Dutchman Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

The bouys were drifting so I think the swim was a tad long--the course ended up being J shaped. It took the first 1/4 to settle in--my chest felt tight and breathing was a little difficult. Was probably going a little fast. Once the field spread out a bit I got into a groove and felt good the rest of the way. I love my wetsuit!

Had my first experience with drafting--I wasn't sure if I was in, but could definitely feel when I dropped out! My options couldn't swim straight so I was pretty much on my own. Not much to do differently.

Sat down to get the wetsuit off my feet. I had water pooled in my lower legs--could feel this running out--was very strange. It gushed out as I pulled the suit off--I don't know if this is normal or not? I was deliberated in T1 but not hurrying to be sure I got everything. Wasn't thinking hard enough though cause I took off without my gels!

Remember my gels. I knew I'd be ok though, and the bike was fine without them.

Despite not having my gels (I was planning on one at the beginning of the bike and one at the end) I did fine with a large bottle of sports drink (and regular bottle of water). This was good practice drinking more than I felt like I wanted to. As much as I wish for flats in training, I know the hills I ride are paying off. I was strong on the hills and passed a few. I was only passed by guys on Cervelos (soooooo many pretty bikes!!!) and one woman. My HR was a tad bit high but within acceptable limits. I'm happy with my HR on the hills.

Not that I could have done much about it, but my rear derailuer was jumping gears. Might be because I crashed two days before the race (luckily it was on the grass--don't play excessivley with your computer while riding!!) and the bike landed on it's right side and skidded a little. I pushed comfortably hard and ended up being faster than I expected.

I'm still not good at getting on/off the bike quickly, but took my time and everything was fine. Had a gel here.

I was pretty much alone on the run. A few guys passed me and only one woman, who must have been a relay-er. Her hair was in a perfect little ponytail/bun so I know she never had a cap or helmet on! She looked too fresh. I passed one woman early, then another toward the end. A third stayed in front of me but I think she was a relay-er since she didn't have an age # on her calf. All in all the run was good--I kept my HR at the top of Z2 for most of the run. There's a huge hill just before mile 4 which got me to LT but not over. I picked it up just a bit after that but was having some stomach pains. Nothing terrible but didn't want to make it worse by pushing too hard. That guy that snoopy mentioned who said there was about 1/4 mile left was a little off I think. I figured as much so didn't crank it out at that point. The course was downhill coming into the finish so I came in with an all-out sprint.

After my legs settled in after 10 min or so I could have picked up the pace a little. I was hoping for 9 min miles and probably could have been close. I didn't know what the course was like so was a bit conservative.

Walk to the bathroom, hold breath.


Not much--I felt really good about this race.


This is a great race. The volunteer support is incredible, lots of cheering, and people stationed at every cross road to halt traffic. There were signs on the roads cautioning drivers about cyclists. Aid stations at every mile on the run, which was really nice. Good schwag--tshirt, water bottle, nice socks, hammergel and endurolytes. I was expecting 3:20 or so, so was very pleased with my time. If only I had run just a *tiny* bit faster I could have come in under 3:00!

This was my second tri, first oly. Though I know it's a whole nother ball game, I now feel much more confident about my HIM in August.