Cayuga Lake Triathlon - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic

I didn't freak out, doggie paddle, backstroke or anything of the sort - I actually swam!! I lined up toward the back of the wave and once the horn sounded tried to get into a rhythm. I felt so much more confident in this swim...it was a total 180* change from Philly. I also learned the importance of drafting. On the way toward the turnaround I found a few people to draft off, which was very nice. The way back was more spread out, so no drafting there. I could see how a sleeveless wetsuit would probably have been better, because had I been going much faster I think I would have overheated. No problems navigating the crowd - I didn't swim over anyone or get kicked, so that was very nice!

Speed up! Now that I feel comfortable in the swim, I need to work on going faster. Baby steps :)

I cut two minutes off my transition time from Philly. Rock on!

Go faster?

The first two miles of the course were one of the 7% grades, but since I train on hills I was passing a lot of people going up. (that was cool, seeing as how I was one of the last to come out of the water) Once I got over the initial hill, I wanted to hammer the downhill and switch to the big chain ring for most of the course. I did, and of course, my gears froze and I was stuck there.

The scenery was absolutely beautiful! The course had long, rolling hills - nothting too steep, but over 4 miles on continuous incline. I haven't trained on hills that long before, but I'm glad I got to do this...I think it was good practice for IMLP next year. I tried to keep my cadence up and went down to the drops for the flats/downhills.

Before going into the race, I thought I might be able to average 19/20 mph, but the gradual inclines of the hills don't look nearly that bad from the car. I'm happy with my time, even though I think I left a little bit on course. Good to know for next time.

The run was on trails and grass, which I'm definately not used to - all my training is on pavement/sidewalks. I knew I would be slower than Philly because there are hills in this course and the footing issue. The way up to the falls was pretty much a steady incline, so that was a bit draining, but then I got to increase my turnover and speed a bit on the way back from the fall. I took water and two Gatorades during the run and felt fine, nutrition wise. Not a very exciting run, but lots of nice scenery to look at!

Probably push a little more in the middle miles. I'm still getting my head around the fact that it's "only" six miles of running in an Oly. I'm stuck in half mary/marathon land!

Found my parents and cousin and talked to them for a bit. This was their first tri and they said they had a good time. My mother found a cowbell at some point, and she enjoyed it (much to the dismay of the folks around her, I'm sure!).


I think I would have pushed a bit harder throughout. I'm still learning about pacing and race strategy, so this was a step in the right direction.


I'm really glad this race got all the rookie mistakes out of the way. I feel more confident now that I can actually "race" a race, rather than hang on to survive. I was thinking about it for next year, but I think it's too close to IMLP to give it a proper go. Who knows...I reserve the right to change my mind.