5430 YOLO Triathlon - Sprint Course - Triathlon

I was in the "comfort wave" which meant that once they said we could go, we had 2 minutes to cross the timing mat and start. Theoretically, that meant that we wouldn't be heading out in a pack. As it was, it got a little congested. Despite that, I only got bumped once by a nice woman who apologized. I couldn't see the buoy as I was swimming so I just followed along with the other swimmers as best as I could until I could actually see it. Had a hard time settling into a rhythm because I didn't know where the heck I was going, plus I got a big mouthful of water and felt like I'd completely forgotten everything I knew about swim technique. I felt a little panicky about halfway to the buoy, did a few sidestrokes and regained my composure.

Once I could see the buoy, I put my head down and went well, stopping to tread water a little every now and then to re-sight. Rounded the buoy and went for it, passing a lot of people as I headed back in. Came out of the water with a big grin and headed to T1.

Start more to the north to get a better angle on the buoy with less glare? I was wearing dark grey goggles so I'm not sure how else I could have seen the buoy better. Also, find a more efficient way to sight that doesn't completely stop my forward momentum.

Oy. This sucked. My wetsuit got stuck on my timing chip and I couldn't get the dang thing off. I kept my calm and just kept working at it. Eventually I got it off, dried off feet, put on socks, shoes, helmet, and chapstick, grabbed some water and off I went. Transition area was set up right near bike exit and most of the other bikes were out of the way so getting to the bike start was easy.

Take off timing chip before taking off wetsuit!!!!!

Rollers with ~750' elevation gain. Wasn't quite the route I'd practiced but it was close enough. Luckily, I wasn't one of the ones who missed a turn and rode an extra 2 miles due to a signage screw-up!!! I was a little worried about the wind (10mph) but it wasn't a factor. I flew on the downhills and kept a steady tempo on the uphills. Had to use my easiest gear but still passed a fair number of people. Did have a 70 y.o. blow past me on an uphill though! That was humbling. Yoyo'd with one woman and really wanted to finish ahead of her. She passed me on the run so I must have finally dropped her on the bike. It was hard not to draft; there were people from both the sprint and Oly distances on the road at the same time and it was a fairly crowded. Almost snot-rocketed a woman - oops! Good thing I checked before I went for it!

Going back in on Robertson Road/Scuba Beach Rd. was a long grind up and I was getting a little worried about having enough left in my legs for the run. I stopped looking at my bike computer to see how slow I was going. Well, okay, maybe I did look, and maybe I was going about 7 mph, but I kept plugging away. Once I got on Powhaton Rd. again, Alex was there ringing a cowbell and cheering for me. I knew that once I saw him, it wasn't far to the finish and I could make it. On the downhill into the transition area, I stood up on my pedals and coasted a little.

Zero my bike computer so I could tell how much farther I had to go and NOT put my race number where it would flap against my legs throughout the entire ride. Both VERY annoying!!! Put H2O instead of Skratch in bottle or else also have a bottle of H2O for rinsing out my mouth; it got really dry and sticky.

Hard to get back to my rack because most of the bikes were already back. Finally wove my way there, took off helmet, put on hat, drank some Skratch, grabbed my handheld H2O bottle and wove my way to the run exit.

Nothing really.

By the time I started on the run the temp was heading into the 80's. I forgot to hit start on my Garmin right away so I didn't know how far I had to go - very annoying! I'm really glad I brought my H2O bottle instead of relying on the H2O on the course. That way I could use the course water to cool off. There was a water/Gatorade station at ~1 mi. (I think) from the start where I grabbed 2 glasses of H2O each direction to dump over myself. I mostly rinsed and spit with my handheld, swallowing about 1/2 of it, but it was good to have the option to do that as needed.

I kept the pace slow because I could feel some mild abdominal crampiness creeping in, especially at the start. Both Achilles were somewhat tight, especially on the uphills. I found myself thinking as I went down each hill, "Ugh. This means I'm going to have to go back up this on the way back." After I passed the H2O station, I started to wonder if I'd missed the turnaround. Finally, another newbie I'd met earlier passed me, then a short time later came back the other way so I knew the turnaround was still coming up.

I passed a lot of people walking and encouraged them with "Free food at the end!" I said that to a couple of women walking together and one said, "You really know what motivates me!" then they and I yoyo'd to the end together. The 2nd 1/2 felt harder than the first. The path was so twisty that it seemed like I'd *never* get to the finish line. At one point, I could hear cheering, then it would die down, then I'd see the finish arch, then it would disappear. I felt pretty strong, though, and just kept motoring along. Almost crashed at one point when I tripped hard. Luckily, I've had enough practice with that that I managed to just windmill a few steps and regain my balance. Saw my friend L with her sister, baby, and BF. Seeing them jumping up and down and whooping for me was super cool. Then I finally got to the finish line smiling a mile wide and I was done. No tears even!!

Start my Garmin as I leave transition instead of at some random distance down the trail. Do more running in the heat and do some full-length bricks in the heat as well so I'm more acclimated.

Walked around, got my finisher's medal and shirt, then got 2 banana halves and 2 pieces of pepperoni pizza.


Mostly the short amount of time that I've been this physically active. Heat was also a factor; need to do more acclimatizing


I was pretty pleased with my race. I could tell that the 2nd 1/2 of my swim was strong and I was pleasantly shocked at how well I did. The bike was pretty good; the uphills got a little slow but I wanted to make sure I didn't overcook and not have anything left for the run. Although I would have liked to have run faster, I chose the prudent option and stayed at a slower pace that kept the cramps/nausea at bay. I liked having my own H2O so I could use what was on the course to cool me off; that helped a lot. T1 definitely needs some work; since the legs on my wetsuit are short, I'll plan to take off my chip before my wetsuit next time.

I also now know that I shouldn't take my usual fish oil supplements on race day. Fish oil and a chocolate chip bagel with peanut butter make for really nasty burps. I was clearly well-hydrated too. My bladder decided that there was no need for control during the run (maybe related to my degenerated disks??) and I kept peeing on myself. There was a portapotty between the H2O station and the turnaround that I could have used but I decided to skip it; it was pretty much pointless by then. Yup, I've now lost all shame. I go out in public in a spandex suit, pee all over myself, and think, "Oh well, at least it keeps me cooler." Guess that means I'm a real triathlete now. :)

I was disappointed by how chaotic and disorganized this race felt, given that the RD used to do larger races in Boulder and is the president of USAT. There was wrong info on their website that took a month to fix. Then there was the Oly buoy problem with drifting buoys and a changed course, and the sprint bike signage issue that caused a bunch of people to go an extra 2+ miles. Having the Oly and sprint races going simultaneously just added to the chaos. Luckily, I wasn't affected too much other than having to deal with congestion everywhere but I think there were some pretty unhappy people. To give him credit, the RD took full responsibility for the screw-ups and chaos. It was his first year doing this race (he bought it from someone else) and I think it'll be better next year. Alex did a few of races in Boulder with this RD and they weren't nearly this bad.

There was a really cute couple there competing. He was 84 and she was 79. Made me wish that Alex was still into it but he says he hates swimming and doesn't want to do any more. At least he understands it, supports me in doing it, and helps me a ton. There was one newbie whose husband said she got too skinny when she did marathons (she had been winning or placing in them!) but he would pay her entry fees for triathlons. Another was really scared that her husband wouldn't love her if she didn't finish. I told her she was already a triathlete because of all the training she'd done. She started crying so I gave her a hug. It made me realize yet again that each and every athlete in this sport has a story, which is part of what makes me love it. Maybe it's that way in other sports too, but I love that I've found a sport that appeals to me socially as much as it does athletically. Even my mom, who's never been to a race before, commented on how nice everybody was. She chatted with a bunch of the other spectators while she was waiting and had a really good time.

For my first taste of triathlon, I'd say it was overall a good experience. I didn't get grumpy, I didn't feel nervous, I just went out there and did it and encouraged others along the way. I met a bunch of nice people (who I probably won't remember the next time I see them!) and felt good about my performance. Now I just need to figure out (a) my training plan for my next race, (b) my off-season plan, and (c) how to balance training with everything else that I want/need to do.