Diamond in the Rough Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Well...I definitely didn't think I swam this well. Not sure exactly what I swam b/c they count the long run on the dock, up the stairs and back to transition in the swim time but even with all that I still have a better split than I've had in a race to date! I felt very good early on really concentrating on good, strong form! My perception was that I wasn't swimming all that great b/c of my inability to stay with and draft off of some of the fatser swimmers passing me. There were obviously some very talented swimmers and I can't be disappointed in my performance at all.


I do think I struggle with sighting a lot and definitely need to begin incorporating that into my training regularly.
The other thing I think I need to focus on is maintaining my form throughout the ENTIRE swim. My stroke efficiency breaks down as I get fatigued and I begin "chopping water". I need to continue to up the volume quite a bit in my training as well as get back to incorporating kick and drill sets into the workout - there's a reason they're in there!!!

Pretty good transition considering my past experiences. I do wonder if I'd be faster with my shoes already clipped in rather than putting them on in transition.


Consider the shoe change

I definitely feel like I put together a decent effort on the bike. I did the best I could attempting to ride with some of the faster riders/bikes without killing myself. I battled with a lot of guys the first 23-24 miles but ended up fading the last couple miles. I still believe the bike makes a big difference ... there's a reason everyone has a carbon TRI bike...if it didn't help out a lot then why spend the money!!!

Not sure there's anything I could have done better ... maybe go a bit harder on the long straight-away before the monster hill but I didn't want to kill my legs before the climb!

Once again, I think I've gotten a lot better with my transitions. Socks slow me down a bit but maybe I'll be alright barefoot with the new Saucony shoes...we'll see!

Once again...I get off the bike and cannot for the life of me put together a solid run. It's definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be while I was running but it's definitely not what I expect from myself. I just can't get my body to respond off the bike the way I need to for a great run.

I think I do need to take the time to get fluids in me at the aid stations instead of running through and spilling the majority of it trying to drink it.
Training!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did take more time to stretch. I drank water and my Recoverite drink!


Training!!!!!!!!


I enjoyed my Diamond in the Rough experience and will definitely consider it again next year. I always want to see if I can better my effort at a race which I have't been able to do yet!