Tri-the-Bull - Triathlon

Swim went smooth however I never really felt like I got into a "steady and fast" gear. The short laps (width of pool) felt like I wasted a couple of seconds each time I paused for an extra breath during the open turns.

Learn how to do flip turns! Train more for speed and not just distance.

When I got into the transition area I saw G already there and getting his bike shoes on. He said his wife was watching J and said J was having issues with the swim. My transition went smooth and only about 20 seconds behind G, making it my goal to catch up and try to pass him on the bike.

Hustle a little faster, otherwise it went well.

For the first lap I pushed hard but steady knowing I could give my legs a little rest on the second lap. As it turns out, G's competitive streak came out on the bike and he got a quick lead. I always kept him in sight however at each turn around his lead increased by a small margin.

At the turn around on my second lap a racer on his first lap managed to cut the corner sharper (better handling on a road bike compared to my aero bike) and get a short lead on me. I quickly passed him up on the short incline but I knew he was on my tail and kept a strong pace to keep him from passing me again. As I slowed nearing the turn into the bike finish he pulled up along side me and thanked me for pushing him to keep up with my 20 mph pace. While I didn't catch up with G it felt good to challenge another racer.

I have not ridden in aero much lately so my back complained and I had to sit up a few times. Need to keep up my bike training, my short bike commute to work is not enough!

As I came into transition I saw that G was still in transition so I was not far behind him on the bike. I joked about not being able to catch up with him and he joked back about having to push hard to keep ahead of me. I asked if he saw how far back J was and I was answered by J coming into transition. He made up some good time on the bike despite not having much bike practice and on old equipment (toe-clips and running shoes, etc.) Goes to show that good physical fitness gives a good base to start with! Not needing to change shoes, J was able to transition very quickly and all three of us exited T2 in a close pack.

Good transition.

As we exited transition I knew I would not be able to keep up with G and J, both of them run in the 7-8 minute/mile pace range with J being the faster of the two. They took off and I didn't see them until their way back from the turn-around. The first half mile my calves cramped a bit leading to the "why do I do this?" thoughts. Fortunately the cramps and thoughts cleared up and I was able to get into a steady pace.

As I neared the turn-around J came flying by with G about 20 seconds behind. I shouted a few encouraging words and made it to the turn around myself. When I rounded the final corner I picked up my pace a bit and tried to catch the runner ahead of me. He slowed down to goof-off a "slow motion" finish for the camera so I kicked in extra hard and blasted past him.

Just need more run training. Been a low mileage year due to lingering plantar fasciitus. Fortunately my foot didn't bother me much during the run but I felt it later in the day.

Found G and J gathering their gear in the transition area. Congratulated J on his first triathlon and we all chatted about the race. If J puts in some swim and bike training he has potential due to his already strong running and general fitness.


Not much other than my lack of speed training.


Fun and short course, great for introducing new triathletes or just getting out there and having fun.