Graham Beasley - TriathlonOlympic

Made the mistake of starting out right at the front and getting pummelled. The first 200m or so were pretty frantic even though I didn't tire myself out too much. Got kicked and punched and bumped a lot but thankfully the goggles never came off. Only once I rounded that first buoy did I start to get a rhythm but my navigation was never too good. On occasion I would try and draft off somebody but inevitably they would always be going too fast or too slow for my liking. The out-swim was against current and was quite discouraging at times, especially since you could see the bottom at all times so you got an idea of how fast/slow you were going. Thankfully once I rounded the 450m buoy the current helped boost my spirits and I really started pulling hard with about 200m to go to the exit.

-Start closer to the back
-Get a wetsuit! I'm dying to see the supposed night & day difference
-Have more confidence in my ability to maintain a harder stroke. I'm sure I could be letting loose more on the swim but am afraid to waste too much energy.

(T1 time included in the swim portion)
Solid T1. Found my bike easily as it wasn't too far from the swim exit. Threw down my goggles and swimcap. Got the HRM strap on with no problems. Had a few problems getting my MEC sleeveless shirt on since it was sticking because of my wet body but it worked out alright. Also had some issues with getting the sunglasses on as they were pushing against my helmet strap. Swallowed down a quick gel, boy was it ever thicker than I remembered! (should have practiced with gels more often!) Got the bike shoes on easily and ran out.

-Get a convenient tri top to save a few seconds
-Leave the shoes attached to the bike
-Have gels ready on the bike

Kept things under control, always keeping in mind that the bike is just a lead-up to the run and to save something for it. Started off spinning more than I would typically like for the first 10k in order to get the legs pumping. I'm sure this helped out immensely in the long run as I never felt like I was tightening up. Kept an eye on the HRM at all times. The first 20k were pretty good. There were plenty of substantial hills which required some small gear climbing but I handled them without too much trouble. As I neared the turnaround I was starting to feel uncomfortable and at first thought that it was because I needed to goto the bathroom. Fortunately I figured out it wasn't that, my butt was just getting tired from all the time in the saddle! I remedied that by doing some out of saddle climbing and that made all the difference in the world. Amazing what a few seconds of relief will do for you. Except for the climbs I'm glad to say that I spent pretty much 100% of the time on my aerobars with no problems whatsoever. Made a point to spin more as I neared the last 3km. The few turns that we did have to - all 90 degree ones - I took at full speed by going wide and then cutting in. Very proud of how those went. As I entered the bike-in chute a runner who was talking to a girl got in my way and I almost ran into him, fortunately I saw it coming and came to a stop just in time... for his sake.

-Pedal out on top of my shoes
-Take off the shoes and pedal in on top of them
-Get those legs stronger!

Apart from those matters I was really satisfied with how well my bike went.

(T2 time included in the run)
Went fairly well. My sweaty feet had a little trouble getting into the socks but surprisingly less trouble than I had anticipated. The elastic laces worked out nicely as always and I had another gel and some gatorade before heading out. Although at this point I had essentially gone almost 1.5 hours without any carbs in the form of gatorade or gels so I was worried in the back of my head about already being bonked.

Not much, maybe eat the gel on the run but that's a small thing.

I didn't know what to expect coming into the run. Given my previous experience where my run really sucked I have to say I was apprehensive about how my body would hold up, especially considering how I didn't do a single brick this year. The butt was a bit tight as I began the run but it was definitely not a huge problem like it was at last year's Canadian. Wouldn't you know it. Just as I hit the run, the sun started coming out full blaze. Man's best friend on the run: his HRM. I kept a watchful eye on this baby and it was definitely the difference in this run. About 1km into the run I noticed how high the HR was and despite feeling good I reeled it in and started concentrating on fast cadence, smaller steps. I made a mental note to really hold back for the first lap (5k) and am very proud of how I managed to do that. Had a few conversations with runners on the way. Passed a decent amount of people. As I neared the 2km mark I realized that there was no way I was going to make it through the run without a pitstop. This sucks! Fortunately there was a port-a-potty at the 2.5k turnaround. Fortunately I was in & out within 30 seconds or so and back on the road. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. That short rest refreshed my legs greatly and the rest of the first lap went pretty well. I began to ache and normally would start getting down on myself about that excpet my HRM was showing me steady at 157 so I was able to realize that it was just my feet aching, not my aerobic capacity which gave me confidence to just ignore the pain. Near the beginning of lap 2 I re-passed the lady who had gone by me while I was taking a piss. Great feeling. I didn't want to burn out too early so I told myself I would keep things steady for long as possible. It wasn't until the last kilometer where I picked things up a bit and then went for a full out - and painful - sprint over the last 200-300m right into the finish line. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending and run. Perfect balance: a much stronger second-half run where I budgeted my energy perfectly and just about emptied it all right at the finish line.

Apart from more practice with bricks and maintaining a faster pace, not much else. It was a fantastic run!

Nothing really. Walking around and eating some plain bagels with water.


-Training for the most part, or the lack thereof.
-Wetsuit I'm sure would have eased the swim quite a bit


First Olympic in the books! Much tougher than I had anticipated but is a great confidence booster! Looking forward to my next one. To half-iron or not to half-iron?...