Thursday, August 23, 2012

Hansen Dam Sprint Tri

Finished my first triathlon this past weekend.  I wouldn't say I rocked it but my goal was to finish in under 2 hours and I did, just barely.  I really wanted to come in under 1 & 1/2 hours, which I think I can do, but it wasn't meant to be this time around.

I expected to be faster in the swim than I was but the bodies surrounding me prevented that.  I was faster on the bike than I thought I would be which was fun.  In reality, the run is what killed me.  In my mind I told myself just didn't have any legs left for the run.  I think I could have pushed harder though.  I ran my slowest 5K ever.

Some additional things I learned along the way...
  • I ended up racing in a 2 piece tri suit and it worked out beautifully.  Plus it's basically bike shorts and a tank top so it can be used for other work outs as well.
  • I wish I would have been more aggressive on the swim in order to get out of the pack, I know I was one of the stronger swimmers but I held back in order to be polite.  Need to look into the etiquette on this.
  • Glad I had an extra small towel to dry myself off a bit before getting on my bike.
  • Wish I wouldn't have bothered with my biking gloves as they really don't help me that much and they slowed me down in the transition area.
  • I should have finished all the water in my bottle on the bike as there was only 1 hydration station on the run.
  • Glad I had 2 extra water bottles at my transition area though.
  • Forgot to put my socks out and therefore did the bike & run without them, didn't bother me during the race but I've got a couple of blisters now.  Lesson learned, double check you have everything you need during transitions, out of your bag before the start of the race.
  • Get there as soon as the transition area is open to ensure a good spot.  People hoard space and as a first timer it was intimidating to squeeze in.
  • Don't forget, the transitions are part of the race too!
In the future, I'll do more brick training to get my legs well adjusted to that bike to run transition.  In the future, I will mentally push myself to go harder because I know I can.  In the future, I will meet my goal of finishing in under an hour and a half.  Looks like there are going to be more triathlons in my future!

XOXO
-M

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