Sportspectrum River Cities Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Funny how 2 swims that are supposed to be the same distance can come up with such different times. Honestly, I don't think I swam 5 minutes slower than last week. Oh well...same for everyone. I really felt good in this swim. I swam medium hard, tried to stay on toes (didn't do quite as well with drafting this time, but caught a really nice draft behind a breast stroker for a hundred yards or so). It was a crowded swim with lots of contact, but nothing hard. I caught up to folks from the wave before (3 minutes) and then some stragglers from the wave before that (6 minutes). Swam all the way 'til I could touch (so passed a few waders), and in general felt this was a solid effort.

Nothing really. I got stopped briefly a couple of times behind folks who stopped to look or ran into another person. I am solidly in the middle of the pack, and if I can get a bit faster, I may find a smoother swim.

I actually had quite a good transition. Jogged from the beach to transition and had my socks, shoes, helmet, and bike ready to go in about 2 minutes, but the jog out of transition was long.

Getting better, but need to get faster.

Rollers started right out of the park, and right off the bat, the effort felt too hard. I backed it off, coasted some of the easy parts, and got it all back under control. Then, the rest of the ride went quite well. Just had to deal with crowds and timing passes, etc. That may have slowed me down a bit (I'm not fast enough to just get on the left and cruise past everyone). For most of the first half or so, we had a tailwind, so found myself pedaling easily at 20+ mph. About 12 miles or so, we turned into a headwind for a few miles, which slowed it down for me until we got to the final turn on the road to the park. Back up to speed and a good strong finish. I still need to work hills so I can just be stronger and more consistent on them.

Manage the first couple of miles better. Maybe try to push more into that wind.

One of my speedier transitions. I stayed standing to get my shoes and stuff on and jogged out of transition (another longish stretch). I had the 21st fastest transition in my AG, which is really good for me.

Nothing.

I was hoping for a minute or so faster, but the day had gotten really hot, and I walked a bit longer than I should have out of transition getting my first water. I wanted to settle so I could run with effort, but without feeling like I was passing out. I walked through each water stop and took the cold towels to stay cool. I felt pretty strong and was able to pick up the pace a bit before the halfway mark. Legs started to feel real heavy over the last half mile, but when we hit the last .1 it was a downhill slope on the grass, so turnover immediately improved. Then, I hit the sand. It was too funny. It just kind of stopped me in my tracks. Luckily it was only a few more steps to the finish line.

Walk less at the water stops.

Beer!


Nothing really. I think I did my best today. I sometimes guage myself against a friend who is an uber cyclist. I beat her out of the water by a couple of minutes (we were in the same wave) and she didn't catch up to me on the bike until mile 11. She finished about 3 minutes in front of me, so only made approximately 5 minutes on me. I'm getting closer...


This race is fun and the swag is the absolute best. Plus you get a medal for finishing. The only drawback is how crowded it is, but on the other hand, I find that kind of fun too.