GJCC Memorial Day Triathlon - TriathlonMini Sprint

I was bib number 180 (based on an estimated swim time at date of registration). I felt my time was good as my goal was 4 mins (2 min 100m). Actually, the pool became crowded (log-jammed to say) at certain times, requiring me to pass at the wall with slight pauses of interruption. As such, I feel my swim could have been faster, maybe even pushing 3:30. But I was happy with my time. Although I'm not sure I'd do a triathlon again with this short of a swim.

Nothing, except may put a faster split time down at registration (for an equal distance swim). Adrenaline and competitive spirit generally provide extra speed at race time.

Transition was good up to the point where I started to put on my bike/run shirt. I was wet, it got stuck, and I couldn't get it pull down my back. I had my race number already pinned to my shirt prior to race start and as I finally got my shirt pulled down, I ripped the number off my shirt. I spent a minute repinning my number. Killed me.

Buy a runner's belt and have your number pinned to the belt. Killer in transition. And buy a shirt with a zipper in front or wear a triathlon one piece. If I could have left the transition area in a 1.5 minutes instead of 2:24, that's almost a minute off my overall time. 53:36 - 1:00 = 52:26.

I bought a new bike back in September 2007 and have had trouble shifting from the front small gear to big gear. I had some trouble after the first steep hill getting back into the big gear, which I felt lost me some time, although I would say lost time was immaterial. I've since had the gear replaced (thanks to the stupidity of the bike store individuals who assembled my bike when I bought it). What killed me was I dismounted my bike too early. I thought the dismount area was at the bike start, but it was at the transition entry which was .1 mile from where I dismounted. I did jump back on the bike, but not quickly. I think I lost approximately :30 seconds from dismounting early.

Listen to the race overview during race assembly. No matter how much you think you know the course (unless a repeat triathlon), listen. If I would have listened, I would have possibly shaved :30 seconds off my time, on top of the minute T1 mishap. New time 52:26 - :30 = 51:56.

T2 included in bike time of 31:42 above. T2 was much better. I decided to not wear socks on the run (I don't wear socks in my bikes shoes as I think it's a waist of time in T1). So, I was off the bike, off with the helmet and bike shoes, on with running shoes (had to lace them) and off on the run.

Learn to dismount bike barefoot (i.e., get out of bike shoes prior to dismount). Will save time in the transition area. Plus, you can run faster barefoot versus bike shoes. Also, buy the quick laces. Having to tie running shoes after riding a bike is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

I ran a good time for me. I try to keep to an 8 minute pace, so I came in under my pace/mile. I'm not a fast runner, although I'm sure I could get faster.

Nothing, except maybe take a gel pack 1 mile prior to bike end to get a little more energy at the run. Felt that I faded a little at the end.

10-minute walk/pace. Plenty of water and gatorade. Bananas and peanut butter - no bread or bagels.


Lack of hydration. I really didn't hydrate myself properly. Poor T1 time and stupidity for not listening to race overview. Not enough runs following bike training. My new training is to run at least one mile after every bike ride, whether slow or at a faster tempo, to train the legs.


This is a great beginner race. Again, it was my first triathlon. This will teach you all the basics of setup, transition, soreness, putting all three together, etc. Great beginner race put on by Team-Magic. I love it, and now I'm hooked.

Oh, and I put the time changes above not to say I could have had a better time (because my time is my time), but to show people that the littlest of things (proper clothing and preparation, listening, etc.) can subtract needed minutes from your overall time.

Takeaways - buy a runner's belt, invest in the triathlon one-piece (I had a friend tell me he didn't want to buy one because most people who wear them are studs - hell, who gives a damn, if it takes time of your race and you don't mind investing the money, why not?), listen to race overview, run more after your bike workouts, and hydrate like a mofo.