up my nutrition next time.

After being tackeled at the finish line by race volunteers (removing your ankle strap, throwing cold water at you, and making sure you're not going to pass out) I was able to celebrate with Jordan. We did it! He quickly pointed me to the cold shower where I think I stood for the next 5 min.


The heat definitely played a big factor. Having not had the chance to train in heat (we trained for the most part in freezing cold conditions), it was tough for my body to adjust.

((((That and the bathroom issue!))))


An awesome first race! Perfect size, well run, nicely organized, and beautiful setting. I had such a great time training for this and it was the most amazing feeling to cross the finish line. I can now understand what makes this sport so addicting!