Chicago..one week from today..first tri

Did my first just a few weeks ago...slept like crap, got almost 3 hours sleep.  Did good on my swim, top third overall, felt great.  I should have taken advice and practiced transition cuz mine didn't go so well.  I was rockin the bike when just after mile 10 of 13, I lost the top small sprocket on rear derailleur...5 minutes to find parts, remembered I had packed my ParkTool but wow...left it in transition bag.  So, for another 20 minutes or so i looked for small gravel which resembled the small allen screw.  Luckily a mini van stopped & driver had a master key, like for a lock, which i used to get a few turns on the thing and i was off.  After the bike/run transition i realized that maybe I should have sat down on the side of the road to perform the repair because now, after 20+ minutes of bending over, doing a super crunch on my abs, I was cramping up to all hell...run was terrible.

I finished but it wasn't pretty.

So lessons learned: 1.  Get some sleep.  2.  Race prepared, take tools and necessities for roadside repairs because if it's in the transition area, it may as well be back home(better yet, double check everything on the bike the night before using the sleep deprived anxiety energy).  It's just like the military, take of your weapon and your weapon will take care of you!   3.  Practice transition on the bed the night before and whenever working out.

I hope i learn some easier lessons next time but I still enjoyed it.

Good luck and realize, it will more than likely go better than my first race.

Luke

I'm really excited about this race.  It was supposed to be my first but I got antsy and did a couple in July

Get your sleep on Thursday and Friday nights - I know I won't get any sleep on Saturday night.  Good luck and have fun!  I'll be somewhere in that mix of thousands of people.

The link for waves is at the bottom of the confirmation email...

http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventLinkageID=115085

Bib # 699

It is going to be an early morning, but I can't wait to get started.

Bib # 4629

Thanks cvette! 

Bib 957, Wave 7, 6:24 start time.

The magic of being a young male and doing the sprint... here's to a wide open bike course!

I am right there with you Musicodm... I have the 6:16am start time as well. 

The Chicago Triathlon was to be my first tri, however I cheated and competed in the Oshkosh Tri earlier this month.  I am glad that I did, because it surely help me prepare and calm my nerves.  I think I caught the tri bug.

Awesome!  We are going to rock this! 

This will be fun, I can try and chase you guys down! (no promises I'll catch you though. This is my first tri after just the SuperSprint last year so who really knows what will happen).

I'll be rocking my BT tri top so call out if you see me!

I had the same feelings that you did at my first tri a few weeks ago, but when the horn blows to start, you forget about all that.  The race will be over before you know it, so don't worry about making mistakes, they are going to happen... but do take a look around and take in what you are accomplishing... you will never forget it! 

Good Luck!

2319 wave 16, bad draw lots of bikers to pass

Bib #4887, mountain bike division with a 8:22 start!

First, and last time doing mountain bike division

you must be kidding.  

Wave 42.  9:02 start

wave 39 - 8:50 start.  I would much rather be starting at 6:something.  Is it just me or is there absolutely no rhyme or reason to the way these waves are laid out?  Doesn't seem to make much sense to put the mountain bike division in the middle of the melee.  Shouldn't mountain bikes be one of the last waves?

I know a guy doing the triple and he's on wave 1 for the sprint. Then he starts goes off on his olympic even before me.  ...the hell?

First Tri ever and I have the second earliest start with a 6:04am wave 2!

Maybe they wanted the MTBs cleared before the pros started?