Mountain Man Triathlon - Olympic Distance - Triathlon

As noted above, I was completely unfocused before the start of the race. I wasn't trying to win the damn race, but I could have at least put more pregame strategy into my pre-swim routine. I literally didn't know where the buoys were so I got caught up following people, swimming off course, horrible sighting, and bad form. It was literally a botch job of a swim

Take 5 minutes to look at the swim map and put together a strategy. Walk down before the race and find where the buoys are. Have to know what to expect if you want to have a good performance.

Good T1. I shaved 2 minutes off my time from Oceanside. Still have room for improvement but was happy with this.

Quicker getting bike gear on

Much improved performance on the bike. My time wasn't good but I was able to keep my HR down and still average 20+ MPH. I've been doing HR training and this performance was a direct result of that. I'm still very new to the bike and am trying build fitness as it's my weakest leg of triathlon. In Oceanside, my HR was all over the place so I was happy with this performance.

Keep training on the bike and stick to my HR training. You can't force bike fitness, just have to keep building fitness. My IMAZ training volume is starting to pick up and I'm confident that I will be okay on the bike come November 17th.

Good T2. Just like T1, I was able to shave a couple minutes off my T2 time from Oceanside.

Chatted with my wife for about 20 seconds and gave her a kiss. I guess I could trade that for an even quicker T2 time but naaaa.

Tough run course but I enjoyed it. The first 2 miles are relatively flat until you get to the base of the mountain. It was at this point that I had to stop and pee due to all the water I drank before the race. That cost me about a minute but I git right back after it.

I was able to keep my HR low at a good pace up until this point which was a great sign (again - HR training paying off). The climb up the mountain started and I focused solely on keeping my HR in a certain zone while taking short, quick strides. The 1.5 climb was tough but I was able to keep my HR consistent. Reached the turnaround point and ate 100 calories and washed down with water. I knew at this point I had less than 3 miles overall left with the next mile being all downhill. I stepped on the gas while focusing on my HR and form and passed quite a few people. Reached the bottom of the mountain before I knew it and had 2 miles left to the finish.

Kicked it up another notch for mile 5 and could feel I was tiring a bit. Still felt fine so I tried to hold the pace. Paced some more folks and only had a mile left. At this point, I pushed it to 5K pace and finished strong. Felt great as I crossed the finish line and wasn't that tired. Could have pushed it more as I had a lot left in the tank.

Change my strategy for the last couple miles. I felt tired but my body was fine. Definitely realized that I can push it harder at that point. It's all mental and your body can push harder than your brain tells it.

Felt great after I finished. FOund my wife and friends, chatted for a bit, then headed up to grab some food and drinks. They had a great spread of fruit and junk food which I took advantage of. The chocolate mini donuts were awesome!


Learned that I can push it harder on the bike and run at this distance. Also, don't be a clown before the start of the race.


Heard several folks complain about lack of volunteers on race course. I could see how certain people were over shooting the turnarounds or turn in to transition. Also, the roads weren't closed which made it dicey at times. You had to go into the road when passing on the bike which was dangerous. Cars were also getting upset with us and were honking. Hey j-offs, there's a triathlon going on, of course we're going to be on the road.