This is an estimate, as I missed the split somehow, but this was consistent with my time in Hyannis. I was pleased with the swim, since at the start of the summer, I could not swim more than 25 yards of crappy freestyle and could not breathe properly. Got jostled a bit, but overall it was pretty pleasant and I felt good coming out. I rented a wetsuit from Trisports for Hyannis and kept if for this race also, planning to use the two rental fees as a credit to buying a suit. Loved the wetsuit - not for the temperature but the ease of swimming and increased speed.

Although I wasn't fast in my AG or overall, I just felt good about getting through

Next time, have a bit more confidence and push a bit harder at the beginning - it's a sprint, after all.

The time is an estimate again, but I know my overall time out of T1 was 9:20. I took forever getting out of the wetsuit - because it was rented I didn't want to treat it too badly (man, am I considerate...), so next time, I'll be rough with my own suit and stamp on it. So ended up sitting down to get it off.

Also felt like it too forever to put socks on and tie laces.

I also have no biking shoes, but just wear running shoes and have clips on my road-bike, so I took forever to get those on. With all that, I feel like I was in T1 for longer than 2:20, but can't believe I did the swim in much less than 7 minutes. Next time, I'll be sure to hit the mat coming out of the swim.

Decided to run my bike along the 100 yards of path before the road began also - probably added 10 seconds overall, as people weren't riding fast, and I wanted to make sure I didn't puncture there.

Get medieval with the wetsuit. Also, get some Yankz - from what I've heard I'm hoping they'll be the cheapest minute I ever buy

I'm disappointed with my bike time. I know I can do 18 mph on average on flatter terrain, and the swim didn't tire me that much. The hills really got to me - the course was much hillier than expected, particularly that last SOB which went on for way too long. There was also a long-ish climb right out of the parking lot, which I went out too fast on. Also, you can't really take advantage of the long descent to the lake, because of runners and a narrow, bumpy road. But I passed a few (and got passed by a few more) so it wasn't horrible, just a bit disappointing.

Maybe look at bike shoes - but do you really gain enough on a Sprint to make up for extra transition time?

This should be quick since I didn't have to change anything really

I was really slow on the way out of the transition, on purpose, then kept a slower than I hoped for 9:30-10:00 pace up most of the hill, planning to pick it up on the return. I succeeded some in doing that, but my legs were just beginning to cramp on the last mile, so couldn't push it as much as I would hope for.

Find a race with a flat course...

Ate about 4 lbs of watermelon - a great post-race snack for me. Watched the other finishers for a good while and felt smug about finishing my first tri in a time which was a little slower than I hoped for, but on a course which was much hillier than I expected (except the swim...)


Maybe more salt to prevent cramping legs. Does that work?

Need to work a bit harder on getting the blood sugar right, which I know will take some time off, but that will come with experience. Finished with a blood sugar of 110, which was pretty much exactly where you want to be, but it was high at the start.


Atmosphere was nice, but there was a lot less information before the start than I saw at Hyannis. I think most nervous first-timers would like to hear a bit more information about where to go and how long until the race starts etc.