New Jersey State Triathlon - Sprint Distance - TriathlonSprint

Felt pretty good on the swim. Goggles fogged up about halfway through making it difficult to sight. Ran into traffic at the turn buoy, but overall thought I swam well.

I was happy I decided to wear the wetsuit b/c it allowed me to float easily prior to the swim start - definitely made me more comfortable.

Start closer to the buoys to avoid some of the beginning traffic and get a different pair of goggles.

Wearing the heart rate monitor definitely adds time to T1. I wasn't quite sure where to put the wetsuit - ended up hanging it on the bike rack (which ended up dripping right onto my running shoes... oops).

Could probably save some time by:
- storing gels right on bike frame (could easily take them off and put in shirt after getting on bike - or could store them there for entire bike leg)
- not putting on wrist strap for GPS until run (could just attach wrist strap to race belt and put on as running out of T2)
- practice T1

Great ride.

A little congested on Hughes and around mile 8 up to and shortly after the left hand turn onto Conover. I'm guessing at least 30 seconds was lost while I waited for people ahead of me to pass and get right.

Course was pretty flat throughout - encountered a little bit of a headwind coming down Old Trenton Road.

Was really hoping to average 20 - a little disappointed that I came up short, but I felt it was a great ride nonetheless.





It may be time for me to get aero bars and one of those water bottles up front and maybe a "bento box". I seem to slow down quite a bit while I'm drinking and taking gels... maybe that's something for me to put on the birthday/Xmas wish list.

Running shoes were wet b/c I had the wetsuit positioned directly over the shoes (oops). Other than that, T1 was good... cost myself about 20 seconds b/c I almost ran out without my visor and race belt.

Need to practice T2 - watch some videos on how other people set up their transition area. Saw some people with milk crates.. not sure if that would work for me, but it's worth investigating.

Started off feeling pretty good... legs started to feel heavy just around the turnaround. Was very happy with my effort after mile 2.5 - I picked up the pace with a 9:25 quarter mile, an 8:28 quarter mile, and a 6:31 tenth of a mile sprint at the end. If my math is right, I think that's an 8:25 average for the last .6 miles. (I'm sure the 100 foot drop in elevation didn't hurt either...)

Mile 1.5 through 2.5 was definitely the hardest part of the race - took 9:53 for that mile.

My knees felt pretty good; not much pain during the run, so I was pleased overall.

Strength training will definitely help my knee issues; and the more time I spend working on my running, the faster I'll be come race day. Interval work along with a solid training plan will only help...

Huffed and puffed, walked around a bit, and greeted everyone who came out to support my efforts. Many thanks to Amy, Audrey, Jack, my Mom (Bopchi), Ed, Bud - my neighbor across the street, and Ironman Gene Bachonski - it was GREAT to see everyone at the different points of the race.


The biggest limiting factor was probably my reluctance to truly push myself past my limits. I definitely pushed harder this race than in Philly (and my heart rate data seems to support that statement), but I think I can push myself a little harder, especially on the run.


A great job by CGI in organizing this race... the post-race food options were a little underwhelming, but that's a minor complaint. (I guess I was spoiled by the variety of food at the Philly event in June)

A great race overall and I'm looking forward to coming back again next year.