Thanks, all, for the encouragement. I'll need it.:^: I did go last weekend to the pool and swam 1500 yds without any undue stress. I could have gone on, but I'd learned what I needed to know.

Now, I have some questions and maybe y'all can help me. How long did you train for your first tri? I know that there are training programs that last for 3-4 months. If I worked hard I would really only be ready at the tag end of the season. Here in Alaska end-of-season comes even earlier. I'm almost inclined to work on my base, do some 5k and cycling events this summer, and look for tri events next year. What would you do?

Paperclippy, I'd have it checked out - you have a benchmark from last year and it feels markedly, unhappily different. If you go and nothing's wrong, then the worst that will happen is you have a sore bum for a while longer. If you don't go and something's wrong, you could really cause yourself some damage.

Thanks Calluna, I know I should probably go to the doctor but it seems like such a stupid thing. "Hi, I'd like to make an appointment because my butt hurts!" I have a feeling the treatment is going to be "don't do anything that puts pressure on your tailbone" though so maybe I should just be proactive and modify my seat so that there is a hole in that area and see if it helps.

My first tri was April of last year. I started training the October before that, so about six months. BUT when I started training I was on week 4 of the couch to 5k program, hadn't been on my bike in ages, and hadn't tried to swim in at least 10 years. My workouts consisted of alternating walk and job intervals for 20 minutes, biking 2 miles, swimming 2 laps, stuff like that. Since you can already swim 1500 yards and bike long distance, I don't think you need nearly that long to prepare for a sprint distance.

The program I'm currently doing (which is an intermediate training plan for sprint distance) is 9 weeks long. The same book (The Woman Triathlete) also has a beginner 9 week sprint training plan. I think you could easily do a sprint this year since it sounds like all you need to work on is the running.

No advice here about doing anything longer than a sprint since I haven't done anything longer.

Wow, you started training for tris way early! I wish I were so bold. I'd been working out for many months before even entertaining the idea that I might, possibly, eventually, hopefully be able to complete a sprint tri. I started with a stationary bike and went for 15-20 minutes every other day...

Thanks for your thoughts on plans. I don't know if I'm brave enough to tri this year, but I have a week out of town (with exercise options) to consider what I'd like to do.

I followed a 12 week training program when I did my first tri. Prior to that, I did take a swim class to figure out the rhythmic breathing and getting more comfortable in the water.
It was a goal of mine to do a tri by the time I was 30. It was just something I felt I needed to do to feel like I was still living my life. I had 3 young kids and had gained weight and felt like it was time to be me again. :)

Cal, I'm sure you could pull one off this year! To be fair, I had been working out regularly for years before I started training for a tri, my workouts just had not included biking or swimming and I was recovering from a knee injury on the running. So it's not like I was a couch potato, I was just used to the elliptical and recumbent stationary bike, and I had been running prior to injuring my knee.

MsP, what a great way to meet your goals!

This training plan is kicking my butt. Yesterday's workout was a 30 minute run, which shouldn't have been a big deal, but I was still so sore and exhausted from all the previous workouts I only managed a pace of 13:30 per mile. Sigh. That's as slow as I was going last year. My goal for my tri is to average 12:00 per mile, and I've been running at 11:15 to 11:30 most of the time. I don't know why I was so tired, maybe because it's hot out? I also was slow on my swim the other day -- 16:16 for 500m, which I did in 15:08 just a couple weeks earlier.

Ah, full disclosure! ;) That makes me feel a little better.

I hope I get my bike back soon...it's in the shop for tune-up. I've been using the stationary bike for the past few days, which is a major bummer in the summer time. Yesterday I rode 8.1 miles in 30 mins on it and then ran 3.1 miles (pace a whopping 4.5 mph) in 41 minutes. Tolja I was slow... :)

I've been looking around for an event in September - stay tuned. Even so I can't start serious training until I'm back from travel in the Lower 48 on 14th June. I will work out while I'm gone, though.

calluna-I'm slower than you on bike and that's where you spend the most time, so it's a good one to be faster at! There are people who are WAYYYY slower than you in just about every tri I know of, so don't even think about it. The first time just shoot for finishing happy and healthy!

Hi guys! I had a great brick workout on Saturday. 12.5 miles in 1 hour on the bike followed by a half hour run which I pulled off at a 12:16 pace. It was comfortable, I felt good, and I wasn't tired. Woohoo! My goal for my race is to do the run at a 12:00 pace so that was pretty close. I'd like to get up to 14mph on the bike.

I bought a new saddle for my bike which has a cutout to help my tailbone. The gal at the bike shop who installed it for me said that my old seat wasn't quite level and had its nose down, which might have been contributing to the problem. Added bonus of the new seat is increased ventilation. I also bought a pillow with a cutout to use the rest of the time so my tailbone can recover fully. It feels better already.

Question for you folks about nutrition. How do you eat before your workouts and before races? I had a bowl of cereal right before my brick Saturday (literally right before, I ate and ran out the door) and felt great. However, I can't eat immediately before a swim or immediately before a run. On the other hand, if I don't eat relatively soon before, I don't have the energy. Do you just rely on energy gels?

paperclippy-I eat a Harvest Whole Grain Power Bar and banana about an hour to hour and a half before a tri. So far it has worked wonderfully for me.

Here's my tri report from Sunday:

Finish Time: 01:45:48.0

Swim: 00:08:33.1 Disappointed in my performance, but okay with my time if that makes any sense

T1: 00:02:47.8 Felt slow, but not too bad

Bike: 01:06:12.3 (exactly a 15 m.p.h. pace) Felt like EVERYONE was passing me for some reason, but I kept the pace I anticipated, so I can't be unhappy with that! I was in agony towards the end and went as fast as I could to just get OFF THE BIKE!!!!! LOL

T2: 00:00:44.7 Thrilled with how quickly I got thru T2!!

Run: 00:27:29.9 Felt good and passed a bunch of people on this leg which increased my confidence. This is definitely my strength of the 3 sports and it showed!

Overall finished 23 out of 35 finishers in my age group. Not too bad!

Great job MsP!!! :cheer: :swim: :bike: :running: You are super-speedy in my book! (Or maybe I'm just super-slow :lol: )

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-456529?hpt=Sbin

For all of you!!

wow!
 

Hi! Im new to this site and somehow, LUCKILY, found this thread! You are all so inspiring!!! I have been thinking about a tri for a little while now and after reading all your posts, I registered for my first in September! I figured that will give me all summer to train. It's a sprint tri. There's also a local full tri in October, but I don't know if I can pull that off?? What do you think? Also, I would LOVE some advice on bikes. I need one! What should I look for? I would love your feedback!! Thanks!

Welcome Athlete! :welcome: Whether or not you can train for an olympic distance by October probably depends on your fitness level right now. Personally I did sprints last year and I am doing sprints this year, and not planning to try for an olympic until I can get my speed up to the middle of the pack on a sprint. However, I am SUPER slow and I am pretty conservative of what I sign up for because I am afraid of injury. Other people jump right into the olympic with no problem!

I ride an old hybrid road/mountain bike that I have had since college, since I didn't want to spend the money on a road bike and for sprint distance it's sufficient. I'm sure the other folks on here can give you better advice about buying a bike though!

Midwife, thanks for the link!

MsP, I forgot to ask, what were the distances on your sprint? Also, was it you who was having a problem with hands going numb? When I bought my new saddle at the bike shop last week I also bought a pair of padded cycling gloves, and they have made a huge difference in terms of how comfortable my hands are. You might want to try it, it's only $20 for the cheapest type.

My training has been going pretty well. My tailbone is recovering thanks to a cushion for at the office and a new saddle for my bike. Running is going well -- I managed to pull off 45 minutes at almost 12:00/mile pace Monday. Biking is now varying between 12-13mph which is better than before. However, I think my swimming is slowing down. :?: A month ago I did an average time test and was doing 2:30 for 100 yards, but yesterday I was at 2:45. It was in a different pool but they are the same length so I didn't think it would make a difference. Also, while I was swimming 500m in 15:08 a month ago, last week I was at 16:30. I am so slow in the pool! :(

paperclippy-I have 'em already (and wear them religiously!). Like I said I've tried everything I can think of... No worries though. I'm gonna ask around at the local bike shops eventually and see what they have to say, but I'm done with tris for this season to focus on the marathon. I will continue to do the biking and swimming but much more casually.

athlete-Welcome! Excellent choice signing up for the Sprint! You'll love it, I'm sure! The full tri...is it ironman length? If so, that's a much larger undertaking which I would recommend training for for at least 6 mos. for your first. I guess it's a personal decision, though. You're probably the best judge of what you can do.

Thanks for the welcomes! I'm excited to start training for the tri! The one I am still pondering is a 1/2 iron- 1.2 miles swim, 58 mile bike, 13 mile run. Do you think I can train for it in 3 months?? I'm in the worst shape of my life right now. Haven't been in the pool in forever and I'm only running like 15 miles a week and weight training 2-3 times a week. I do a spinning class like once a week. I would consider myself more of an athlete than the average girl despite my weight and I am supermotivated to do this. I just don't want to get in over my head. I'm not out to break records, just finish! What should I do?!?

athlete-I'd say it's certainly doable. I would find a sound training program that looks like something you could stick with and do it faithfully and you'll get there. Make sure you do some of your swims in open water as it differs SIGNIFICANTLY from a pool. Best of luck to you in your pursuits!!

Athlete, personally, I wouldn't be able to train for a half-IM in three months. I don't know how fit you are though so you may be different. For myself, I might be able to train up to that distance in one of the three sports in three months, but not all of them.

Training is going pretty well here. My swimming is slowing down for some reason, not sure if it's just the different pool or what. Sometime soon I will head down to the reservoir that the swim for my tri is in to test out the open water. Biking is speeding up, I'm now averaging 12.5 mph on most rides. My runs vary -- interval runs I'm hitting an average of about 12:15/mile for 45 min runs, non-interval I'm more like 13:00/mile for 45 mins. I'm hoping for about 12:00/mile in the race which should put me a little over 36 mins on the run.

I was laughing the other day because I was thinking about my training plan, and I turned on the TV, and it just so happened that the channel the TV was already on was showing the half-IM world championship race. Wow, those pros are fast!

paperclippy-I love watching tri's on TV, but it's hard to catch since it's on so rarely! Those pro triathletes sure do know how to move it!!

How's everyone doing? Training going okay?

I had a good run today. 30 mins with some intervals and I kept all of it at 5.3mph or above. Treadmills sure make it easier to push myself, but they are sooooo boring.

Hi everyone!

I'm so glad I found this because I sort of decided to do my first triathlon this summer. It's in late august and it is just one of the danskin sprint ones, so nothing too intimidating! However, as a newbie, I have a lot of questions and was hoping y'all could be kind enough to answer....

First, is 6ish weeks long enough to train? I am pretty in shape and could easily do the bike part, but I am worried mostly about the swim. My goal isn't to place or anything, just to finish it, so time doesn't really matter. I would also like to not walk at all during the run.

Second, do I need to invest in any fancy equipment? Can I just wear my normal running clothes for it? I know I will have to figure out the swim suit thing, but I have no problem biking in sort of wet clothes....

Third, should I be scared??? I tend to not take things very seriously, but I would hate to show up and look like an idiot because I didn't prepare enough!

Oh, also, is it still possible to lose weight while training?

Any help would be wonderful!!!

Hi, I'm another new person poking in my head to join the conversation. Reading this thread is very helpful and inspiring. I'm glad it is here!

So, I decided yesterday that I'm going to do a sprint triathlon in mid-September. I'm excited, but also very nervous. I've been working out with a trainer since November 2009 and have lost 77 pounds in that time and have gained a lot of fitness. He's been encouraging me to sign up for this triathlon and I've been very resistant (too scared) but yesterday I decided I'd go for it. I feel okay about the run and the bike. I just got a new bike and am already regularly going for 18 mile rides (the tri is 15). As of last week I can run a 5K without taking any walk breaks in 37 minutes. But, swimming. Oh, swimming. I haven't done any swimming in around 18 years. Who knows if I even still know how? My trainer is encouraging me to sign up for some private swim coaching and that's the route I'm taking. I'm hoping my first coaching session will be next week. It will be very interesting to see just how much I do or don't remember about how to swim. Yikes.

:welcome: Foresmewithlove and Desert! Thanks for joining us! I will try to answer questions but FYI last year was my first year of triathlon and I have only done 2 sprints, so I'm far from an expert...

How long is the swim? Is it a 500 or a 750? In either case I bet you can do it, just make swimming a priority and get to the pool at least 2x/week (you said you're already set for biking, so you could reduce biking to 1x/week to fit in an extra swim). If you haven't really swam in a long time, I highly recommend practicing breast stroke as well as freestyle. When I did my first tri I had prepared so that I was able to do the distance freestyle, but when I got in the water and there were all these people splashing around I freaked out and started getting mouthfuls of water when I tried to breathe, so I switched to breast stroke and did much better. In my second tri I did mostly freestyle, but mixed in some breast stroke so I could see where I was going.

No, you don't need to invest in any fancy equipment. You can if you want to, but it's not necessary. All you really need to do a triathlon is a swimsuit, goggles, a bike, bike helmet, and a pair of running shoes (and maybe a water bottle). This year I bought myself tri shorts and a tri top, but last year I wore a sports bra under a standard swimsuit, then after the swim pulled on a pair of shorts and a running shirt (which had my race number pinned to it) and did the rest in that. It worked pretty well.

No, you don't have to be scared! Especially for sprints, a lot of people show up without having prepared very much (or at all). There will probably be a lot of other first-timers and they will be at least as nervous as you.

Yes, it is possible! But don't be discouraged if your weight loss slows or stops while training -- you may be adding muscle and you might need more food to fuel your workouts.

Desert, when I got in the pool for the first time to train for my first sprint, I hadn't swam a lap since I was about 10 years old. I made it about halfway across the pool before I had to stop to catch my breath. Talk about discouraging! But before long I was swimming laps with no problem, and by the time my sprint actually rolled around I could swim twice the distance required. You can do it! Also, getting coaching is a GREAT idea. I took an adult group swim class over the winter and learned SO much and sped up massively (I'm still super-slow, but much faster than before). And like I said before, don't discount breaststroke. It may be slower but it can be easier, so if you get tired in freestyle you can switch until you catch your breath.

Let us know how your training goes!

Speaking of training, I did my scheduled bike ride this morning and my average speed as 12.7 mph, which is pretty darn good for me. Yay! My tailbone is still messed up though, boo (not as bad as before, but still ouchie). I think after my tris are over I will lay off the bike for a while.

Hi guys sorry I haven't been around my weight loss has crept backwards a bit and you know how that tends to go... haven't been around here. (hangs head)

I finished my Horribly Hilly ride which was 6,000ft of elevation over 70 miles... It was definately super-challenging. I finished but I did have to walk up some of the crazier hills. It took us a pretty long time to do it like 5:45 of riding time but I think that includes walk time too. Heh.

My half Ironman is in 24 days. OMG!!

Okay off to swim... I'm just coming off a rest week. My legs are still fairly tired from the weekend. I thought they were OK until last nights bike workout.

Anyway I need to back up and read what I've missed...

Thanks for the encouragement Paperclippy. It is nice to know I'm not the only one who has looked at swimming after a looong time out of the pool. I'm thinking I'll get in my gym's pool this weekend, just to see where I'm at. Like, do I still know how to float? Let alone swim.

This morning I took my bike out and tried using clipless pedals for the first time. That was an adventure and a half. I managed to keep myself from falling, but had more close calls than I can count. I just rode circles around my neighborhood and practiced stopping and starting over and over again. I'm still not entirely comfortable with the clipless pedals, but only practice will fix that, right?

So today I got in the pool and swam for the first time since high school (I'm 36). To my surprise, I do still know how to swim. However, I can only get about 3/4 of the way across the pool before I have to stand up and pant for awhile. I think I made it all the way across before stopping twice, but that's it. If I'm going to actually do that triathlon in September, I'm going to have to improve quickly!

Muse, :nono: don't you know that when your weight loss slips is when you need to be on 3FC the most? :hug: Great job on your bike ride, and good luck on the half-IM!

Desert, don't worry, you will improve very quickly!

I had a good brick this weekend but my schedule for this week is already screwed up because it was raining this morning when I was planning a run. My sprint is coming up in a little less than 3 weeks. It's part of a series -- they do the exact same sprint once in June, July, and August, and I'm signed up for the July one. I looked up the June results and based on that, I think if I can do like I've been doing in training I should be just about at the back of the pack. Hopefully instead of 5 people after me like last year I'll have 50 people after me. I think I can pull this off in at least 1:45 if not faster, but I haven't done a real open water swim before and it's a hilly course. I'm planning to go down and swim there and bike the course this weekend.

Hey guys, I asked this on the main Exercise forum but I thought I'd ask here too. What sort of watch do you use for training? I need a new one. We bought DH a Timex Ironman watch for his running training (it's the cheapest version, was only $30) and I've been borrowing it. I basically want a watch that will have all the same features as that one, but also have a heart rate monitor and be smaller since my wrists are pretty tiny -- DH's "unisex" watch doesn't quite go small enough for a good fit for me.

Relatedly, I took his watch running today and used it to time splits in my 45-min run. I think I need to work on pacing. I did the first mile in 11:00, the second in 11:57, the third in 12:31, and the last 0.7 in 9:29. :lol:

Hey gang,

I haven't been around much, but my excuse isn't because I've been training a lot. Far from it! BUT, I did do an Olympic distance tri this weekend that royally kicked my butt, more mentally than physically. I'd post my race report, but I don't want it to discourage anyone from trying that distance. It really is fun and I plan on doing another Olympic at the end of the season...maybe. We'll see how the rest of the summer goes before I commit to anything.

Anywhos...

paperclippy - I've been using a Timex Ironman watch for swimming and running. It's a women's model so it comes in pretty colors and seems to be suited for small wrists. The one I have doesn't have a heart rate monitor, but I know some other ones do. There's also other high-tech HR watches, but those run pretty high. Hope this helps. And looks like we have about the same pace running :)

Desert - Congrats on signing up for your first tri!!! That's usually the hardest step for most people. And you have plenty of time to improve your swimming, especially if you already know how to swim and just have to work on your swim endurance (at least that's what it sounds like). Keep it up!

forsemewithlove - Don't be scared of your first tri. And don't take it too seriously. And by that I mean, have fun! I did my first one about a month ago (sprint, also) and I had an absolute blast! There are always going to be newbies and even veterans mess up, such as go the wrong way or leave for the run with their helmets on. So no worries.

First, if you're already mostly in shape then I think 6 weeks is plenty of time. Truthfully, I didn't do much training for my sprint and I finished strong. Well, my run was super slow, but I was prepared for that and didn't let it bother me too much. So if you're not looking to place, then you should be totally fine in 6 weeks. Just make sure you get comfortable swimming in whatever place the tri is going to be, like if it's a lake or a reservoir, go out there at least a few times to get comfortable with the open water. That seems to freak people out the most.

Second, no fancy equipment needed. I wore regular spandex and a sports bra under a rented wetsuit (water temperature was 60 degrees so the wetsuit was much needed) and then threw on a shirt for the bike ride and shorts for the run. So yeah, it was everything I owned already.

I guess I answered your third question at the very beginning, so just remember to have fun. That's most important. Good luck with the swimming!

Hi Au! Please do post that race report, I am vaguely considering an Olympic next year and I would love to hear about it, even if it didn't go too well. But hey, you finished, right? :high: Thanks for the watch advice!

Training is kicking my butt the past week or two. Over the weekend I got out to the park to swim in the reservoir that the tri is in. A little awkward at first but after I warmed up it felt okay, and I think I got the hang of looking forward every so often to make sure I'm going the right direction. Rode the bike course afterwards -- very hilly! I can only hope that I will go fast enough on the downhills to make up for being so very slow on the uphills. I had been hoping for a 1:45 overall time but I'm not sure I can pull it off with all those hills. Maybe I'll have a massive adrenaline burst on race day.

How's everyone else? Muse, how's the half-IM training going?

That's so smart, paperclippy! I wish I'd thought to do that my first time around at the courses I've done. The one tri event over here would definitely require me to do some practice swims in that lake. I'm not great in open water and it was not a very forgiving lake....choppy and deep. And now you know about the hills on the bike portion too. You can maybe work some hills into your training more.
I'm focused on running now, but my marathon training is getting much more challenging with longer runs and the heat and humidity right now, it really takes it out of me. It doesn't help that I just got back from vacation with some "extra baggage" that I need to get rid of too. I gotta get my head back in the game here!

I did day one of C25K (although not really starting from the couch) yesterday with the hopes of doing a sprint tri some day.

I swim for about 45 min - 1.5 hours a few times a week in the summer (depending on the tides) and I can bike 20 miles or so no problem. It's just the running that I need to work on...

Welcome seagirl!

Less than a week until my tri. I'm starting to get both nervous and excited. Last night I had a dream that I was going to go do a triathlon that started at 5pm but I couldn't get off work early enough, and when I got there I asked if I could just join in on the bike since I had missed the swim and they said no. :lol:

Still trying to figure out race nutrition. The plan is for a couple Clif shot blocks during the bike ride. I never seem to manage to figure out how to do race nutrition because when I do brick workouts I usually eat right before I go, since eating then hopping on the bike is fine for me. I can't eat right before swimming or running though, so I figure if I eat a couple hours before the race starts I will need those shot blocks to have energy for the run. I've had them before but I don't know what the best timing is for it -- do I eat them at the beginning of the bike, the middle, or the end? Do I eat 2 or 3?

I have two weeks between this tri and my second one so I may experiment a little then, but I'm open to any advice you guys have.

I sure hope you keep us up to date here - I really enjoy reading these and it helps enormously. Too bad LitChick isn't on this thread; she just completed her first tri a few weeks ago.

As for me, I had work travel and other pressing activities in June but am back in July. I have been focused on biking and swimming - I'm still not sure I want to pound my knees with running until I weigh less than I do now. I did try some running and am able to do it - slowly. :) I've even done a couple of bricks.

Keep posting! Give us chickens some courage. :)

Thanks Calluna, I will definitely keep posting. Please do invite LitChick to join us on this thread!

We used to have more experienced triathletes posting, but I guess life has gotten in the way. ;) But in a few years, we will be the experienced ones!

paperclippy - For the shot blocks, I had some in the transition from the swim to the bike (about 1 or 2) and then made it a point to consume a whole package (6 blocks) during the bike ride. I also ate about 3 - 5 of them during the run. Yeah, lots of food, I know, but it was a loooooooong day.

I don't know how long your tri is, but the bike on mine was a very hilly 30 miles and for the run, I walked most of the 10k so it took me forever, which necessitated the extra shot blocks during that. Turns out my nutrition was spot on even with all the walking, but that's a whole other story related to the complete mind games this tri played on me. I felt like I could run most of the 10k, so I'm glad I made the extra effort to eat lots of energy stuffs (including a whole Gatorade on the bike) before starting the run.

Have you tried a variety of shot blocks flavors? I've found the strawberry to be sweetest and lemon-lime to be mildest in flavor, so I mix it up depending on what I need.

Hope that helps and good luck on your tri! I'll post the race report from my Oly from a few weeks back hopefully by the end of the week. Been super busy with work and trying to figure out my life lately to do much of anything.

That, and since my last tri I've kind of taken a vacation from accountability and have done absolutely nothing physical and have drank way too much beer since then, which is why I haven't been on here a while. Time to get back on track!

seagirl - Welcome to the group! Most people have trouble with the swim so you're already a step ahead than a bunch of newbies. Keep up the running progress and I may soon be joining you on the C25K program. Running seems the "easiest" gear-, form-, and fear-wise to get better at, but for me it's so difficult and frustrating. Anywhos, good job on your swimming and biking and the running will come soon enough.

Thanks Au! I'm doing a sprint distance so it's about half of your Oly but less swimming. I'm thinking I'll eat 2-3 shot blocks during the bike ride and then grab gatorade at the water stations on the run. Depending how I'm feeling maybe also a shot block right before the race or at the swim/bike transition.

I have my times all planned out but I'm afraid something will screw up and I'll be super-slow. Based on my training times, I'm expecting 15-16 mins on the swim, 45-50 on the bike, and about 38 on the run which adds up to about 1:45 including transition time. I'm mostly concerned that the course is so hilly that I'll be way slower than I'm expecting on the run or that I'll get a stomach cramp and have to walk in the run like in my last race.

Race Report!
 

Total time 1:48:19 (546/560)
Swim: 18:09 (543/588 - higher total number since it includes the relay teams)
T1: 3:18 (527/593 - why is this more total people than the other? I don't know)
Bike: 45:17 (568/593)
T2: 1:49 (261/589)
Run: 39:45 (567/591)

Edit - I forgot to include the distances, it was 500m swim, 10mile bike, 5k run.

Goals met:
- Hit my split right on for the bike, 45 mins, even though it was super hilly
- I was NOT LAST in my age group! One person came in 10 seconds after me. Good thing I sprinted to the finish, I think I passed 3-4 people on that sprint and I'm sure one of them was the other person in my age group.
- I ran the whole run for the first time! No walking at all.

Goals not met:
- Didn't make my 1:45 goal. :( Close, but no cigar.
- Didn't make my 15-16 min swim goal
- Didn't make my 36-38 min run goal

Race report! So, Saturday morning bright and early we got everything together and headed to the park. I ate a bowl of oatmeal and had a glass of milk at home, then at the race site I drank some gatorade before the race started.

The transition area was near the beach house at the bottom of a hill (basically the lowest point in the park). The transition area was set up in a U-shape with one-way traffic flow, so when I came in off the bike for example I had to run my bike all the way around to get to my rack instead of cutting across. They had a lot of bikes on each rack so there was really not much space at all. I ended up putting all my stuff basically underneath my bike, which made it kind of hard to get the bike out, but whatever. Next time I will be earlier and get a spot on the end of the rack.

I had a chance to warm up in the water a little bit after I got my transition set up and my number written on my arms. It was pretty darn warm! 81 degrees was the official number. They set out two yellow buoys and the course was to swim out, around the first buoy, around the second buoy, and back to shore on the other side. The swim start was in order of our race number (which was assigned based on saying how fast you were, I was near the back) and basically they had one person enter the water every two seconds. I got started okay, then started to panic a bit once I got far enough out that the water was deep and I was far from shore. I think I swam slower than I might have because I was scared, but I managed okay and felt better once I passed the first buoy. I did get kicked and punched in the face a few times, but I only really got annoyed at people who were swimming backstroke. This one guy kept swimming over my back, and at one point a backstroker got turned around and crossed perpendicularly in front of me, and I basically had to wait for her to get out of the way before I could keep going. They should really disallow backstroke.

Anyway, I made it back to shore and ran up to the transition area. I was a little disappointed when I saw it took me 18 minutes for the swim, but I was hoping I'd make up for it later. No problems in T1, got my bike and gear and headed out. Of course since the transition area was at the bottom of a hill, the start of the bike was uphill. :p I think I managed it okay though. It was an out and back course -- most of the way out was uphill and most of the way back was downhill. I got passed by a few people going up the hills on the way out, but I passed several of them coming down on the way back, and made my 45 min bike goal spot on. I might have been a little faster at the end except they had the first runners coming back then and they hadn't put the cones up clearly enough, so I had to weave through some runners on my bike which made me slow down. I was coming down a steep hill so I could have easily run into them if I didn't slow down some. As planned I had two clif shot blocks during the bike ride which seemed to be okay.

I ran my bike back to my rack, and discovered that someone had taken my spot! :mad: There was no room next to my stuff for me to put my bike, so after a momentary panic I stuck my bike in someone else's spot on the same rack. Not sure what else I could have done there. It probably cost me 30 seconds.

I headed out on the run, which started out going up the same steep hill as the bike, ugh. But I didn't walk, which I'm proud of -- last year the first tri I did had the run start up a steep hill and I had to walk it, but this year I chugged through even though a lot of other people were walking. The run course was also an out-and-back and was also mostly uphill on the way out and mostly downhill on the way back. It was also a little frustrating since it went through the part of the park that everyone had parked in, and while I was out on the course people were already going to their cars and leaving. So there were cars, bikes, and pedestrians to deal with, but they mostly stayed out of my way. The benefit of them being on the course though was that they cheered for those of us who were still running! Just like in training it took about 15 minutes for my legs to stop aching, then I felt okay running. After the turnaround I picked up the pace but I could already see by my watch that I wasn't going to make 1:45 (unless I whipped out a 9-minute mile at the end, which was not going to happen). So I figured, okay, go for 1:48, to try to motivate myself to not give up. I got to the end and it was back down the steep hill to the finish, so I sprinted as hard as I could down that hill and passed several people along the way to get to the finish line! I'm a big fan of the downhill finish. ;)

The only weird thing that happened was after I got to the finish line, I had to stop running pretty suddenly to get my timing chip off, and my lungs freaked out. I'm not sure exactly what was going on but it felt like what I would imagine an asthma attack would be like (except that I don't have asthma). It was really hard to catch my breath and I felt like everything was constricted. I walked around for a few minutes and eventually it eased up and I caught my breath, although I was kind of panicked and on the verge of going to the medical help area. DH took some photos of me during the race which I'll post maybe tonight. Some of them came out blurry but some are pretty good!

Two weeks until the next triathlon. I'm hoping I'll be faster on the next one since it's a flatter course and the swim is not in deep water (= less panicking), but the bike course is 3 miles longer so I need to adjust my goal time.

Great job, paperclippy!! Thanks for the report and info. It's always nice to hear how other people handle things. Good luck on your continued training and racing!