Toyota Desert Triathlon - International Distance - TriathlonOlympic

I started to the left of the group and hoped to get in the deep water first and then head to the buoy. That worked but it looked as if the entire rest of the group of swimmers were flying by me on my right. It looked like the jet stream from Finding Nemo. I think they were benefiting from drafting and I was swimming all on my own like a sucker. A few times I lost site of the buoy and did breast stroke to find it again. It helped that we were swimming into the sun. That was easy to sense without lifting your head. A few times I had people drifting diagonally in front of me so I had to do breast stroke to reposition.

Draft and maybe wetsuit. More open water practice.

Simple transition, no issues.

The bike started out good. I felt good about getting my legs into the groove. I ate gu 5 min into the ride and 50 min into the ride. I drank water every 10 min or so. It was overcast so the head wasn't bad. The people were really nice. Most people who passed at a similar speed told me good luck and congrats. Triathletes are really nice people. Or did I look that bad? On the 2nd lap right after I ate the gu, I passed up a new water bottle. I had plenty but was running a little low. Then I started getting heartburn so I sat up and slowed down a little. Some burping helped but it kind-of freaked me out. Overall on the bike I pushed myself more than ever before. I stayed in the bigger chain ring whenever I could. I am just not fast at biking yet. I was getting passed by everyone. Including a 70 year old man on a beach cruiser!

I think I was sweating a lot and needed some salt and maybe more water. It is really hard to tell. I think gu is good but I think I needed some electrolytes.

The people in my row squeezed me out and I couldn't get my bike racked. I just rested it as best I could and threw on my shoes and hat. I am glad I wore my running hat. Also, I didn't get lock laces into my new shoes so I had to tie them like a sucker. I was feeling really dizzy so I spent some time drinking gatorade.

Have salty potato chips in my transition. Oh and I meant to grab my shot blocks for the run but forgot.

The transition to run was ok but the first surface was sand which psyched me out. During the run I was very tired and dizzy. I wasn't sure if I should drink more or what. I sipped water at all the water spots (3 around the lake) and dumped some on me. There were small shots of sports drink at one water stop so I hit that 2x. The sun was coming out so it warmed up during the run. I was on the first loop when a co-worker spotted me. She cheered me on as she passed me and then I realized she was on her second loop and almost done. Oh man! I was getting passed by everyone including an amazing guy with one leg.

Train more, drink more sports drink on the bike.

When I got close to the finish I picked up the pace a bit and then when I finished I swear I almost passed out. I could never understand why people fainted at the finish before. The air went from being a steady breeze to a hot humid oven. It was so hot and I could hardly get a breath of air. The volunteers handed me a cool towel and a bottle of water. I decided to keep moving and walking and try to cool down. I spotted a medical van and decided that would be a good direction to walk. After a while I ate some orange slices and a banana slices and kept blotting my face with the towel. I finally cooled down, packed my stuff up and changed into a skirt. Oops I forgot to stretch. Oh, well.


I beat my times from the Chicago olympic race and that is what I was aiming to do. Even though the race isn't really comparable. Considering the lack of structured training, I feel like I did well for myself. I am totally impressed by all the other competitors out there. These people are fast!!! I wonder if it has something to do with Southern California? (year round training, workout-a-holics, sunshine) I was defeated this year but I am going to come back next year and do this race right! I think it was really well run and down to earth. There was no crazy expo or rules about picking up your packet the day before. It was low key and relaxed. And if you don't mind camping in a glorified parking lot it is really convenient to camp in the park. I will be back next year!