My First Sprint

So I completed my first sprint this weekend.  (Orillia, Ontario, Canada - 750 meters, 33Km/20.5miles, 7 km/4.3 miles)

I thought the entire experience was really awesome, I learnt a ton about myself and tri's and can't wait for the next one.

A couple of my own observations (feel free to comment):

1.  The competition level is considerably higher in a sprint versus a tri-a-tri.  I wasn't dissapointed in my performance by any means but I was amazed in how fast many of the other participants are.  I was on the verge of puking near the end of the bike, multiple times during the run and at the end of the race.  I barely kept it in but that just tells me my intensity is where is should be.

2.  I can't beleive how much a little bit of waves impacted my swim.  No doubt I need more swim and OWS training but the waves really messed up my breathing and I had to essentially swim head out of the water the entire way.  Not very efficient but my sighting was flawless  

3.  Contrary to what I was led to beleive (mostly from the BT community) there were not alot of mountain bikes participating in the sprint.  During set up I only saw 1 mountain bike... mine!  On the course I passed 1 mountain bike and 2 hybrids so they were out there.  Maybe this race isn't typical but I was surprised.  I did receive alot of sincere encouraging comments from other triathletes on my percerverence which I thought was very nice of them.  On the other hand, I heard many of the same comments when I passed a guy on the run who only had one leg.  Nonetheless I'd do it again in a second.  Now if I can only figure out a why to buy a tri bike without setting my wife off on a huge shopping spree..... then again she's a good woman, maybe she deserves a shopping spree.

4. Funny who good I felt about passing people in younger AGs than you but when being passed by folks in older AGs, I felt admiration rather than shame.   OK I have to be honest, when the woman with 52 on her calf passed me in the run, I felt a little embarrassed but what a woman!

I think I'm hooked.