Lake Mills Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

This was my first triathlon. I love open water swimming but I was so nervous I had to breath every stroke. It was the novice wave so everyone else was just as scared as me, I think! This old lady was yelling to everyone "If you didn't know how to swim, you wouldn't be here! You'll be fine!" It was fabulous. I got into the water and started swimming while most people were still wading and passed a few "legs." I started swimming and passed a lot of people. I rounded the first bouy and was still with the pack but that really seperated a lot of people from the pack, spread us out. I was right next to it and this girl tried to push me over so she could get in between us, but she eventually dropped back. by the middle of the second it felt just like a practice, and I had a good rhythem of three strokes right, three strokes left, three strokes right and sight. Passed a few more people, and then rounded the next bouy. I tboned a girl backstroking out to the middle of the lake (on accident...she must not have been sighting well..) Swam until my hands touched the ground and passed a few walkers again, figured I may as well run out of the lake so I passed a few walkers who were on the beach ripping their wetsuits off as they walked...

Breath....Breath....Breath....

I can't comment...I don't remember much of it.

I want to learn that jump on bike, get in shoes trick...

Bike..holey cats. I was sure this was going to be the easiest part, but it really wasn't. I got into my shoes, ran in my shoes and then hopped on the bike. Not so sure about the shoes clipped in thing, I'll have to practice that.

I was still so nervous I couldn't breath, so it was hard for me to pedal efficiantly. I was so alone for the first half of the ride, no one ahead of me, no one behind me. After that age groupers started passing me. I got comfortable a little after a third of the ride was done and started singing to keep myself calm, and trying to think who my podium guys would be if I were ever in that position. I narrowed it down to Jake Gylenhall and Gaspard Ulliel. Hah. yeah...okay uhm. Then I started seeing people I knew and a lot of the Tri Wi People passed me. I broke my water bottle because the water was in a crappy bottle and I couldn't get it out. Under dehindtrated myself. And then I pushed into the finish , passed a few people on the way in and hopped off my bike, ran into transition and....

Push hard. The ride was over so fast! I keep forgetting how short 15 miles is.

I would also make sure I pu the water in a water bottle I can open easily so I don't break the bottle on the course.

Someone threw their wetsuit on top of my running shoes :( They were wet from the rain anyways, though.

This was okay. I went faster than I wanted to, but guess what: One of my goals was to run a sub 30 5K I did it. I was SO TIRED by the time I was done that I just had to talk to everyone. I kept conversation pace and only pushed the last hundred yards. I don't know how long a 5k is when I'm running it so I don't know when to push, when not to push, and so on. I started feeling cold and clammy towards the last mile and I knew I was getting a sunburn and needed to drink something.

Sunscreen in a gulike packet? DRINK MORE WATER!

Put sunscreen on, dumped a bottle of water on my head, talked to everyone I know, met some other BTers and uh...that's about it.


Not knowing what was going on at...all! Not pushing...


My first race! victory is mine!