This was a reverse tri, so the swimming was the last of the three events. The pool felt like a sauna after running and biking in temperatures in high 40s and low 50s! Jumping in the pool was actually a very nice feeling.

Before entering the water I felt surprisingly good, despite having just finished the longest bike ride of my life. I figured I'd have a particularly good swim.

Oddly though, from my first stroke I found my arms to be quite tight and tired, and the sensation never went away. I guess 14 miles (1 hour+)on an old mountain bike requires some arm strength (tricepts?), which I definitely don't have yet.

Regardless, I still passed about 15 people, though from the race results I see that none were in my AG (I was just way too far behind!). With the exception of one slower swimmer in the left side of the lane, everyone made passing easy (I decided to pass him on the right).



As you enter the pool, they said to jump in and start swimming, which I did. The "jump in" area was on the side of the pool, a few yards from the start of the lane. So I jumped in, turned 90 degrees to my left, and started swimming. In retrospect, I shoud have at least dove in (not jumped) . Or better yet, I should have walked a couple of yards to where a race would normally start, then dive in to take advantage of momentum going in the direction of the swim.

I had hoped to be in the top 10% of my AG and top 10% overall in the swim. I missed both by just a bit.

I need to work on upper-body strength to place better in the swim. I got through this swim on good technique, not endurance or strength...

This was a run-to-bike transition.

#51 of 216 overall, #6 of 27 in AG. Not much to do other than put on a helmet and go. The sun was out, so I didn't use the gloves I brought for the cold. I have no clue why I was faster than most. Maybe because I run and bike in the same shoes? Maybe beginner's luck?

Nothing.

Before the race I expected this would be my most challenging segment. This was confirmed by mile 2; my legs were already feeling tired!

Given that I started riding only about 30 days before the race, and my longest ride was only 10.5 miles, I wasn't expecting to go very fast. I got passed a lot. I tried to keep a high cadence during the entire race to make sure my legs didn't get too tired. I ended up passing a few people towards the end.

After finishing the bike segment, I recall being happy that the next segment was swimming; my legs just weren't ready for the running of a "regular" triathlon.

Nothing, other than training more.

This was the bike-to-swim transition.

#53 of 216 overall, #11 of 26 in AG.

Other than taking off socks, shoes, shirt and helmet, then grabbing goggles and running to the pool, there wasn't much to it. As with T1, I have no clue why I was faster than others. Beginners luck again?

This was the first section of the reverse tri.

I figured my best strategy was to start slow since I had never done an endurance event before (in fact, even my longest training run was about 3.3 miles). I started at and maintained a nice slow pace throughout.

Next time I'll run a bit faster from the get-go. I ran at a 10:49 pace. I probably should have gone at least under a 10 min pace, shaving almost 3 minutes off the run. I think I saved way too much energy. Maybe I should get a watch...

Wear gloves in cold weather. My hands were freezing!! Glad I wore a long-sleeved shirt.

None.


I was very pleased with the RunBiTri. I was my first tri, so I have nothing to compare it to. No surprise that I need to improve my biking and running!