Latta Plantation Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

As stated above I got myself a bit rushed in the water and felt just as rushed at the start. Being my first tri of the year and having not been in a lake all year, I wasn't ready for the washing machine start. I never got in a rhythm until about a third the way into the swim. I'm sure I could go faster because a majority of the time I was moving out of other's way instead of plowing forward. But I think I did good considering I am a weak swimmer. I was happy with my time but definitely need improvement.

More aggressive start. Find a rhythm for sighting as well as I had to stop once or twice.

You had about a 150 yard run from the lake up to the transition area. My legs weren't with me yet and that is where I lost the most time. A few sprinted past me up the hill. And even though I had my towel ready, had a tough time getting into my shoes. Another kind of slow 25 yard run up to where you got on your bike, which I didn't do as gracefully as practiced as well.

Swim to bike bricks. (more trouble ahead) Practice getting on the bike faster.

First time this happened, bad hamstring cramps from the get go. Didn't cause me to stop but I couldn't really pedal. A lot of people blew by me the first two miles as I was basically stretching and coasting at the same time. After that I got going and returned the favor to a portion of them. But I think I could of gone sub 50:00 min without that start. Once I got out a good ways out on the course there were only about 3-4 other cyclists around me. I would pass them on flats and downhills, they would pass me on uphills. Coming down the stretch I felt really good and fast, wish I could get that feeling earlier.

I tend to mash heavy gears, I should really gear down some on the hills and it should help my speed. Swim to bike bricks, my hamstrings weren't happy. And of course sell my house for a $5000 bike. Well, maybe some day.

I wish I could stretch this portion out over the whole race, I always rank high. I had a great spot near the run start, My feet have gotten used to skipping socks, and my legs at least for the moment feel relatively fresh. While I was swinging my leg over the bike I caught an awful stomach cramp, don't know where it came from or why but it felt almost like a pulled muscle a day or two later.

Get my feet all the way out of the shoes and swing a leg over before the finish, I usually pull them out as I am stopping and throw the bike to the side then pull it back up and run.

For the first mile and half of the run my hamstrings were threatening to cramp therefore I was running gingerly through the first half of the course. The next half mile my legs loosend up and the last mile I had a real burst I wish I could do through the whole course. I really do have a huge drop off from my tri 5Ks and stand alone 5Ks.

I felt for the most part hydrated. Perhaps I need some strength training for the hamstrings as they were a bother at key parts of the race. More brick training will always help as well.

Someone handed me a bottle of some crappy sports drink I quickly traded up for powerade. I walked a bit, and sat down a bit as my legs were still tightening up here and there.


Slow swimmer, I could stand to lose some upper body mass as all the fast swimmers are not as bulky as I am. First miles of transitions on bike and run.


Had way more triathletes than bathrooms at the start, though I avoided that problem (see above). Other than that race was very organized.