Blue Lake Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

The swim is the event that causes me high anxiety. I've had some rough open water swims and was very nervous at the start. I decided to just take it slow and stay calm. I can always go like hell on the bike and run. So I did. I got a little freaked out when the faster people in the waves behind me came up on me but just told myself to relax and kept going.

Not much. At this point, I need more conditioning and more time in the water. I feel really good about my technique and I swam all the way in until my hands hit sand, popped up and ran out. PGCG said, "You looked really strong coming out of the water."

I'm pretty sure I was faster in this T1 than my last race but I still stumbled a little trying to get everything on. It was cold so I decided to throw on my long sleeve jersey.

Unzip the jersey before the race so I don't waste precious seconds trying to get it unzipped and on.

My HR was pretty high coming out of transition so it took me a mile or so to get comfortable. I knew I wanted to push myself but still leave some legs for the run. I saw the first bike I wanted to pass. OK, it was a mountain bike. I know it's like shooting fish in a barrel but still....she was mine. I passed her as I'm getting passed and continued to push ahead to take over one bike at a time. I was so involved in my own little leapfrog game that I was surprised by the turn around.

The ride back was tougher as the winds were stronger going back in. I continued to push on into the finish.

Drink a little more. I got a cramp on the run in my calf. Probably should have taken the time to hydrate more on the bike.

Easy transition. Changed shoes and dumped the helmet. Grabbed my hat and took off.

I need those "quick tie" laces. It takes me too long to tie my shoes.

Tried to get my HR to drop but didn't want to walk. So I headed out at a nice jog pace and knew that if I just kept moving, I would finish under 2 hours. Just put one foot in front of the other... Which made me think of Robin and the rest of the TAN Crew. Before I knew it I was at the turn around! I walked while I took in some water then started to run again. I felt great until I got just past the 2 mile mark. It pays to know the course. I came up a long stretch and turned the corner expecting the finish only to find that we were running a path along the lake. My HRM wasn't accurate on distance because it recorded the distance running out of transition. So, I wasn't really sure how much further I had. I was running at my max HR and didn't know how long I could keep up the pace.

I would make myself familiar with the course. At least the finish. I wouldn't have run it differently, but I would have been mentally prepared for the last mile. Jonesy said the same thing. The run was great but the last mile seemed to take forever!

I walked back to transition and put on my sweats and a jacket. It had started to rain and I needed to get warm. I stretched, drank some water, then headed over to see how Conner was coming along in his set-up. (He raced in the Kid's Tri.)


Same thing that always limits it: training and conditioning. I'm working on it. :)


I have no complaints about the day. Lots of volunteers and everything was clearly marked so I never had to question where I was supposed to go.

The RD was great, too. When I picked up my packet, the medium shirt I ordered was WAY to big and she personally took down my info so that she could send me a small when they came in. She then said, "If you get it and we need to exchange it for an extra small, let me know and we'll make it right." Now THAT makes my $75 race fee worth it. Oh, and they had nice bling. :)