Columbus Day Triathlon - Triathlon

All in all wasn't bad for my first triathlon. I expected the swim portion to be a lot more hectic with so many people in the water at once, but I guess I got ahead of the main group fairly quickly.

I should get prescription goggles or contacts --the buoys were easy enough to see, but I basically relied on following somebody to find the exit.

The majority of my time was lost when I was trying to put on my shirt. Maybe I should just ride shirtless next time? Or perhaps invest in a tri top.

Figure out the dry shirt/wet body problem.

This was the fastest I'd ever ridden, and it felt easier than what I usually do in practice. I didn't go too hard, because I knew I had to run afterward.

Practice more, ride faster. I raced in a hybrid, and may borrow a friend's road bike for the next one.

I stopped the bike to get off and then ran to re-rack it. I don't have cycling shoes, so I was running as soon as the bike was racked and helmet was off.

Get off the bike faster.

I ran much faster during the race than I ever have during practice --over a half minute faster per mile. This was mind-boggling to me, especially because I had just gotten off the bike too. Makes me wonder if my phone app is inaccurate or if my timing chip was inaccurate. The run felt pretty comfortable though, for the most part.

Do brick workouts to get my running legs more quickly.

I clearly didn't push myself hard enough, because I still had the energy to run to the bathroom, then to get back to the course and cheer a friend on.


Not much --it was a much better performance than I was expecting. The fact that I was using a hybrid vs a road or tri bike was definitely an issue, but I'm not that worried about it.


Great race overall. I appreciated all of the staff and volunteers making it such a welcoming race for us new triathletes. Plenty of support for Clydesdale, Athena, and older athletes, which I thought was awesome. I would've preferred a longer swim, but I'm sure that's part of the beginner-friendliness of the course. I look forward to doing another one!