Emmett's "Most Excellent" Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

I started pretty much in the middle of everyone - was a good place, but of course there was plenty of bumping going on. When I train I usually breathe every 3rd stroke- alternating sides. Today I must have been more out of breath or hyped up because most of the race I breathed every 2 strokes. This threw off my speed and fatigued one side (I did alternate some). This was my first open water race so I felt pretty good about it - glad I practiced it a few times.

I would focus on breathing like I do in training. I would sight a little more often to avoid getting off course. I would not go to my feet at the finish quite so soon (mid thigh depth) - was harder to run than would have been to swim.

I was pretty wiped from the swim so I wasn't as smooth as I'd like to have been. The timing chip was an added pain - had to take it off and put it back on. Had a little trouble getting my wetsuit unzipped. Wasted a couple seconds fumbling with my race belt.

Practice unzipping the wetsuit quickly. Maybe not take a drink (wasn't sure the one bottle would be enough on the bike). Figure out how to get the suit off quicker - saw some guys had cut the ankles off.

This was the most fun for me. I only got passed twice and probably passed 25-30. I felt good for most of it - could tell I was pushing it pretty hard b/c my chest was a bit tight and had to focus on my breathing a bit.

Pedal in circles more - mostly put pressure on pedal. Maybe invest in an aero helmet - see how much difference it would make first. I got a side ache almost immediately into the run, so I need to figure out if it has anything to do with the bike - pushing too hard?

Lucky for me I had my wife by my bike (I had the outside rack) and she yelled ahead so I knew where it was - didn't seem to tricky when I set up, but with all those similar looking shoes and hats it was hard to find instantly.

maybe mark my spot with something eye-grabbing. Practice tightening my race laces quicker or get some different ones ("drawstring didn't work perfectly).

I got a side ache right below the center of my ribs almost immediately into the run. This was my biggest concern going into the race. It happened on the indoor sprint I did in February but it never really happens in training - even doing bricks. I've got to figure this out b/c it KILLED my run time. I had a fair amount of energy and my legs felt ok, just could not push it hard with the side ache. I normally run 7:30 minutes or better in 10k training, so my 9 minute pace today was painfully bad - literally. This was by far the hardest part of the race for me - it was quite a mental battle to keep pushing to the end. The one plus was I had a decent kick the last 400 meters. One other comment - the volunteers directing traffic at the turn were very confusing - I went where they said but it was wrong - had to turn around - then the next one told me wrong too (I think they knew, just didn't communicate it well). Oh - the run was hot too, so I dumped cold water on myself at every aid station - glad they had them! They even had two spots with water spraying on you - nice.

I MUST figure out why my body freaked out on me so I can run without a severe side ache. Probably do more hard bricks - simulate the race to see if this is consistent or if my body can adjust over time. I would also check out the turnaround before the race too so I'd know exactly where to go and not have to rely on volunteers.

Walked for a while and drank lots of water. Thanked God that I finished!


#1 - side ache during whole run - cost me about 8 minutes.
#2 - not swimming straight lines - swam further and cost me time



This was my first outdoor triathlon and I loved it. Emmett was a great first race and I highly recommend it and will probably do it again. Everyone involved was friendly and helpful. They had a record turnout which is awesome, but people didn't get there early enough and they probably could have used more buses. As a result they had to start 15 minutes late. It would be nice if they brought in more outhouses - the lines were really bad - not good right before the race. Could maybe have clearer signs at the run turnaround. Overall it was great though.