Sandestin Triathlon - Triathlon

Very nervous waiting for my wave which was the second one. Announcer gave us 60, 30, and 10 second warnings and we were off. Ran out and dove a few times an started swimming but my heart rate was high and I had trouble keeping my head down. Treaded water for a few second to gain my composure and started getting into a groove as I rounded the 100m buoy. Started swimming harder and eventually started to pass people from the wave before. Kept up a solid effort the rest of the swim and came out of the water feeling really good at just under 14:00 which is faster than I normally swim in the pool. Swim time included the run up the beach, over the boardwalk and through the parking lot to transition.

Nothing really. Overall a great swim that does not require much sighting. Felt great for my first true open water swim.

Fairly good transition. Didn't try a flying mount because transition wasn't too long so I just stuck with what I knew.

Nothing

Great bike leg. Came in with the goal of <1:00:00 and came in well under. Bike came out to about 19 miles so my Garmin had me at 21.7mph which is still above my goal pace of 20mph. Went out strong and didn't feel like I was over-exerting myself. I was able to hold that pace until the last 5 miles where I dialed it back some to get ready for the run. Roads were incredibly smooth with a couple light hills with the ability to really gain some speed on the downhills. Winds were very light other than the draft coming off the cars on the way back in. Passed a ton of people on tri bikes which was nice because I was on a road bike with clip-on aero bars. Got passed by the expected wheel disc guys and girls. Overall, a fantastic course with closed roads and a really enjoyable ride down Hwy 30-A.

Nothing. Felt great about my ride and not sure I could have gone any faster.

Great transition. Nailed the flying dismount, bike racked easily and socks and shoes went on easily. I don't know why anyone would decide not to do a flying dismount.

Nothing

Went out a little fast on the run - first mile of 7:17. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold that pace the entire time so I dialed it back a little and found a nice groove for the remainder of the run. Quads starting feeling fatigued about 2 miles in but I was able to push through it and hold a good pace the remainder of the run. Garmin showed the run course at 3.93 miles. Finished strong down the chute and the crowd was a nice boost at the end.

Nothing.

Drank some water and powerade, had a banana and an orange and waited around the finish line for my friend to finish a few minutes after.


Nothing really. I was very satisfied with each segment, especially for my first race. My swim was faster than my goal as was my bike, and the run was right on my goal time.


Overall, this was a great race. The only complaint would be that they did not give out medals which I can't actually complain about. As for the race, the course was great, the volunteers were awesome, and the race was very well organized and put together. There were a lot of fast people on the course. I would suggest this race to anyone, whether it be their first race or not.