Didn't know what to expect. The wave was all males 44 and under, which meant 50% of the competitors were lined up to start all at once.
Took too long to line up and started back in the 4th to 5th row. Race started and I had to swim (literally) over 5-6 people to give my self enough room to get into a rhythm. Went a little too fast for the first 200 Yards trying to get away from the masses and my arms were shot by 600 yards. Zig-zagged all over the pond and had to stop 3 times to course correct.

Spend more time (i.e. more than just one time) doing open water swims so that I don't swim all over the place. Start further in the front of the masses.

Hmmm.. Looking at my time I wonder if I actually stopped to have a bowl of oatmeal or was just dreaming about it after the swim. Lots of room for improvement.

Pretty much everything

Not bad for a first time. Passed bout 5 people, but was passed by about 10.

Pick up the speed earlier in the ride. Need to spend a lot more time on my bike.

Don't really remember this transition at all. Kind of a blur. Was able to get my running shoes on and did not run barefoot.

Get a pair of triathlon cycle shoes. The road shoes were a pain to get off.

The first mile was a killer and I had to fight just to not quit. Also I had to work hard to keep up with this 60 dude who caught up to me in the bike leg. Last 2 miles were better and I could actually pick up my speed to a "run".

Lengthen my stride and get my feet moving. Spend more time training on hills.

Caught up with my wife and kids. Drank a gallon of water and ate bagels.


Try not to cram 15 years of inactivity into 4 months of training. Do a lot more training outside and not rely on spinning, treadmill, and the once a week lap swimming at the pool.


This was my first triathlon in 20+ years and I did not know what to expect. My wife thought I was crazy and having a mid-life when i told her that I wanted to start training for a Triathlon. Did better than I expected, but have plenty of room and motivation for improvement. The race was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to doing a couple of more.