Hickory Knob Sprint Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

I choked on the swim. I knew exactly what I was doing wrong and yet I couldn't fix it. I wasn't blowing out air underwater so I couldn't catch my breath, my hips kept sinking but I didn't push my chest down, I was scared of getting kicked or kicking someone even though I know it happens.

everything!

I walked up the hill to transition, rinsed off my feet, put on socks, took a gel, drank liquid, added a top and put on my helmet.

In hind sight, I wouldn't have added the top, I would have taken the gel on the course intead of in transition, I wouldn't have worn socks. I don't regret walking up the hill to transition.

There was a cone about 1 and 1/2 miles into the course that said sprint turn around and several people in front of me turned around so I did too. It turned out it was the turn around for the run not the bike! I had gone about 1/2 a mile in the wrong direction when someone was coming back that had gone all the way to the finish before she knew she had goofed. She told us what I already knew and I turned back around. I knew in my gut the whole time it was wrong, but I followed those otheres anyways and I could kick myself for that! There was one hill on the course that was really tough. It was longer and steeper than any hill I've been on and I wasn't prepared for it. I dismounted my bike and walked up a portion of it instead of risking falling over.

in my current condition the only thing I could have done differently was go with my gut at that turn around instead of following the other idiots.

racked my bike, switched shoes, took a gel, removed my helmet and took off. I had to detour to the porta potty because it's that time of month for me, so I lost a little time there, but there wasn't anything I could do about that.

I really wish I had taken that second top off. I felt constricted on the run and I got chaffed around my arms. Other than that, lace locks would have been nice.

My legs felt like jello and there were some decent hills on this run but I just pushed on the best I could.

Not much. I finished in the time I expected I would.

got my things from transition and changed clothes.


I didn't train for this event, I just did it for fun.


I heard a lot of people made the same mistake about turning too soon on the bike course. Hopefully they will fix that for next year, but I'll know not to make that mistake again. I had a lot of fun and I would love to do this race again next year when I'm trained, and see what a difference it would make in my times. I popped my triatholon cherry, I'm not a virgin anymore.