San Diego International Triathlon - Sprint Course - TriathlonSprint

Not sure how I did because split times are not available yet. I felt good and swam very well considering this was only my fifth OWS. I started in the back left of the pack and took off when the horn blew. Before I knew it I looked up and we were rounding the buoy to make the turn and over 1/2 way done. I kept telling myself to relax and did not feel like I over did the swim. once we turned into the last shot of the course we met up with the international group. From that point it was all bodies and there was no point trying to pass anyone since there were too many people and not enough room. Considering it was my 1st ocean swim, first triathlon and 5th OWS, I think I did really well.

Start more towards the front as James recommended. I really could have gone much faster with the swim and think if I had started in better position I would have finished faster. For my first one I have no complaints.

This was all over the place. First, I got out of the water and did not immediately start to remove my goggles and cap. Second, I decided I needed socks for the bike and run which probably added another 30-45 seconds to my transition. Third, my gearing was all wrong coming out of the transition. Fourth, my wetsuit got stuck on my ankles.

Maybe not wear a wetsuit. My guess is that the water temp was probably somewhere around 70 degrees which is way warmer than any pool I practice in and I probably could have gotten by without a wetsuit. I saw alot of the pros with 2 piece suits and I might look into that and maybe just wearing a top with the next race. I would definately start to remove my cap and goggles as I started the transition. I was already to the bike area out of the water before I realized my goggles and cap were still on. Finally, I need to get better bike shoes and run without socks. This took way to long to transition and probably cost me first in my age group.

The course started out pretty quick for the first mile and then started a climb for the next 5 miles with some rolling hills in between. Since I have been training at the lake the climb was fair but not too hard (nowhere near the 8% grades I am used to). The road conditions completely sucked and I am certain there are no worse roads in SD than the ones they had us ride. I was pretty fast uphill and did not really have to push that hard. The turns were sharp and a little difficult at the end since they were sharp and you had to dodge the large potholes.

GET AERO BARS ASAP. My downhill speed sucks (avg 28-30 mph) and I know I could have gone faster with aerobars. I ride a road bike which is great for the climbs but difficult to get aerodynamic and push my downhill speed. I probably could have pushed this part a little faster especially uphill. Not knowing the course this year was also a disadvantage.

Much faster transition but I was going way too fast from the bike into the transition and had to come to a complete stop to get off the bike before the dismount line. Racking the bike was awesome and fast and I slid on my shoes took and drink and ran out of the transition no problem.

Go a little slower into the dismount area and get off the bike a little smoother.

I felt FAST on the run. I passed at least 1 person in my age group, several people doing the international distance and stayed with the top 2 male sprinters until the last 1/2 mile. I was never passed on the run which was awesome. Garmin did not work so I had no idea how my time was.

RUN FASTER. I know I could have pushed this distance faster than I did. Although, I never got passed by anyone and could not see any other women in front of me so I didn't think there was any reason to kill myself doing this one. Also, I would turn on my Garmin before the run. It was hard not to know my pacing so I just went with how I felt which was relaxed (breathing was a little hard) but not too difficult.

Finished and wandered through the exit area. Wandered around the finishing area and waited for results.


A couple things - 1) first triathlon so just feeling confident will help for the next one; (2) socks are a NO - don't need them for the short distance and they take too much time to put on; (3) course familiarity - the next race (Solana Beach) is a course I know so I am hoping for a better finish; (4) a good night sleep - I'll admit I was a little nervous last night and had a hard time sleeping and did not get much sleep


Kudos to KOZ Enterprises. This was one of the most organized events I have ever been a part of. They did a great job with just about everything on race day. The only small criticism I have is that they need better directions for those coming from out of town for the expo. We drove around for about 1/2 an hour trying to find the parking lot. If you are not familiar with San Diego or the area, getting to and from this event could be difficult. Overall however, I would highly recommend this event and will probably be doing it again next year.