Mothers Day Triathlon (Sprint) - TriathlonSprint

Not a lot of people but with such a short distance to the turnaround swim got very physical. I lined up right in the middle and planned to go out as fast as I could. Would have been OK but most people had the same strategy. I had someone climb up my back 3 or 4 times. Drafting is one thing but I think this person wanted a free ride. Felt like I should have worn a saddle. After turning the corner I realized I had gone out a little too hard and had to back off a bit. Maintained my position but thought I was going to throwup.

Next time I will pace myself a little better. I'll also swim a little extra distance to be able to concentrate more on my own swimming than dealing with all the contact. I put myself right in the heart of the melee and that probably wasn't wise for the first time out. I also think a longer swim event will give me time to get into a better rhythm. This was an all out sprint which is not what I have been training for.

Very small transition area but the run from the swim exit was only about 30 yards across grass and the transition area is right next to the road used for the bike and run.

It was a little chilly so I put a long sleeve cycling jacket on. Made for a more comfortable ride but expended more time and energy than I would have liked wrestling the thing on. Need to practice the transition more when I am trembling from cold and adrenaline. I got out pretty quick but felt like I fumbled around more than need be.

I felt like this was a good ride for me given that I've only been training a couple of months on the bike. My new bike (QR Lucero) is awesome and had a lot to do with my average speed.

Most of my training rides are somewhat hilly with this being the longest I've been in aero position. I need to mix my training up a bit and get in more miles at a time. I also pushed a little harder in the last few miles and paid dearly for this in T2 and the first mile of the run.

The transition area was small and right next to the road so very little time was spent in covering distance. Again, I was trembling from exertion and adrenaline so I struggled with getting my running shoes on. The heel kept curling into my shoe so I had to pull my foot out and back in several times until I had it on right. I also had a terrible cramp in my calf that crippled me for about 15-20 seconds.

When putting my running shoes on I need to pull the heel on from the ring in the back of the shoe instead of just trying to slip them on. Practice, practice, practice. I need to hydrate more and earlier. I didn't focus much on this because the race was so short but I was working hard and underestimated my fluid loss.

After cramping in T2, the first mile was very tough. I usually run 3 miles at about a 7:15 pace. This first one took me 10 minutes before settling into 7:30's for the last two.

Need to shorten the time between bike and run in brick workouts. Need to be in better shape coming off the bike which means becoming a better cyclist in order to do this.

Just kept walking and drank a ton of Gatorade.


All things considered it was a great event and a fun day.