I initially thought that my swim time was faster than the actual net time. Maybe I felt that way since I didn't really have an issue in the water and I was able to sight pretty decently. It helped that I found a person to draft off of for at least 400-500 meters. He probably didn't like it but it really helped me to be on course.

Nutrition: Gu gel right before start

Maybe I should have found a faster swimmer to draft off of. That would've pushed me more on the swim. I know I need to work a lot more on my swim strokes and style. For the off season, I will have to find a coach who can analyze my technique.

Once out of the water, I ran to the transition area, hoping to shave off some seconds. I didn't put on my socks for the bike segment.

Nutrition: some sports beans

I need to learn the trick of being a minimalist. Maybe I just have too many things layed out.

I enjoyed most of the bike ride. Although it was hilly, I didn't feel extremely worn out or bad. I kept myself on a comfortable pace as not to push too hard and have nothing left for the run. I don't think I passed a lot of people this time, but it was interesting to note that some people are climbers and some people are just not. I am more of a flat rider, for sure. But with all the training on B'ly Lake, the hills didn't seem too bad.

More hill repeats in my training. I'd like to be able to climb comfortably with speed over 12 mph consistently.

Don't kow what happened here, but all of a sudden, I got really confused with which way to exit out of the transition for the run. I must have looked clueless going back and forth in the transition area. I finally had to ask a guy which way to exit.

For this tri, I neglected to survey the transition area and keep a mental note of where I needed to go. I think I was more preoccupied catching up with people.

According to most people, this run course was a lot more challenging than Chattanooga tri I did in July. That is true looking at the course layout since most of it was hilly. But to me, this was better than Chattanooga b/c there were no extreme slopes and huge steps to climb up. Everything was pretty gradual. In addition, the temperature and humidity level was waaay better than it was back in July. I just kept pushing myself at a semi-comfortable pace all the way 'till the end. I didn't try to hit a PR or give my all. I had a strong finish with some energy left over.

To have better time, I know I could've pushed harder. Just didn't want to kill myself on this run. Take more risks next time?

Had some water, food and fun at the TNT tent. It was fun watching everyone coming in and cheering for them.


Not enough planned training.


I was not as careful with my nutrition on this tri and consequently, I paid for my lack of planning. When I got home, I started getting a headache and I knew that it was due to dehydration and I couldn't do anything the rest of the day. I didn't drink enough today. I didn't even finish the 2 bottles of Gu on the bike for some reason. Since I'm a heavy sweater, I need to definitely take this seriously.

This first season was all about learning more about the sport and myself in it. I think I have a lot better idea of what to expect and what areas I need to work on for the next season. I am happy with the overall result of the four triathlons I raced this year. Although Tugaloo turned out to be the slowest time, I am okay with that b/c it was also the most challenging course. I had fun doing it.

I am looking forward to next year and the improvements I expect to see. Next year will be all about fine-tuning my training and getting serious with the serious stuff like heart rate training, swim techniques, bike training, track workouts, nutrition and much more! If I am planning to be more serious, I know I need to find a new bike and also hire a coach to train me. Lots of planning ahead...