Parris Island Triathlon - TriathlonSprint

Swim time is inflated because it includes a run to T1, but it was still pretty much that ugly. I should have been a minute faster. Ugh. I really didn't push hard enough, and my form was utter crap. I passed one person, then two people passed me (simultaneously), one going more or less over me (I don't blame him -- he had nowhere else to go). I was able to latch onto them and finish right behind them.

Swim properly. Push harder. Focus on form.

Could have been quicker getting into the shoes on the bike, but the flying mount went OK.

I should have waited to zip up the vest until I was going on the bike. Overall I felt pretty quick in T1 (tied for 28th overall), but the really fast guys were a full 20s faster than that....

Was this REALLY 13 miles? I seriously doubt it. I think it was closer to 11, which would put me at around 21.5mph, which sounds closer to the truth. I know the course is fast, but I was definitely not expecting to be as quick as my time suggests. On the other hand, nobody passed me on the bike, and I flew past many people -- probably around 20 total.

I was pushing hard, but I definitely had more in the tank. Hmmm... Should have pushed harder?

My legs were numb from the cold by mile 5. Upper body was fine. Passing people was fine, with the exception of one guy who didn't seem to understand what "on your left" means. I'm guessing that if I ever become a decent swimmer, then I won't be passing so many people on the bike.

Ride faster? I could have pushed it harder for sure. I was surprised by the end of the course, and wasn't ready. See T2...

I was surprised by T2. I just couldn't believe that I was already at the end of the bike. I got one foot out, and not quite the other, before the dismount. When I dismounted, my left foot was still part way in the shoe. I managed to unclip it, but my bike just about flew out of my hand. I screwed up the brake catching it, so I've got some maintenance to do now.... I ended up running to the rack with one shoe on/one shoe off. It was very entertaining, I'm sure. Once in T2, I was a bit slow. For example, I should have grabbed the run belt and put it on while running out of T2, instead of putting it on standing at the bike rack.

Get my feet out of the shoes! Be more familiar with the bike course so I know when it is ending.

I went out WAY too slow. First mile was 7:30-something. When I hit the first mile and looked at my watch, I realized that I was going too slowly, and picked it up, but it was too late by then... To top it off, at the end, I headed the wrong way and had to cut through the grass and some spectators to get back on course. This cost me about 10 seconds... Stupid. I'm also not totally convinced that this was a full 3.1 miles.

Pace better. Know the course!

Walked around. During the day, walked around quite a bit, in Beaufort and at the beach.


Probably #1 was not preparing by knowing the course better. #2 was just not pushing all-out. Since this was not really a significant race for me in the grand scheme of things, it was probably best not to kill myself on it. But I guess I just don't know that -- it was my first!


The race was well handled by the organizers, and there were lots of friendly people there. Running over roads that were torn up was a bit rough. The pool and bike course were fantastic.