DQ Triathlon at Vincentown - Triathlon

I went out in an all-out sprint to get ahead of my wave, but there were some pretty good swimmers in it who were able to hang with me for longer than I was comfortable with (and two left me behind, including one 14-year-old girl). The sprint wiped me out a bit so that I had a harder time sighting. When I did reach the final buoy, I did breaststroke around it, lined up again, and then started off. The way back was also frustrating because I kept running into flailing laggers from the previous wave. The lake was really shallow so many guys were walking from a long way out when I was trying to swim for the edge (and they weren't bothering to look behind them, which I found really irritating). I was not in a good mood after the swim because I felt like it didn't go well - it felt hectic and frantic. The swim was fast, but not excellent.

I wasn't ready to sprint quite that hard. Maybe next time I'll start slightly slower. I also need to take a second to pick a better line that will keep me out of the worst traffic jams.

I threw my helmet onto my head and got the strap stuck under it, then had to stop running with my bike to take it off, fix the strap, and put the helmet back on. Clearly this flustered me, because I clipped a bike rack with my pedal on the way out and nearly took it with me. Not the best transition.

I need to get used to my new routine. I have less to do in transition, so I felt a little lost, like I was missing something. I need to take the time to do tasks right the first time instead of rushing and then having to redo them.

I had a slow start on the bike course, but built into a great pace. I tried to keep the cadence very high and not rest. The roads, which were only slightly rolling, helped since there were few gear changes, but the ones I made were generally beneficial, getting me into a much better cadence. Most of the time I was able to ride my own race. I think I was helped by one lady who passed me, and then held up right ahead of my wheel. I drafted off of her, tried to gently pass her (didn't work), and finally gunned it around her. We played leap-frog a little (and whenever she got in front of me I was annoyed, because she did not pass definitively at all), which I think helped me ultimately, because I had to kick up the speed to get away from her.

It was a PR, so nothing!

The next thing I need is a bike computer to tell me my speed and cadence so I can know how I am doing during the event.

This was an ok transition. The only hiccup was forgetting my watch on my bike and having to double back for it (I'd only gotten two steps away, but still).

Mental checklist.

HUGE mental effort here. I did not walk at all (barring the two water stations, where I walked ten seconds or so while drinking). At the beginning the run felt awful, and I just told myself to keep plugging at whatever pace I was comfortable at. I managed to do the first mile in 9:40, which really picked up my spirits (because it felt so awful). I tried to lengthen my stride on downhills and then to pick up the pace gradually toward the end. It took a lot of effort not to walk and I'm really pleased that it paid off.

Nothing right now. I need to train more to get my pace down, but a sub-10:00 run is awesome for me now at any time, let alone after a PR on the bike!

Walked around the event.


I designated this a B race and did not specifically train for it (or even rest - this is my sixth workout in six days, not counting some strength training). Most of it didn't feel great, but I was able to push through and perform pretty well - and place in my age group for the first time ever!


Nice small race. They were a little low on volunteers, in my opinion, so the transition area wasn't secure and the race didn't start on time. Once the race got going, though, things seemed to run smoothly. The course was flat and fast, as advertised.