First Olympic Distance Triathlon

I completed my first Olympic Distance Triathlon today.

I did compete at the Desert Triathlon earlier this year - but it has been pointed out to me that the Desert Tri WAS NOT an Olympic Distance, it was an International Distance, which really means the swim was shorter.

Today's triathlon was number 3 in the Championship Series. I competed in all three events. The first event in April started with a 500m swim, a 14.5 mile bike and a 3.1 mile run.

Short and sweet and I was happy just to make it through the open water swim.

After the first event, I looked at my times and set my goals for the next two triathlons.

My goals were to have a calm, enjoyable swim and think about my technique during the swim. I was NOT going to be focused on speed. I was going to focus on sighting so I would not swim zig-zaggy. I wanted to enjoy my swims and gain some open water swimming confidence while at the same time increasing my swimming endurance.

I also wanted to cut down my time in transition.

The second event in May was a 1000m swim, a 16.7 mile bike and a 5.5 mile run.

I DID have a calm, enjoyable swim. I DID focus on my technique and sighting and I did NOT worry about speed in the swim.

I also cut down my time in T1 and T2.

Today's event was a .93 mile (1500m) swim, a 24.5 mile bike and a 6.2 mile run.

I Did have a calm, enjoyable swim - after I had a tense, unenjoyable start. The gun went off and I forgot about my goal and I went out too fast, and I got out of breath and I tensed up. I actually took a short breather hanging on to the lifeguard's paddleboard. She asked me if I was going to be okay and I said yes, I just needed to slow down and enjoy myself. She laughed and I swam on, and on, and on and on. But the rest of my swim was calm and enjoyable.

I did even manage to cut some time off my T1 time, even though I pulled a SWIMBIKEMOM. In her blog a while ago, SWIMBIKEMOM wrote how during a triathlon she had to go to the bathroom, but there was no porta-potties around, so she just said down on some grass and went.

I thought of SWIMBIKEMOM today when in T1 I was sitting on my towel, having just pulled off my wetsuit, and I knew that it was now or having to pull my bike over to the side of the road somewhere. Good news is that I can multi-task - pee while sitting on a towel while putting on my socks and bike shoes.

FYI - If there had been one of these in transition I would have used it instead.

The rest of my race was uneventful as I plodded along on the bike and the run, hoping to make it through without re-injuring my knee. Good News - no stiffness or pain at all!

My goal now is to train to get stronger and increase my endurance. I am going to work on my swim speed, while staying calm and having fun.

I am the one with the pink cap.