First Sprint This Saturday - First time Nerves

Sure....I will. 

I think it's a great attitude, I had the same one......now prepare to get your arse handed to you.

You're likely not going to believe how fast some guys are well into their 50's.

Just remember that however hard you've trained to get ready for your first, there will be seasoned racers out there too who have been doing this for years, have put in lots of work and are just as competitive.  I'm not saying you can't or won't make the podium.  Comments like "bike is ok" and "calves always a problem" suggest that you might be setting yourself up for disappointment if its "podium or bust". 

What I think you need to do is find the middle ground to "do well" that lies between placing and just finishing.  What has your pace been on your rides?  Try to go .xx mph faster.  What has your average pace been on training runs?  Try to at least match it (I'd say, try to go :xx/mile faster, but don't discount how that first run might feel in a race situation after swimming and biking).  It looks like you have a few more races planned later in the summer too.  Go all out in the sprint, see what you can do, and then use that as a benchmark for the next one.  Have some purpose that relates to how you've been training, don't worry too much about others, and enjoy it at least a little.

I appreciate the input, this forum is always a great help.

I have looked at the times from last year and certainly won't be the slowest.  I remember last year there were a lot of nice bikes and experienced looking people.  I did the ride portion only on my mountain bike and other people did the swim and run.  My 20+ year old roadie is a bit better for the ride but not by much.  It doesn't seem like there is much of a need for too much in nutrition for a Sprint, any suggestions.

So enjoy the jitters. Those first time jitters only happen once. Get nervous. Wonder how you'll stack up. Then find out. 

If you enjoy competition, then compete. Don't let anyone else define how you find enjoyment out of your first Tri. I'm the same way and had to race hard at my first tri this past weekend. I don't regret it one bit. I suppose I could have gone too hard and payed a price, but it was a sprint and I wasn't too concerned if what I found out was that I went out too hard. There'll always be another race to join, but only one time to see how you measure up in your first tri ever.

Give it all you got. 

I trained pretty hard ( at least i think i did) for my first sprint (4 weeks ago).  i wanted to do well and not just finish as well.  almost everyone that races is in decent shape.  i looked over the results from this sprint for the last couple of years and had some target times in mind.  long story short.  i placed 60/169 in my first sprint tri.  i ran the same course for my second sprint tri and placed 28/179 (5/43 in AG 40-49) (almost eight minutes faster the second time in the swim alone) only two weeks after i raced the first sprint.  my downfall was my swim in my first sprint race.  i started smack in the middle and went out to hard.  i ended up winded and not able to catch my breath at all.  breast stroke most of the race.  i was "pissed".  i finished but it was an ugly swim 128/169.  i biked and ran pretty well 32/169.  my second sprint (same course) i swam better (not great) and i biked and ran 1 minute faster each than my previous attempt.  bottom line, take your time on the swim.  OWS was not like the pool at all.  i swam in the lake where the race was 3 times before the race and it was not enough to prepare me for the race conditions.  it gets choppy and there are lots of people around bumping .  your addrenaline will be flowing being it is your first race (most likely).  you will be faster the second time you race a sprint.  no worries on the first one.  learn your pace/strengths/weaknesses.  you will probably do better than you think you will. YMMV.

cheers.  have fun and kick A@#.

I penned an article for BT about that first race experience. 

Remember that looks can be deceptive!  Some of those people you think will be fast...aren't...and some who don't look fast will completely dust you. 

Enjoy the day, smile, and thank everyone. 

There is nothing wrong with wanting to race a race! You have done competitive events before so you probably have some experience in not winning. Maybe you will place, maybe you won't; race your plan and see what happens. FWIW I always try to beat someone even if it is just some unsuspecting rabbit down the course I am focused on-it is a race after all, there is a timing chip strapped to my ankle and everyone will flock around the results as soon as they are posted so I can't help but conclude the results matter at least a little bit.

x2  You won't believe the speed that some of these guys race at.    Depending on the size of the race and who shows up, you probably will have guys in their 40's placing really high overall (top 10-20) with maybe a top 3 mixed in. 

Look at past results if possible and figure out from your training times what seems to be an aggresive but realistic finishing place.  

There's nothing wrong with be competitive, but just make sure you race YOUR race...Don't get caught up in trying to stay with the front of the pack. For all we know there could be guys in your AG who have been doing this thing for the 15 years. Give it 100% and you're going to be happy whether you place or not.

Oh yeah, any sudden urges to sign up for your next race immediately after you're finished are completely normal.

Don't do what I did for my first Sprint and over eat, you'll pay for it. Something light, typically something you'd normally eat before an early workout. Best not to try and experiment with something new the morning of the race. Trust me I have never wanted to vomit so badly in my life that day!!!! Water on the bike is fine and there will be some type of powerade or gatorade during the runs if you feel you need it. Have a blast out there and let us know how it goes!!

There is a usually a vast gap between the slowest and the podium (speaking as a dedicated BOP'er). You can certainly make being the top X% a goal, but as others have said, it may not be realistic to place in your first race. 

As has been pointed out, you mentioned several things that would already slow you down. Your training logs are not up to date, but the 10 minute miles you posted in May would not put you anywhere near the podium, and if you haven't down an OWS in a tri, the experience is a little anxiety provoking for most people. Something the more experienced racers have strategized for.

If you make the podium the primary goal, you may end up being very disappointed. If you set predictions for your own times, and a rough estimate of where you would be in the field based on prior years' results, you have a much better chance of beating your predictions and thus enjoying the race. (Well, "enjoy" may be more the experience after the race. DURING the race, you may be suffering, especially if you are pushing yourself in a sprint...)