Hickory Knob InternationalTriathlon - TriathlonOlympic

This was by far the worst swim I have had as far as performance. I just count not swim in a straight line to save my life. Starting out was fine, no issues, and then all of a sudden I would look up and I see the shore in front of me instead of the lake. Must have gone an extra 2-300m just by swimming off course so much. And of course, this messed me up mentally, and my focus was just gone. I just wanted it to be over, and didnt care about performance anymore.

Focus more, practice sighting a lot more, and continue to build up upper body strength. Be more aggressive.

Transition out of the lake was just plain ridiculous. A very steep incline out of the water (since the lake was down so low), including some jumps up parts of the bank that had broken away. Then a steep climb up a path out of the water. It took almost everything out of me. This was included into my swim time, since the timing chips sensors were right before transition, but the hill climb really slowed down my performance in the transition, and I ended up fumbling with my helmet and sunglasses some. Otherwise it was fine

Hill sprint practice, master a flying mount.

Well this was the first race with the new bike(Specialized Transition) and wow, that bike was fast! I felt so comfortable on it, and just really natural. I did 7 miles of the course the day before, so I almost knew what to expect with everything. I didnt get passed too much, and seemed to hold my own fairly well. Played hopscotch for a while before pulling off and staying fairly solitary for the remainder of the race. One thing that I know I did right was nutrition, it was spot on! Nuun for me from now on, no stomach issues at all. It really kept me going for the run, and helped me finish strong

Idk, I think I did pretty well, but I know I can do better. I was really just not too confident with the bike I guess, since the leg tightness and knee issues the day before. I really did not want to go too hard because of that, plus I kept in mind that I had a VERY hilly 6 mile run after. Had some calf cramping issues like always, but they settled down after a while.

All in all, be more confident on the bike, I know I am good at it, and don't hold back. My hill training paid off, but I really need to log a lot more miles.

Nothing out of the ordinary

Try to be more smooth with everything, otherwise nothing different.

I knew that this would be where I either make myself or break it. Started out good, had little jelly leg issues, and in a way, I was thankful of the big hill into transition, since it allowed me to pick up some speed and get my legs moving. Surprisingly I felt strong the entire time, and did not have any real issues. Knee started to hurt at mile 5, so physically that was the only thing that slowed me down besides just weak legs.

This one is hard to comment on. At the end of the run, I was fine. Not really out of breath, not too sore, just ok. I realized that I could have pushed a lot harder and been ok. The entire time on the run, my stomach was growling, and I couldnt stop thinking about eating after the race. I also talked to people on the run, which I rarely do, except to give encouragement to others on the team as I see them. Basically I was unfocused again, and not really in the "racing" mindset.

Walked around, grabbed some food, stretched out


Overall, I think that I was lacking mental focus that day to really perform at my best. That and confidence. I was not focused on the run, not confident on the bike, and neither focused nor confident on the run. It was the mental aspect of the race that could have taken a good 5-8 minutes off of my time. I really wanted under 2:45, but given the conditions of the race, I think my time was alright.

I knew that this course would be the hardest I had done, which was a good way to end my first season, but I ended up psyching myself out about it. I overestimated the difficulty of the race, and in doing so, did not perform to my best since I was always waiting to save my energy for the last big hill or climb, or the next leg of the race. Basically, I held back. I know that, even though I am a novice, I am good, and that I can perform up to par with everyone else if I push myself. Everyone else seemed to be pushing pretty hard, and I was not.

Over the winter, I know that I can really increase my power and aerobic thresholds and really be a powerhouse by the spring. I think that for my first season of tri's, I really performed well, but I know that I have it in me to do better. After the race, I was thinking that now is where the real challenge begins, and if I was to continue with this sport, I need to be really serious about it with training and not skipping training sessions. I am excited to continue on with getting better, and I know that I have it in me. Just train harder and focus more, and I think I can do it.


This was a very good race, difficult but fun. Very well organized, beautiful scenery, wonderful volunteers. I will definitely be back next year