This was the worst swim I've ever had. It started out ok. There was a lot of congestion and contact over the first 300 yards which is pretty typical. I expected things to spread out, but I remained in the thick of the pack. I was having difficulty getting a breath and gettng free, and, uncharacteristically, I started to panic. I sat up and took a look around. The first buoy still seemed really far away. I tried to swim and couldn't do it, so I swam some breast stroke. I looked around for a kayak and considered putting my hand up and going home. I knew my swim time was shot. I started thinking about my next race which will be way more crowded and panicked some more. Eventually I got things under control and started swimming slowly toward the buoy. At some point a pink cap passed me, which I knew was the women's wave starting 3 minutes behind. I finally got into a rhythm breathing every stroke and sighting every two or three strokes. I think I swam pretty straight and saw some people farther away. That gave me some more confidence, and I finished up.

This is really concerning. Need to make sure to get in a proper warmup and not fall in the door.

After the swim and the long run uphill, I was pretty discombobulated in T1. I got my things together and ran barefoot to the bike mount line. I must have gotten small small stones in my shoes because there were uncomfortable spots in my shoes.

Maybe running in bike shoes is better when the pavement has a lot of debris.

I struggled with the hills throughout the course. At one point, I switched to my granny gear and it sounded like someone was playing the harp on my back wheel. I happened to be passing another guy and he said your derailleur is hitting your spokes, shift up. I misunderstood him and ended up stopping to take a look. I couldn't see anything unusual, so after two attempts, I got clipped back in a got enough momentum to get going uphill again. I finally realized what he meant and shifted up one, and the music stopped. I did have a little bit of fun bombing the downhills. Went back an forth with some other riders. Had a few scary moments when wind gusts caught my front wheel, but I kept it together. Took the corners pretty conservatively because the roads were wet.

That is a good question Beginner Triathlete website. I feel like I have been working pretty hard on the bike doing intervals on the trainer twice a week and long rides on the weekend. I guess the lack of strength training and hill work showed on this course.

Not sure why the bike dismount line snuck up on me. I didn't have my feet out of my shoes. I got one out so I didn't tip over when I stopped. Took the other foot out and ran to my rack. Overall didn't cost much time.

Not space out!

This was a little bit of a slog. I feel like I paced it ok:
9:05, 9:13, 9:08, 8:53, 9:15, 9:03.
At some point I got a hot spot in my shoe which hurt the last 3 miles. Not sure if it was debris or gravel or just a part of my shoe.

Even though the power numbers don't show it, I probably overcooked the bike due to the hills. Not sure a different race strategy would have helped. More of a training issue. Should wear socks on such a gravelly course because something will inevitably get inside my shoe.

Packed up transition and headed home.


Definitely needed more leg strength. The drive, stress, and swim probably took a lot out of me too. For this race, it's probably a good idea to take them up on the overnight housing at Allegheny College.


This race has really shrunk in the number of competitors and the number of volunteers. There were plenty of spots where the couse was unclear and there was no one to help. It had rained the night before and during the bike, so there were a lot of mud spots and debris that made riding and running a challenge.