Hawthorne Farm Athletic Club Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Easily the best part of the day. Strong throughout, lapped the field and then really settled into a great stroke. Given I slipped reaching for a towel, I think I probably hit a nice 8:35 for the swim, which is my fastest 500-yd yet.

Don't slip when I get out of the pool :)

Bike top stuck to me since I was still wet, so that took a little time. My bike shoes are not conducive to a quick change. Swallowed a Gu and then walked the bike to the mount area.

Dry off my torso a little more to make putting on the jersey a bit easier.

I need to work on gearing- when to drop into a much lower gear (before the hil? during the hill? how far before the hill), and then when to drop it into a high gear, so I can hammer it on the flats. Need to figure this one out.

Train for hills! The trainer can't replicate this at all. Additionally, I had a bottle of Gu2O. I drank 1/4 of it- maybe- and cramped up when I got off the bike to the run. Gotta hydrate before the run.

Competitor next to me didn't leave enough room for me to rack my bike without it falling off, so I ended up messing with it for a bit, which was frustrating.

Push my stuff over more to give myself some more room on the rack. Figure out how to jump off the bike.

Cramped really bad through transition and for the first mile or so. Should have drank more fluid on the run. Gutted through it and each mile was faster than the last, with a final mile of a hair over 10 minutes. Pleased that I ran faster than my 5k in March (Shamrock), but I can do better.

I felt like walking several times due to the cramps, but I gutted through it. If anything, I was surprised by my mental effort in this race.

Need to train more on running. Looking back at training schedule, I skipped an inordinate number of training days for the run. That shouldn't have happened, and it showed in my 5k time. I should easily be able to get under 30 minutes for the 5k after the bike portion.

Not enough. Walked around, drank some water, talked with friends. Should have been diligent with my stretching routine and jogging routine after I finished. I can feel it today in my calves (where I cramped off the bike), my groin, and my quads. Stretching would have avoided that lactic acid buildup.


Inconsistent training with the run, better hydration throughout. It's a learning experience, and it will be better next time. I was ready mentally for it, but wasn't up to par physically. More focused training over the next 8-10 weeks for the two other races should provide marked improvement.

It sounds like I'm down on myself, which I am, a bit. All 3 events were faster than any other time trial I've done previously, and I beat my goal of 1 hr 45 min, with 5 min to spare. Looking back, though, I could have been much stronger in the run with more training, and better hydration strategy on the bike.


This felt like a really good race for the first-timer, like me. The pool is a familiar place for a swim, and the run course is flat. The bike has a challenging hill, but it comes just about midway, and you're screaming downhill after that.

All in all, I really enjoyed myself, and look forward to Blue Lake in June.