The Setup

I finally participated in and completed my first “triathlon”. After reading that you may be saying to yourself “J, why is triathlon in quotes?”. Well, while it was officially my first triathlon I did not get to participate in all three disciplines. Unfortunately the area was being hit by a nor’easter, causing that particular portion of the Atlantic Ocean to be extremely dangerous for swimming. This, of course, led to the swim portion being cancelled and rightfully so. The waves during check in were rough, between 4-6 feet tall, and breaking within 50 yards of the shore. You could see whitecaps to the horizon. While I was extremely disappointed that the swim was cancelled it was absolutely the right call. Oh well, on to the actual event.

The triathlon was on Vilano Beach, which is technically part of St. Augustine, FL. It was oddly cool that morning thanks to the nor’easter but I was happy for that, I hate being hot. My wife dropped me off at the event at a lovely 5:30 in the morning, then went back to get my daughter ready. I proceeded to look around lost and a little overwhelmed before I identified where the bike check-in and transition area. I quickly put my number on my bike (more on that later), then moved to check-in and to get my markings/timing chip.

It was easy to find my rack in the transition area and, luckily, I was on the end right next to a grassy area. I took my time in ensuring I had everything set up correctly, freaking out whether I racked the bike facing the right way, wondering if I was taking up too much room, etc.. After taking a few deep breaths I focused and went over everything I read regarding setting up your transition area. My bike, to my knowledge, was facing the correct way. I had a small towel down with my running shoes, cycling shoes, and socks for each on them. One gel was in each pair of shoes, just in case I felt they were needed. My bike helmet was nestled on the aero bars upside down, sunglasses sitting inside. Two water bottles were in the rear cages of the bike, one containing Tailwind’s Blueberry Lemon endurance fuel while the other had a packet of Mortal Hydration margarita. I know this may have been overkill for a sprint but I sweat A LOT and I would much rather be safe than sorry.

Satisfied that I set up my gear correctly I left the transition area and walked around a bit, stretching while waiting on my wife and daughter arrived. Once there they hung out while the olympic distance athletes started, giving me a preview of what to expected in the transition area.

Finally it was time for the sprint distance athletes to get ready. Even though the swim was cancelled we still started on the beach, acting as if we were transitioning from the swim portion to the cycling portion. Apparently this was to allow the organizers to still report the results as a triathlon to the USAT. I stood in line waiting on my turn to run up the wooden ramp, over the dunes, and into the transition area. They were starting us in groups of two, fifteen seconds apart. Let me tell you, my heart was racing due to nervousness. I don’t take pre-workout but if I did my heart may have burst through my chest. Then I heard “Go” and I was off!

The Swim – T1 and Cycling

I will say I was slow in getting my cycling shoes and helmet on, taking my time to ensure I did everything right and would not get a penalty. I also did not run out with my bike but I did do a pretty impressive speed shuffle/walk. Once I exited the transition I mounted my bike and was off.

The cycling route was a simple out and back on a relatively straight road with a total of four turns. There were a couple of intersections but the local police department was there to stop traffic whenever us cyclist were approaching. Once I was past the last turn on the leg out (they were right at the start/end) I moved into aero position and did my best to enter my “zen” state. I will say that the cycling portion made me the most nervous in regards to penalties, specifically regarding no drafting and the time you have to pass someone. When approaching another cyclist, as soon as I felt I was about four bike lengths away, I would move to the left so I was not in their slipstream and hammer the pedals a little harder. I wanted to ensure I passed them in the allotted time. Either there was never an official that witnessed me doing this incorrectly or I actually did it right but no warnings or penalties were assessed. Yay!

Overall it was a great cycling leg. I know I am far from alone in this but I definitely push myself harder during race time than while training and I could feel it in muscles (in a good way). While I know am I not the fastest cyclist I was amazed at how fast some of the athletes were passing me. I’d be going a good 20 mph and they would come flying by, at least at 27 mph (my judgement may be WAYYY off). It definitely made me realize I need more time in the saddle. I wanted to push myself harder each time I was passed but I willed myself not to, remembering that my goal was just to finish since it was my first triathlon.

T2 and Running

I was nervous coming back into the transition area but had no issues, unclipping and easily sliding off as I came into the transition area. Quickly racking my bike, I swapped out my shoes and put on my headband, then took off. I quickly realized I did not drink much water prior to starting or during the cycle, unfortunately the water station was a little over a mile into the run. I sucked it up and took a gel, which I do NOT recommend without water. It’s amazing how thick they get without water.

My run felt slow but good, around a 10-ish minute mile. I thought my legs would feel like jelly coming off the cycling leg but they felt surprisingly good. Really good actually, much better than just moving into a run. Other than that it was really an un-eventful run. I came through the finish line and was not out of breath as I expected.

Final Results and Thoughts

I finished 40th overall, out of 96 athletes. I was 3rd in my age group, which was a nice surprise. My final time was:

1:55 – T1 (How? Did not feel that long at all)
35:00 – Cycling
1:41 – T2
28:42 – Running
1:07:51 – Final time

First triathlon verdict: Absolutely addicted and cannot wait for my next one!

Key Takeaways
It’s easy to stress out, at least for me. Nerves are normal but do not let them get in the way of enjoying yourself.
Keep in mind that, no matter how much you prepare, things may go off the rails. While this did not occur to me I passed three cyclists having bike issues. Two of them appeared to be flat tires, I’m not sure what was wrong with the third cyclist but I saw them walking their bike back to the transition area.
Drink plenty of fluids. Due to my nerves the only fluids I had in me until the run was coffee. It was not pleasant having dry mouth while running.