I’m happy to report that I finished my first sprint triathlon this morning! I feel tired but really great. Here’s a report:
Background: I’m a runner but a complete novice in cycling and swimming (just started a month ago). So my goal for this first sprint tri was just to finish and have a good time. I wasn’t worried about my place or my time — I can work on improving later.
The Course: Set in the beautiful little village of Piti, Guam, the sprint triathlon was a 750-meter ocean swim in warm water (in the 80s) (two laps of a triangular course around three buoys) … followed by a 20K bike (3 out-and-back laps on a flat course near the ocean, strong tailwind going out, strong headwind coming back) … and finally a 5K run, along the same flat but windy course. It started at 7 a.m., which might not mean much in colder climates but on Guam, it gets pretty hot by 7 a.m. It was probably in the 90s by the time I was on the run.
The Swim: I’m not a strong swimmer at all, and in fact have never swam 750m without stopping. So I started on the outside, to the back, hoping to avoid the tangle of swimmers at the start. That worked out pretty well, although I was stuck behind a slower swimmer to start with. I think that was a good thing, as it helped me conserve energy and I really didn’t have to do the breaststroke for resting as I’d anticipated. My form was really horrible, but I didn’t care. I expected to be the last out of the water but surprised myself and finished somewhere in the middle (well, the back of the middle, but still not one of the last). I don’t have my split times for any of the legs. I felt pretty decent coming out of the swim, which I was happy with.
The Bike: I ride an old mountain bike, and I think it really hurt me in this race. And as I said, I’ve only been cycling for a month, so I’m pretty slow. I just wanted to be able to finish the 20K bike leg, which I was pretty sure I could do. I did it pretty slow, though, and a lot of people passed me (many of them were actually ahead of me but on their 2nd or 3rd laps, but a few started the bike after me and still passed me). I have to admit the bike was a bit of a struggle, especially in the hot sun, and I finished near last place (maybe 3-4 people behind me).
The Run: My legs felt dead coming off the bike, but I started out pretty fast. Too fast, actually, and soon I was breathing heavy and knew I had to cut back. I was pretty tired by now, but tried to keep a decent pace. I don’t know what my pace was but I’m guessing around 8:00 miles. It was very very hot. I passed a few people around halfway through the run. One of them stuck with me and pushed me for the rest of the run, but I pulled away from him in the end with a strong finish.
Overall: My overall time was 1:39:48, which many experienced triathletes would probably laugh at, but again, I just wanted to finish and have fun. I accomplished my goals, so I’m happy! I had a great time, and look forward to my next sprint tri in June.
Improvement areas: I can obviously get better in the swim, with a little more endurance and better form. I bought the book “Total Immersion” to help me with my form, and I think it could make a bit of difference in the next tri. My bike needs a lot of improvement. I think I need to buy a road bike, first of all, because my bike was squeaking and I was struggling with it. I think the front tire was a little flat too. I also need to build up speed and endurance, but that will come with time. I really enjoy cycling, even if I’m slow, and I think I’ll only get better. The run was fine, about as good as I could do considering my legs were dead — I think it’ll get faster if I can get better endurance in the bike and swim. Transitions were fairly smooth, although I think I could have skipped the socks. I think I’ll get better overall as I continue to train — I’ve only been doing this for a month, so I have nowhere to go but up. :)
Congrats! I’m considering doing a sprint tri myself, which is in a couple of months. I’m good at the bike but terrible at running & swimming.
I’m hoping two months is long enough to get ready. Like you the goal would be to finish. I could care less where I place – I’m doing it because I have two friends that have been diagnosed with cancer and given less than a year, so it’s not like I can delay…
Good luck with your training!
I should’ve known you were a triathlete. Congrats on your first!!!
Congrats Leo! It must feel SO satisfying to have completed that, no matter what the results were. I think you might have inspired me to train for a triathlon. I do all three exercises separately and enjoy them, but the thought of combining them has always scared me. A lot. But enough of that – onwards and upwards! Thanks for sharing all of your ups and downs.
Thanks so much guys! Your support means the world to me. :)
Paul … good luck … two months is definitely enough if you’re just looking to finish. Just slowly build up endurance in both sports … pace yourself in your race … and you’ll be fine!
Mary … you can do it! If you already do all three sports, you should have no problem! :)
Sounds like a lot of fun! I happened to drive 98km on my road bike this morning. Don’t have much experience with the swimming and running part, though.
Oh, when you get a road bike, you will be amazed by the difference with a mountainbike. You basically get like 5km/h or more for free. Don’t make the mistake to drive on a too big gear. Better let those legs go round a bit more.
Leo:
Try and find a used road bike rather than buying a new one. Two days after you buy a bike it is worth a fraction of what you paid. Plenty of folks have good barely used bikes they are trying to sell often at a huge loss. I have a Cannondale for sale right now for about 1/2 what I paid. Bike only has 260 miles on it. Too bad you are in Guam and I’m in Florida.
Keep up the good work.
Lynne
Leo – congratulations on completing your event. The swim has always been my weakest link, but it’s also been the leg that I’ve improved the most. I saw you bought the total immersion book–I’ve found that the DVD and the drill cards are worth the money. I managed quite a bit of improvement on my own, but my swim really transformed when I hired a TI coach and worked with her for a few months leading up to the Westchester Triathlon. (A major milestone was when my swim leg was comparatively faster for my age group than my bike…) Have fun out there!
Thanks for the nice comments everyone!
@Lynne: Yep, I’m looking around for a used bike. And yes, too bad I’m not in your area — I’d love to buy your bike! :)
@Ted: I appreciate the info … I’ll definitely get the DVD and drill cards once I start working on the drills in the book … I’m still reading the first few chapters, but it looks great. Man, I wish I could hire a TI coach! I don’t think they have any here on Guam. :)
Leo: Congratulations! You inspired me to do my first 5K on Sunday- my time wasn’t as good as it could have been (I started out way towards the back, and another first timer and I ended up talking and walking for about four minutes…which actually made me want to do another one more- knowing that others were first timers as well), but when I remember that a few months ago, I never could have done it…definitely going to do another one. Congrats again, and thanks for blogging!!
Awesome job Genevieve! Be proud of yourself! And if you’re like me, you’re hooked — and you’ll just keep getting better and better. Happy running!
and by simply DOING you already kicked the MizFit’s arse.
I know I’m replying to an old comment, but this post was interesting to me.
It looks like we’re doing much the same things with respect to sports and exercise. I’m more of a cyclist than either a swimmer or runner, but I recently acquired Total Immersion Swimming also (for $2.13, tax included, on a clearance table! I’d been looking for a used copy and found this one new sitting
in a strip mall bookstore).
So now I’m doing my usual cycling, and have added swimming.
I’m planning on seeing how my 57 year old knees hold up to a 5K (I quit doing 10ks because I noticed after-race pain the day after races). If my Doctor checks me out OK, and if seem to do OK gradually building to 5Ks, I plan on entering a sprint tri in the spring.
Good luck!
Excellent site leoruns.wordpress.com and I am really pleased to see you have what I am actually looking for here: this .. as it’s taken me literally 3 hours and 03 minutes of searching the web to find you (just kidding!) so I shall be pleased to become a regular visitor :)