Triangle Triathlon - North Carolina Triathlon Seri - TriathlonSprint

Started at the back of the pack. Took the first 100 yards very easy and increased effort from there. Was a little crowded. Got hit a couple times but nothing too bad. Passed alot of people to the bouy. Made an incredibly good turn at the bouy. Knew at the turn that I was having a good swim so I tried to be efficient but strong. Only passed a couple people after the turn but did not get passed by anyone.

Can't think of anything other than lessons to help swim more efficiently.

Have practiced for a month on running and cycling without socks. Had shoes already clipped on bike with helmet on the handlebars. Inside the helmet was sunglasses and gel. Threw goggles and swim cap on ground, put gel in tritop, put on sunglasses, buckled bike helmet and took off. Ran barefoot to the mount line, jumped on bike and slid feet into shoes and started pedaling. Had to break one of the rubberbands with my hand as I reached down to strap shoes. Felt smooth and fast.Considering last years 2:55 transition it was awesome!!!

Run with hand on seat instead of handlebars. Need to practice this but its a small deal.

Considering the number of people doing the race the road out of the park on the bike was not as crowded as I thought it would be. Got blown away by a girl yelling on your left!!! She was flying, I was impressed. Didn't even attempt to keep up with her. After the turn out of the park there is a little down hill as you go back across the lake and then a smallish hill after that. When I got to the top of that hill I was winded. Started to get concerned about it since it was early and not a very big hill. Calmed down and got back to it. Got to the first set of hills and felt pretty good. Shifted to the small chain ring since I wanted to stay in the middle of my cassette. Climbed the first two hills very well. Got to the first of the two memorable climbs. Got as much speed as possible on the downhill and went up this climb pretty well. Didn't gain any time but I don't think I lost alot either. Due to road construction there was a mile long section that was one lane. This car pulls out of a subdivision and gets mixed in with the cyclists. There was not enough room for the car to pass so we were only going as fast as the slowest cyclists which was just not going to work so I moved up right beside the car and went pass the car and the slow cyclist. It was close but we had to go. Never did see that car again. Compared to my 51:00 minute bike ride last year, definitely pleased with this ride.

Need to do a better job of controlling the effort level on the bike so that something is left on the run. Chose not to wear the HRM which was not a good choice. Need to keep my heart rate in the mid 140's and I know it was at least mid 150's average on the bike. I'm slowly learning how to race.

Had feet halfway out of the shoes early. Was not comfortable jumping off the bike while I was at speed so slowed down quite a bit at the dismount line. Jumped off bike while it was moving. Didn't bust my a** so I felt good about it. Ran bike to the rack. Off with helmet. Started to put on shoes and got a very bad cramp in my left hip and left calf. Got the shoes on grabbed my run number belt and left. Last year was 2:43 so this was a good transition for me.

Pick up bike after dismount and run with it instead of pushing it.

This run was very difficult for me. Calves were cramping right out of transition. Tried to shorten my stride and increase cadence but it didn't seem to help much. First half mile was brutal. Felt like I was going to throw up but made it through that. Started to feel a little better on the second mile but there just wasn't anything left in the legs to push with. It was all I could do to keep running. Three guys in my age group passed me about a half mile from the finish. The best I felt in the whole three miles was as I crossed the finish line. I steadily got feeling better but the run was just too short. Did the same run in 24:01 last year.

Need to do more bricks in training. Work on keeping heart rate down on the bike so there is something left for the run.

Sweat alot!!!! It was getting darn hot out. Found family and chatted for a while. Hung out with Keith (KPINTO)and my brother for a good long while. Watched the awards ceremony, waited for the results to be posted.


Need to wear my HRM. Control my HR on the bike. Train more bricks and shorter , higher intensity runs. This was my first ever Tri last year. Last years time was 1:36. This year was 1:23. Cutting 13 minutes off of last years time is a great improvement and I am very happy with that. Goal is to be in the top third next year. If I can figure out this run and keep up the bike pace I know I can do it.


This is a fun race. First one I have done twice. Living 15 minutes from the race site it is a little unfortunate that the race has to be at the most polluted lake in the area. There are some great lakes and parks in the Raleigh area and this one does not put our best foot forward. That being said it was a well organized race as usual with lots of volunteers. I'll do it again next year.