So, I just learned to swim last year and this was my first tri and venture really into this OWS thing. Dumb, I know but we've had a cold spring and I live by Lake Ontario where it's freezing. So i tested out my wetsuit on Friday night and knew i was in trouble because my fear of deep was suddenly present.
Anyway, I was in Wave 1 and i thought after my warm up that i felt okay. Well, was trying to stay back somehow I was still near the front. I let lots of people around me and i started to front crawl. it was okay and then everytime I breathed I was getting water in. I was panicking. I lifted my head and stroked some more but it was harder and harder to get air. Some nice girls asked if i was okay because i gasping for air. I told them i was panicking and they told me it was okay and I could wave a boat over at any time. they were really nice. I turned on my back and started back stroking. Then those same girls tapped me and pointed me in the right direction. I just couldn't get breath. I made it around the first buoy. I was combining a few attempts of front crawl, backstroke and a panicked doggie paddle! lol! Anyway, I was coming around the second buoy and it would lead to the straightaway to shore. Then I heard the gun go off for the second wave and i knew I had to get going. I did not want to get swum over by the next wave. that would not help me! i started back stroking again and some purple caps (next wave) were around me and i was just waiting until I could stand up. Then I could and I was up and stripping out of the wetsuit as I ran up the beach and into transition. It felt like forever but the whole thing including the run up to transition only took 13 minutes!


More open water swimming - for a first tri I suppose I can just chalk it up to being a swim virgin. I certainly wasn't the only one. I was just shocked by how much I panicked!

Transition times were not reported. I was still shaky from the swim. But i managed to get that darn wetsuit off and into my bike shoes. I didn't worry much about drying my feet since the rain made everything soaked anyway.

Remember to put my gloves on. Didn't need them though.

The bike was great even in the rain. I took it easy on the turns and passed tons of people. Kept it fast on the down hills.

It was funny though. When I got back to transition I notice that I'd forgotten my bike gloves and they were attached to my front brake cables. I'd ridden with them like that the entire time!


Not too much. I don't know much about handling my bike in the rain.

Basically i just dumped off my stuff. got out for the run.

Maybe I should try to be neater in transition. But with the rain there didn't seem much point.

The run being my strong suit and only 2.5 k was a piece of cake. It was a surprising hilly course for how short it was but i passed a bunch of girls in my age group. Just a minor stop to tie a shoe and i was back! So relieved to finish but totally shellshocked from the swim. :( There was a point where my tummy was churning and i realized it was probably from drinking all that lake water. ew.


Not too much. Should probably get elastic laces for this tri thing.

Nothing too major. Waiting for my friend to finish and DBF was there. Got some gatorade and went to get stuff from transition.


Uh. The swim. The rest was fine.


Definitely a good race. Definitely felt like the swim beat me but I did get through my first tri!! Too bad it was so rainy out. We might have stayed for the raffle and such but being soaked out at a conservation area wasn't something we wanted to do for any longer than we had to.