MinneMan Sprint - TriathlonSprint

Waves started 3 minutes apart, and I was in the last wave. With the lake being so shallow, we all started with a combination of running and dolphin dives. For the first 25 yards it was somewhat crowded, but once we started swimming I was able to get clear of my wave pretty quickly. I started hitting traffic roughly 200 yards into the swim and most of the rest of my swim was comprised of a slalom of slower swimmers. It was like a crowded lap swim with no lane lines. I probably passed 50 people on the swim and saw an amazing variety of technique along the way - freestyle, breastroke, sidestroke, treading water, backfloat, etc. I found myself sighting about every six strokes simply to navigate my way through people, but other than that, I don't think that swimming through all these folks slowed me down too much. The one thing that probably did slow me down a bit is that in order to get through the other swimmers, I think I took most of the turns a bit wide.

Other than cutting the course closer to the buoys if possible, not much, I liked my effort level, particularly the way I worked hard with my arms and laid off the legs.

The transition included a 50 yard or so run from the beach to one end of the transition area. I sat down, dried my feet, put on socks and bike shoes, put a gel in my tri top, put on sunglasses and helmet and ran with bike down to transition exit.

I was OK with how this transition went. Most importantly, I didn't forget anything or make any dumb mistakes. I could've gone faster if I'd wanted to run faster, but thought I should keep myself under control. At some point I should try biking without socks, and then starting with shoes on the bike after that.

Going into the race, I had been debating as to how hard I should push the bike segment, and my conclusion was that the run was likely to hurt regardless of how hard I worked the bike. Consequently my plan was to push pretty hard until about the last mile, when I would try to let up a bit and get legs ready for the run.

For the most part I held a relatively constant pace most of the ride with the exception of a few uphill and downhill sections. On the downhills I generally opted to pick up a little speed and then coast, rather than hammering the whole time. I'm not sure if the added rest for my legs made up for the lost speed or not. My plan was to lighten up toward the end of the segment and get my legs ready for the run. However, I think I let up a little earlier than I needed to, and not knowing the course real well, I probably rode a good half mile with my feet on top of my shoes, thinking that the transition area was coming up before it was.

One of the nice things about starting in the last wave is that there were all sorts of people ahead of me on the bike course and very few behind me. While my bike rank was pretty average, starting way at the back meant I probably got to pass about 50 people on the bike and only got passed once myself. This really helped my attitude.

I thought my pacing/effort was pretty good. I need to stay better focused - I caught my mind wandering off a couple times, and I'm sure I lost some time doing that. In addition, it would help to know the course better or at least study the map better beforehand, so that I'd have a better idea when the finish was coming up. Finally, I'd probably bring a second water bottle on hot/humid days like this, even for this distance.

This went pretty smoothly for me. I took an extra swig of a water bottle I had in my bag, and that was a good decision. Looking at other transition times, this seemed pretty reasonable. I probably could've shaved some more time by not sitting down to put on shoes or running faster, but overall I'm happy with this transition.

The main thing I've been considering is taking another 10-15 seconds and changing socks before the run. Since I ended up getting a blister on the run, maybe that would help my feet stay drier.

This run just really hurt. It took me most of the first mile to get my legs feeling close to normal off the bike. However, I still find that coming off the bike I run less smoothly, with more pounding on my body. I'm not sure why that is, but will have to work on it. I got to see most of the BT squad on their way back and they all looked like they were having more fun than I was. The image of some of those 150 lb. runner types prancing past me will be an image that will stick with me for a while, and will serve as a good motivator. I got a blister starting about a mile into the run, so that was a bit painful, but I don't think it slowed me down any.

Actually not much under the circumstances. I was pretty hot and could've used a bit more water maybe at the aid stations. Overall, I felt this run was pretty indicative of where my training has been to date.

Walking around, chatting with family and BT folks. I will do more post-race stretching next time, as my legs were sore the next day.


I think this race was a very good indicator of my ability at this point, so almost all of my changes would be with respect to training rather than racing. The minor things that I'd do differently would be to take 2 bottles on the bike, change socks at the second transition and get a haircut before the race to possibly keep me cooler?


The race seemed well organized with lots of volunteer support. The bike course in particular is really fast, and I'd have only minor quibbles with the swim and run segments. Definitely a good sprint to do in mid-season.