Seville Sports Club Triathlon - TriathlonMini Sprint

We started 1 at a time 15 seconds apart, serpentine style. I started in position 36. I passed 3 people after 2 laps (6 laps total) even though I wasn't swimming very hard. I was trying to control nerves by not going out too fast, but instead I ended up going really slow. I passed 5 in total after the 6 laps, and 1 girl passed me. My normal pace in practice is 1:53/100yd so I was way below pace. I had no watch, but after I got out of the pool I knew I had gone really slowly because I felt like I had jumped in and out again and not even swam. The run to the timing mat was a fairly good distance too.

I would swim harder 1/2 way through, especially if I didn't feel like I was putting in any effort.

T1 and T2 are included in the bike time. My T1 was not too bad. Getting out of the pool was a bit of a shock because the air temp was very cool. I immediately had goosebumps, and I really wanted to just jump back into the heated pool. I right away peeled off my swim cap and goggles on my way to my bike. It was a long way because I chose to be in between the bike entrance and exit which was the furthest from the pool. I spent a good 20 seconds (at least) jogging to my stuff. I threw my goggles and cap in my bucket, and put on my socks (I must wear socks with all my shoes), cycling shoes, sunglasses, and helmet. It all went smoothly, until I got to the mounting line. My right foot clipped in right away, but my left did not want to and the mounting area was on a very slight uphill, I did not want to crash so I kept pushing myself along, err, trying because it was slippery, and then my left foot slipped off the peddle when I tried to just go and worry about it later. I finally got it clipped in at about attempt #3.

I really want to work on starting with my shoes already attached to my peddles. I think it would save me a lot of grief. Running in my socks doesn't appeal to me though. I will figure it out eventually.

Since T1 and T2 are included I estimated my actual bike time by subtracting how long I knew it usually takes me to transition in my practice runs, however my practice runs usually don't include a 100M jog.

I right away passed 2 guys on the downhill to the main loop. We do 2 laps. It was nice because it was all coned off, and I felt very safe. I had to slow down a lot around the corners, they didn't really make them wide enough so you could keep you momentum. I was cruising until after I got around the first corner. There was this weird cross wind. I was easily maintaining 22mph and then I struggled to get to 18-19mph. I upped my cadence and settled into my aero bars, only to have to slow way down again for the 2nd turn which had a bit of gravel on it. On the 2nd long straight away I passed a couple more people, including the girl who passed me in the pool. I slowed down for the 3rd corner again and kept going and began lap 2. That initial stretch is protected by wind from all the houses around so I immediately got back up to 21-22mph, and passed a couple more people (I quit counting) I mostly passed guys though. I again had to slow WAY down for those 2 corners, and again hit the weird wind on the last stretch. I was really struggling by this time. I passed 2 more people, but that was it. I was going really slow by this point, and I was trying to up my cadence and lower my force to get ready for the run. The last bit of the bike to the transition was uphill. My legs were pretty tired.

I have to work on using my slow twitch muscles more. I have trouble upping my cadence and lowering the force required to peddle. I think a difference bike computer might help? I am glad I decided not to use my cycling gloves. It would have taken too long to put them on, and I think trying to do it while on the bike would have been a bad idea. I also need to just flat out cycle more. The cycling is where a lot of time can be gained because it is the longest portion of the race. I really need to practice cornering as well. Slowing down to 12mph is not good, you waste a lot of energy that way. I also need to learn to drink more while cycling. I had 2 bottles on my bike, and I didn't drink at all.

My T2 went great. I basically had on everything I needed. We had no bike numbers so I had put on my race belt in T1. I slipped off my bike shoes and helmet and threw them into my bucket and slipped on my shoes and took off.

Practice getting out of my cycling shoes while they are attached to the bike.

After I put on my shoes I knew my legs were not going to work properly. I am not a great runner. I was a sprinter in HS and College so anything more than 400M is already bad, but I put in too much effort on the bike. In practice I was jumping off the bike from a 12 mile ride and running 2+ miles or doing 800M intervals and I would clock in my .5 mile time in between 4:00 and 4:30. I am not sure what happened this time. The beginning of the run was the same downhill as on the bike. I kept plugging along hoping to get feeling back in my legs so I could put in a final kick home. I passed 1 girl and a guy, and I really wanted to pass this other woman, but my legs did not want to go. So I let her stay where she was at, I knew by her number she had started way before me so I figured I would be okay. The uphill to the finish was not pleasant.

Run more in practice. It is by far my weakest of the 3. I also need to prep better towards the end of the bike. I need to take in more fluids, and also just push through. I could have made my legs move faster I am sure.

After I finished I grabbed some water and just walked around a bit. They had some free protein drinks, so I grabbed one, and it was pretty good. I also grabbed a banana and waited around for awards.


Myself!


I did not think I had won. I was hoping for a top 5 in my age group, and I was shocked to have won overall. I need to work a lot harder and improve my times. I feel like if I would have done the run and swim like I had during my brick workouts I would have cut 2 minutes off my time at least!

The even was well run, and the awards were very nice! There were a lot of spectators, and I did this event alone and random crowd members were cheering me on! It was really nice. I'd do this even again.