This was my first open water swim in years and my first ever with a wetsuit. I know I should have gotten into the water a few times before, but I am comfortable in the water and was not worries about it.

We started from about waist deep water. I was on the outside of the group about two rows back. The first 100 yards or so there was a lot of contact. I didn’t get kicked, but lots of people swimming into/over each other. I knew this was coming and didn’t let it get me worked up. Things thinned out by the time we reached the first buoy and I was doing a good job sighting. I was on my own until the next buoy and got into a nice rhythm, looking up every few strokes to make sure I was on course. I met up with a few other swimmers at the second buoy and was able to find some feet for awhile, which was nice. I lost the feet after a few minutes and found another pair at the final turn. I increased my speed for the last 100-150 yards and had plenty left in the tank. Overall my swim went relatively well. I stayed calm and just focused on where I was going.


This will apply to all of my events, but train more, specifically in the wetsuit. I also need to concentrate on my stroke while I am swimming. I would let my mind wander and lose my focus/form (this will be a common theme). I also think I need to do a better job drafting. For the little time that I was able to latch onto someone’s feet I could really feel the difference. Maybe next time I’ll try to jump out and see if I can hang on to some better swimmers. Also, I need to remember to put body glide on my arm pits. It didn’t hit me until I started to run, but the chaffing did hurt.

As soon as you exit the swim there is a short run and then a fairly long flight of stairs. My heart rate was high because I pushed it in the last part of the swim and it seemed like I just couldn’t move my feet as fast as I wanted to. I got up the stairs and to my bike without a problem. One of the legs on my wetsuit got caught on my heel and it took me a few tries to finally get it off. I bent down to put my helmet on and get my socks and got a little light headed and dizzy. I took a few deep breaths, tried to calm down and finished putting everything one.

I would practice my transitions after my workouts. I had run through them a few times when I was fresh and thought I would just fly through them. It’s a lot different being winded and wet and trying to hurry. Buckling my bike shoes also took a little longer than expected. I can see why they have tri specific bike shoes. I need some new shoes, so maybe I can justify them on the time they will save me in t1?

Going into the race I had no idea how to pace myself. Unfortunately, I also forgot to put my Garmin on my bike during my setup. The roads were rough and you really had to watch where you were going to avoid the deep pot holes. I had a decent pace going in the beginning, but I think I got lazy and just fell into a comfortable pace. Part of the reason I did this was that I wanted to make sure I didn’t blow up on the run. I was passed by one or two people in my age group and I should have worked harder to stay with them. I did do a good job of working the down hill sections of the course and was able to catch a number of people. I will also need to work at staying in the drops for the entire race. As I said I would get comfortable, sit up and it wasn’t until someone went flying by me did I think to myself, you are in a race, get going.

More time in the saddle. Focus. Work on pacing and staying in the drops.

This transition was much better for me. I didn’t try any flying dismounts or anything, just stopped jumped off the bike and ran into the transition area. I racked the bike quickly pulled my shoes off and slipped the running shoes on. I think the only thing I could have done to make it quicker was run faster.

Maybe practice some flying dismounts and run faster.

What happened to my legs? Am I going to have to walk? Those were the first two questions that came to mind when I started to run. I knew the feeling would go away, so I just picked someone to follow and kept working. Sure enough, after about half a mile I got my legs back. I really wish I had remembered my garmin because it helps me make sure I keep working. I knew from the bike that there was no one from my age group directly in front of me. Also, this being my first tri I wasn’t sure what I had left in my legs. I made the decision to sit at a comfortable pace and that if anyone from my age group came along, I would stick with them and out kick them. Unfortunately, no one from my age group ever came. This allowed me to stay at a slower pace. I picked it up for the last half mile. Looking back I should have pushed myself harder. I think part of my hesitation was not knowing how the bike would impact my run. That being said, at some point I should have made the decision just to go. If I was just running the course as a 5k, I think I could have gone around 20:30. So to add 5 minutes to that after my swim and bike I think is too much. I had the legs, I just needed to use them and suffer through it.

HTFU. Now that I have a race under my belt it is time to test my limits and see what I can do.

Beer


1) My lack of training with the new baby/job. I need to make/stick to a training program that is realistic and challenging at the same time
2) Lack of experience. Now that I have completed a triathlon I think I have a better idea of what to expect from my body. I’ll be able to pace better and test my limits.