Lowell YMCA Triathlon (International) - TriathlonOlympic

Started about in the middle of the pack (what was I thinking?). Traded blows for the first 100-200m, goggles filled up, so I stopped to readjust at the first buoy. The current wasn't too crazy, but threw off my navigation a bit. Drafted successfully for the 2nd half of first lap. Did the dolphin in/out of the water between laps (definitely faster, but might raise HR unnecessarily).

Start further to outside of pack, and wear boxing gloves. Also, settle down during first 200 and slow the pace a bit throughout.

wetsuit came off well until the ankle with timing chip. Picked a bad pair of socks that don't wick well, so they were soaked as soon as I put them on.

different socks (or none for Olympic/Intl)

Only second ride on the new bike, with 30mi the previous day (which I could feel). Still getting used to aggressive aero position: sore neck, lower back and glutes. Might have play with seat angle too - tri shorts in the aero tuck didn't impress my pereneum. New bike felt super fast, and I stayed in the aero tuck except for the one decent climb. Kept a fairly hard pace, but one I could maintain for 56mi with fresh legs.

Ate a banana 15mins in, hammer gel 45 mins in, and drank 3/4 bottle cytomax + 1/2 bottle water. Felt just about right, but might eat the banana slower next time.

Develop more flexibility specific to bike fit, and maybe readjust bike a bit. Eat slower. Gear down before sharp turns.

Transition organization was messy - the dismount sign was further out than it should have been, so I ran more than I needed to. Could have been quicker getting bike on the rack and helmet off. Shoe change went fine, ditched the wet socks (which I think gave me a blister). Took a swig of Cytomax.

rack quicker, take a gel out on the run

A bit more sore off the bike, right hip was especially tight. Went out at about 90% effort and came back at about 70%. Sunny - glad I brought a hat - and I was good about dumping water on my head and neck at the aid stations.

Take gel, even out the effort a bit more, work on flexibility

gentle stretching, food bar, water


Lack of sleep from 2wks prior, more aggressive swim than ideal effort, lack of familiarity with new bike, poor fueling/fluids on run


A fun course, with many friendly volunteers. Courses were well-marked.

A few gripes:
-Start was 30mins late, for no apparent reason
-Crossing the road for bike transition was a bit wacky and dangerous
-Run aid stations were entirely inadequate: No Gatorade, and apparently they ran out of water!?!? For a summer race, that's putting athletes at a HUGE risk!