Mach Tenn Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Do I start with the positive or the negative? OK, let me start with the positive....I am alive today and able to write this race report. I absolutely knew going into this race that I am not a good (or even average) long distance swimmer. I have struggled from day 1 of training and I have yet to feel comfortable pacing myself for long distances.

Another positive is that I felt great for the first 150 yards. I felt as if I was going at a good pace, my stroke felt good, and my breathing felt sufficient. 150 into the swim I hit that wall. I didn't panic, I turned over on my back and tried to catch my breath. There were too many people trying to swim and they were running over me. I decided the best thing to do was grab hold of one of the kayaks and catch my breath. It took me a minute or so to catch my breath, then I moved on.

Went I approached the 250 yard mark I realized how much longer I had to swim. To be honest, negative thoughts entered my mind. I caught myself saying there is no way I will complete this swim. Immediately I pushed those negative thoughts out of my mind. My whole goal coming into this race was to "survive the swim". I was very realistic about my skill level. I just wanted to survive the swim and then see what energy I had left for the bike and run.

I started using any and every stroke know to man. I think I may have invented a few new stroke too. I did eventually finish the swim, but I had the 4th slowest time of the day. My legs were already tired and I was starting to wonder how much I would have left in the tank for the bike and run.

Just keep swim training. I know I will get better.

I rank my swim "below average" instead of "bad" just because I DID complete the swim. I had my doubts pre-race.

I walked up the hill to the transition area. I could have been a little faster in transition, but I wanted to make sure to get myself mentally prepared for the bike. The swim took a lot out of me and re-grouping was in my best interest. It is a strategy that I feel paid off in the long run.

Not much.

Going into the race I knew the bike is where I would make up some time. My legs were drained from not being efficient on the swim, but I decided to HTFU and push myself on the bike. There was only one person who passed me. He was wearing #4 (I was wearing #248). I have no idea how he ended up behind me. Besides this one guy, no one else passed me. I figure I passed 30-35 people on the bike leg. I seemed to gain most of my ground going up the hills.

Get better at swimming. The swim took a lot of energy out of me. I feel my bike leg would have been stronger if I didn't use as much energy on the swim.

I was very pleased with T2.

Not much. I did forget my race belt and visor for a split second. I had to back track a couple of steps to get these items. It may have cost me 3 or 4 seconds, but nothing major.

My run was ok. I had to walk a lot more than I planned. A combination of the heat, the hills, and the amount of energy I spent earlier in the race slowed me down. By the time I started the run my goal was to just finish. I knew my goal of finishing under 2 hours was gone at this point.

I need to run train more. Also, need to swim more efficiently so I have more energy for later in the race.

Ate pizza and drank beer!!!


I knew my entire performance in the race would be determined on how badly I struggled with the swim. I was hoping to do better on the swim, but I wa also realistic.

I will continue to swim train. If I can get my swim up to "average" I will be able to better dertermine what I need to work on in the bike and run.


The race was very well organized. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I would not consider this a "beginner's" race, but the difficulty level is not too tough. The hills do add a challenge to the bike and run.