Cleveland Triathlon - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint

Water was warm and nice. Had to fight through some sea weed at the beginning and end but no big deal. I ended up doing freestyle for the first couple of minutes and then changing over to breaststroke. There was a fair amount of jostling for position at the beginning and at the rounding buoys. The swim entrance/ exit was a floating dock. I had to haul myself out of the water with assistance from a volunteer. It was not my most graceful moment.

Prepare more for the swim! I need to practice more in flat, open water so that I do not have to deal with waves. I may also want to invest in some sort of goggles that don't mist over as I couldn't really see anything by the end of the swim.

I walked into the transition zone to let my cardiovascular system calm down a bit before the bike. I smoothly transitioned to bike equipment and ate a gel and drank a bit of water. Though my T1 was longer than I wanted, I think that the calmness of my transition helped me to get into the bike better.

I had a blast on the bike (as I thought I would). I have had no bike racing experience so it was fun to compete. I got smoked by quite a few people but did my fair share of passing as well. The course was pretty hilly with long gradual grades and some shorter steep grades. I was able to maintain good internal dialogue to get myself through.

I forgot to air up my tires at the beginning of the race. I think that only hurt me a little though. Also, one of the pins on my stupid number came undone and was sticking me in the stomach so I had to rip it off mid-ride. I will definitely train more long-distance rides before my next race so my legs are even stronger. Also, I should have replaced my toe clips on my pedals as my feet fell off of my pedals a couple of times.

No real problems with T2. I don't have bike shoes so I was biking in my running shoes. Ate another gel and drank a bit more water. Legs felt pretty good leaving the transition zone.

I ran past my rack once for about 10 feet and then figured it out.

The run was my strongest section. I felt good throughout and began to pass people pretty early on. When I got to the 1/2 mile left mark, I picked up my pace as much as I could.

Nothing.

None. Just sort of collapsed, stretched, and re-hydrated.


Need to work on swim endurance and long-distance bike. Need to deal with the pedal clips issue by getting some new pedals. Overall, though, I need to train with more volume and intensity.


This was my first triathlon and I loved it! I thought that the event was well run (with some small exceptions at the pre-race expo) and well attended. Lots of beginners as well as some veterans made for a great mix of competitors. And racing through downtown Cleveland is a not-to-be-missed opportunity as the scenery is great!