Bandits Challenge Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

This was a pretty large wave and I did my routine thing being a slow swimmer to let 'em all go. The water was 91 freakin' degrees! By the time you reached the first bouy it felt like you were swimming in sweat. My breathing was okay but I haven't learned to get used not being in a swimming pool. Every 25 yards or so, I'd stop to sight. (ie look for a wall to turn around)

Need more open water swims and a little more faith in my navigation. I sight way to much. I'm never far off course but I it really piles on time to my swim. Plus longer straight swims.

Had to run up a slight hill from the lake 100 yards or so to reach the transition area. I ran up the hill pretty quick but when I entered T1 my body ran out of gas for a moment recovering from the swim. I lost some time stopping and walking to my bike. Once I got my stuff on I caught my breath and was off pretty refreshed.

Longer straight swims. I got through T1 pretty quick on my first two sprints. But my first Olympic swim had me dragging a bit.

Considering I neglected this aspect in training more than the other two and that I was one of the very few that wasn't on a souped up bike, I was very pleased. My cramping was minimal and I was able to push over every hill the course threw at me. I felt so good on the bike I knew I was pushing to hard and not saving enough for the run on the last third of the bike. But I couldn't stop pushing, this was where I was having the most fun.

Ride on more hills. More weight training off season.

Everything I practiced worked to perfection. Then as I was running from my bike when I realized I forgot my freakin' race belt/number. Lost about 20 seconds running back for it.

Lay my race belt on top of my running shoes.

Coming out of T2 you get about a quarter mile then run straight up. Then you go 2 miles and then run straight up, 3 miles later, straight up. I had some crazy notion that no matter what I was going to run these hills. Then reality smacked me in the face, or the legs rather. Ran up the first hill, then about half way across the dam my left hamstring decided to let me know I just swam and biked in a race farther than any distance I had ever covered consecutively, and cramped up. Took me 25 yards and 1 water station to walk it out. Then on my first descent down a steep hill, my right hamstring did the same. It was getting hot outside but my legs were what was burning. I never did get fresh legs for the rest of the run/walk. I didn't have much of anything left in my legs and had to walk pretty much anywhere that wasn't flat or downhill. The only thing that made me feel better is that is what 80% of everyone else was stuck doing also.

Take an escalator. Seriously though, the only real way for me to tackle that run course is to do some serious leg strength training paired with lots of hills on some longer runs. Throw in more brick training which I think contributed to my hamstrings constantly locking, it's becoming a pattern.

I was spent. I found a shady spot and moved very little while I drank a lot. I finally found enough energy after 30 minutes to drag myself over to get some food and a massage. Thank God my girlfriend was with me who got all my stuff from the transition area to the car.


Lack of open water swim experience. Lack of muscular endurance, specifically in the legs.


I need lots of practice to tackle a course like this with confidence. I am eager to train to tackle the run course, but I need to flush my mind of the sticky hot water by next year. Sagebrush catered the food afterwards(get someone else! It was bad!) Everything else was great. One day again.