Benaroya Research Institute Triathlon at SEAFAIR - TriathlonSprint

not bad overall...best swim time for me so far out of 3 tri's. Early on, I kept running into lots of ankles and elbows, but it didn't throw me too much. That lake swim I did the other day in rough water was a good preparation for constant splashing and waves of water when what I was expecting was air. Tried to draft, but the person in front of me kept stopping, so that didn't work too well. Overall, felt solid and comfortable. Not fast, but I think I could go faster. Especially if I could only swim straight.

Work on navigation--sight more often. I kept veering to the outside of the course and most likely added unnecessary distance and time to the swim.

I had the typical dizziness I usually get at the end of a swim, and getting out of water was slow and unbalanced for me. I had a hard time getting moving, but did manage to get off my cap and goggles and the upper half of my wetsuit by the time I found my bike. Of course, I couldn't get off wetsuit very well and felt like I was wrestling with a garden hose. My friend Lisa was there laughing at me and yelling "Get a move on, girl! Hustle!" Getting on bike, just as I got clipped in I dropped my sunglasses, but I figured they were a lost cause (I wasn't going to stop!) and so I kept riding. Lucky me, someone spotted them and turned them into lost and found. Overall, a decent transition.

Good ride, but I keep hoping for faster. I was really hoping to do 20mph or better. Though considering how little I've actually been on a bike, I guess it's respectable. One woman and I were fairly well matched--same age group, and we kept trading off the "lead" between us on the ride. Nice cameraderie, and made for a fun leg of the race.

No problem here.

I had a hard time getting a good pace going after being on the bike. This is usually the point where I find myself thinking, "Why am I doing this! This isn't fun" My legs (especially lower, for some reason: calves/shin splint feelings) didn't want to go as fast as I know they can, so I was a bit disappointed. And that hill at the end kicked my butt. I even walked a piece of it, but was moving nearly as fast as those around me were running, and blew past them on the downhill, so felt okay about it. Really would have liked to do under 22 min for the run...

Heavy breathing and lots of water. Wandering around looking for anyone I might know--thank god Lisa was there or it would have been pretty lonely at the finish. I remember last year when at one of my two races I had no one there to cheer for me and give me a "way to go!" at the end, and I am now convinced that on the list of things to bring, everyone should include at least a friend or two, because it really feels much nicer to finish and high-five a good friend.

Afterwards, we went to El Greco on Broadway and had what is now becoming my traditional post-triathlon meal of "El Greco Benedict". They even know me there now and know that when I walk in, they better not be out of it or they're gonna see a grown woman cry. This time, however, we added a Bloody Mary into the mix, which isn't really on the recommended post race nutrition list, but what the hell. Though for the rest of the day I had a nagging headache that wouldn't quit. Completely unrelated, I'm sure. All in all, I feel happy with my performance.


Other than about half of the run, I really enjoyed this race. As it's only my third one, I don't have much else to really compare it to yet, but it seemed to be well organized and supported. I especially liked seeing the Seafair Pirates there (or was I hallucinating???)