Philadelphia Triathlon in Fairmount Park - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint

I started the swim to the far right, in about the middle of the crowd, although it was fairly strung out at that point. We spent several minutes in the water waiting for the start, and this was actually the first time I spent time in the water feeling out the wetsuit. I was happy that the suit fit fine and I had no issues with it.
The swim is by far my worst area. I started out with a freestyle, but quickly felt myself losing control. I spent the majority of the time doing the backstoke. I'm not sure what makes the open water swim so different than the pool for me. I'm sure with alot more time and practice I'll get it down.

More practice!

The transition was a little slow, I had never practiced taking the suit off quickly. It could have been much worse. Also am not using clipless pedals yet, so I had to put on my socks and running shoes.

Try out speed laces and will invest in clipless pedals. Also need to practice mounting the bike.

Bike portion went well. I enjoyed the flat and downhill sections, and was a bit winded on the hills. After the race there was comments made by race director (to the next day racers) about the number of penalties, specifically riding on the left. I was a bit nervous that I could have been penalized, however looking at the results I wasn't. I'm confident I wouldn't be found hanging out on the left, but I wasn't sure about passing, and staying back when I was passed. I was constantly thought about these issues but am not sure if perhaps I was in violation at some point. I took a gel about 15 minutes into the ride and drank small sips throughout the ride, trying to do so every 2 miles. I felt a bit tired several times, and I probably didn't push myself as hard as I could have.

Will definitely be investing in clipless pedals/shoes. Need more experience on hills and inclines.

T2 was quick, with just racking my bike, removing my helmet, putting on race belt and a hat. I also grabbed a package of jelly beans that I had left out in case I felt they were needed. In addition I grabbed a quick sip of drink before leaving transition.

Didn't need to take a sip of water as there was a water station as I left the transition area.

Run went fine, although I could feel my legs were tired and I was lacking energy. I ate a couple of jelly beans and took almost a whole gel at the water station. I also drank and both water stations. This was the first time I didn't feel liquid moving around in my stomach. I think minimizing my drinks on the bikes, and taking sips helped with that. I thought my time would have been slower than it was - it definitely felt that way!

Work on my nutrition to ensure I don't feel as though I'm bonking.

Really didn't do a warm-down, besides walking around with my family. I didn't feel the need to consume any food as I had just had a gel about 10-12 minutes before hand.


I limited myself. I really wasn't sure what I was capable of. Hopefully the next time I'll be able to push myself a bit more.


I really enjoyed the race and I'll definitely be signing up for another. Furthermore, I'll be focusing on my technique for all three elements and will hopefully complete my next sprint in less than 2 hours.