Overall, I was pleased with my swim. My sighting was better than I thought it would be and I popped out of the water at about 15:45. Two weeks ago, I would have guessed that I would be out of the water after about 18-19 minutes,so this was much quicker than I had hoped. I felt like I had finished strong at the end. During the run into T1, I began to start thinking about the bike phase, which was helpful. This helped me move through that stage a little faster, I think.

Two things: 1) Try to keep my goggles from fogging up and 2), start swimming harder a little sooner. I waited until I was past the second buoy to push a little more. I think that with more experience, that will come easier.

This was the only problem that I had in the entire race. I chose to put my shoes on while I was riding, and this didn't go so well. I think in placing them on my bike, I really didn't have them loosened up well. As a result, I was well into my ride and still trying to get my shoes on. I would guess that it was a good 3-4 minutes in, before I really got my shoes on.

Either ride with shoes that are easier to get on or just put them on and then get on the bike.

This portion of the triathlon was fun!!! Again, I rode much faster than I had anticipated, keeping my pace above 20 miles/ hr. I did get passed by a number of folks, but almost all of them were on tri bikes and clearly had been doing this for a while. I may not have pushed as hard as I could either, but I can't argue with the speed considering that my previous rides had been much slower.

I might push a little more on the bike next time. I was definitely a little conservative as I didn't want to be empty by the time I got to the run.

T2 is definitely an easier transition. One of the first things that I did was put my race belt on as I wanted to be sure that I didn't forget it. I got my helmet off and my hat/ glasses on with no trouble. I chose to sit down to put my shoes on, but I wanted to avoid the debacle that I had with the biking shoes. One of them felt a little loose when I started running, but it wasn't too bad so I just went with it. The yankz are definitely a help for a quick transition.

Nothing really. I was pleased with this section of the transition.

The run continues to be a strength for me. I was the 4th fastest run in my age group. I felt very strong throughout and I wonder if I didn't have a little something left in me at the end. The finish line kind of sneaked up on me, but I can't complain at all. I wasn't passed by anyone during the run.

Maybe push a little harder after mile two.

Nothing really. I visited with my family and watched my girls dance to the DJ.


The lack of a previous triathlon experience was the only thing that might have limited my performance. Still, I completed this race nearly 11 minutes faster than I had anticipated so I have absolutely no complaints. I feel like my biking shoes were my only "mistake" and that was a relatively small one.


This was a fantastic first race for a triathlon. Not having done other tri's I can't really compare it to other events, but with about 300 people and a nice easy course, it was very "newbie" friendly. I could definitely see myself doing this race again. There is also a similar event at the end of June "Lake to Lake" which is an Olympic distance that I think I'd like to try next summer. I am definitely hooked!