Buffalo Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic

I stayed back from the pack and to the outside. I felt like I would avoid the majority of the ruckus and had a good line to the first buoy. The horn sounded and we were off. The lake was very shallow and weedy where we started and I tried to swim/dive/run/wade my way as fast as possible to get a spot where I could actually take a stroke.

Once I found that water, and I started swimming, I almost hyper-ventilated! This has not happened to me yet in a Tri. I've felt like my swim training was coming along, but I have to tell you, in that first 10 minutes of the swim there was A LOT of self doubt creeping into my mind about my swimming. What was I thinking doing this long of a Tri swim? Then, I started telling myself to smooth it out and slow down. Even though I tried this, it was not an instantaneous fix. Gradually, I got control. I threw the bilateral breathing by the wayside and just would breathe on my left.

After rounding the first buoy, things started to get better, and I took some bilateral strokes. I just tried to navigate off my swimmers on my left and not lose too much ground. Finally finished, and was very happy to see land again!

Even more swim warmup. More OWS practice. Slow way down for the first 200 yards.

All this being said, I beat my goal time for this swim that I had set for myself a few days prior to the race! Goes to show you how much a wetsuit can help a poor swimmer.

Bad transition spot. However, being a slow swimmer, there weren't many bikes in my way! I run with my bike shoes on, and that caused a problem as my cleats got too much mud stuck to them, and it affected my ability to snap in once I got on my bike.

Work on transitions with the shoes already on the bike. Get to the race even earlier for a better transition spot.

After finally getting clipped in, I began the process of passing hordes of the Sprint Tri bikers. It's wonderful to see so many people doing tris, and the traffic was very light on the roads, but it was somewhat congested for the first 8 miles. Had to really watch the other riders closely as a lot of them would not move over to the right.

Saw a biker wearing his wetsuit. Saw Birkierunner walking alongside the road. Saw plenty of other flats. Unlike my normal bike rides, I was passing so many on the uphills. Usually, this is my kryptonite.

About the time the Oly and Sprint course split, I was really able to settle into a good pace. I tried to consume some jelly-belly beans and water. I didn't feel like resting for a minute to do this, and so I didn't probably consume as much as I should have. I have an aerobottle and a downtube bottle on my bike. The aerobottle had water, and I probably only drank 6-8 oz. I didn't touch the downtube bottle of Gatorade.

Found myself going back and forth with another local racer. She is a 54 year-old superstar. She has represented the US in many races. I remembered that she usually beat me on the bike, and I was holding strong with her.

With about 5 miles to go, I put the hammer down up some hills and then worked on finishing strong. Oly and Sprint course merged again, and then there were tons of people to pass again. Narrowly avoided a crash when another biker pulled out right in front of me (despite being vocal that I was on the left). Have to keep the eyes open!

Nothing. I'm happy with this bike. I felt strong the whole way, but reserved. My increase in mileage this year appears to be helping, and I will just continue on my plan

Tried not to wipe out going down the hill in transition.

Keep working on taking feet out while on bike.

Good turnover right away off the bike. I tried to reserve some energy for the last 3 miles, but in the end, it was a "hold on as much as I can" type of run. I think my lack of proper hydration and nutrition hurt me on my run. I pushed through it, but I'm telling you...It was not easy.

Did not get passed on the run. Makes up for getting passed by so many on the swim...

Running is/was my thing, so I expect to do relatively well here. Long term, I would expect to be under 40:00 on this. Need to work on nutrition and endurance.

Didn't really do one. Gathered all my gear, got poured on, avoided the long line for barbeque.

Talked with Benihana and Birkierunner some.


I just need more experience at this distance. I set what I thought to be a realistic goal a few days prior to the race, and I beat it by just under 4 minutes. So, I really can't complain. My training is going well, and I'll just need to adjust as necessary.


I really like this race. There are some things that come with so many competitors - Tough transition spots, congestion on the bike, long line for bbq. But, I really like it anyway. I haven't been to another race with so much stuff given to you at check-in, and so many great triathletes with such a range of abilities. It's really good for the sport!