Swim
Comments: I positioned myself in the middle of the pack and on the right side. Could run 10 meters before starting to swim... when I realized I forgot to put the googles over my eyes... they were still on my forehead :D!!. A beginner´s mistake, I guess. Started to swim freestyle quite fast, around 150 meters. Didn´t battle much, a couple of feet and hands here and there, but nothing tough. I can say I was enjoying being there, with so many people. Then I switched to breaststroke. I did most of the rest of the swim this style. Tried not to loose some "human" reference. My navigation was quite ok, thanks to breaststroke. When I looked at my watch I couldn´t believe the time. I was expecting around 20:00. Maybe the distance was shorter (fastest time was 9:13)? What would you do differently?: - I should be able to do this distance with freestyle... so I have to train :)! - Remember to put the googles on! Transition 1
Comments: Run out from the water up the stairs feeling fine (no dizziness) and found bike without problems. Broke one of the attachments of the start number with the chestband, so lost a couple of seconds fixing it. Didn´t have a towel on the floor (because the bikes were too close to each other) and took a bit more time than expected to dry my feet, wear the socks and put the shoes on. I think I did everything else fine, didn´t forget anything. What would you do differently?: - Be careful when putting on the chest band not to break the start number. Bike
Comments: I jumped in two my bike with the thought of catching up a friend of mine who left the transition area a couple of minutes before me. The wind was quite strong (I didn´t realize) and I couldn´t believe the speed I was going at (thought the computer was broken :D). Was keeping a good rythim, using my forearms to have an aerodinamic position (without handlebars) but the road bikes where flying overtaking me. Short time after the half way 180º turn, I catched my friend and tried to put some distance in between... One of the times I was looking back and I went out of the road!! Luckily it was grass and I could go back to the track without problems, just a bit of grass and plants on my back wheel :D. Had to stop because of a place where the track was not ok indicated, wich gave my friend time to catch up with me. Had to focus again and recover my pace. I finished quite ok, keeping in mind I should use a fast cadence to avoid problems when starting to run. What would you do differently?: - Always look forward :) - Find a roadbike! The MTB felt like a big handicap, and lost some motivation because of it. - Maybe do some stretching in the bike before getting to the transition area. Transition 2
Comments: Quite happy with the transition. Did run with the bike to the rack and was fast on changing my shoes (I´m good with the laces :D). Didn´t forget to take my helmet off. What would you do differently?: Nothing Run
Comments: Just after starting to run I got two messages from my right calf saying it didn´t like running after biking. In the end I didn´t try any brick training and I guess I had to pay for it. I took it easy and poured some water on the calf. After half of the first lap it felt better and I was almost sure I wouldn´t get a cramp, but I didn´t really push myself. In the second lap I tried to drink but I couldn´t manage. 1 kilometer later I was feeling too hot and a bit thirsty, but I was so close to the finish that it didn´t matter. What would you do differently?: - Brick training - Learn to drink while running (in case I want to try longer distances) - Push harder Post race
Warm down: Chat with other spaniards we met today in the race eat, drink and wait for my friend. Gave him a hug (like we did before starting to swim) to celebrate our success. Ate oranges, banana, drank gatorade and water. Stretching in the transition area and packing. Then we ate a Vienesse sausage and toasted with fresh beer with lemonade! Happy to be "Tri", and willing to repeat soon. What limited your ability to perform faster: - Riding a MTB instead of a roadbike. - Fear of a cramp when running after biking. Event comments: Well organized. Missed more supporters... there was none during the biking. People were not cheering much. Had a small orientation problem on the bike circuit. I was expecting to get a nice cycling top and in the end we received a cotton t-shirt. At least I got a medal :). Last updated: 2007-06-03 12:00 AM
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Austria
Wien Energie
22C / 72F
Overcast
Overall Rank = 215/271
Age Group = 24-29
Age Group Rank = 38/47
The night before I had pasta-dinner at 22:00 and went to sleep around 24:00.
Woke up at 7:00 and ate a half-banana, 1 boiled egg, a bit of smoked ham and two toasts with butter and honey. Drank water and a tee (PowerT :D). Trip with the underground to the race location. Number painting and transition area set-up were fine. The bike racks where not ready for MTB (tires too wide), but in the end it was enough and my bike didn´t fall.
Not much, just running to the toilet and some upper body warm-up for the swimming. You don´t want to be tired before your first triathlon ever! Got into the water 4 minutes before the race started.