10 Things My Second Sprint Triathlon Taught Me

1. I actually felt a lot more like running about 10 minutes after the race then while I was doing the race.

2. The idea of post race food did not make me want to puke.

3. You can cut 15 minutes off your time even if your 5k run time is 5 minutes slower than the first one.

4. Biking in flip flops is A-OK and if you don’t have clipless pedals, it is MUCH better than biking in your running shoes!

5. Since they write the ages at the end of the year on everyone's right calf, I spent the whole 5k looking at the calves of the people that passed me to see how far behind I was getting. Then, for the rest of the day, I found myself checking the calves of everyone in front of me for their age.

6. Bring a bright streamer or tie thingy to mark your bike transition location so you can find it easily.

7. The people with kids will still forget the baby powder for their socks

8. A single French braid is perfect for racing with long hair

9. Body Glide will actually make your permanent marker body marked numbers bleed down your skin.

10. I don’t believe that the wetsuit made me much faster (though I understand that it is scientifically impossible for it NOT to make you faster), but it DEFINITLY gave me more confidence.


How I faired on my “5 Things to do before my second triathlon” goal list

1. Train for real (example: Lose 700 lbs)
A: I biked to and from work most days. I did not do much running or swimming. I lost 20 lbs…680 lbs to go before next triathlon.

2. Practice open water swimming using REAL swimming
A: Tried but the swim beaches were closed

3. Work on my “running a 5k while tired” time
A: That will still be a goal for next time as well

4. Find some sort of triathlon clothing so I don’t change during transitions
A: I bought some tri shorts on clearance at a running store and got a tri top for $10 off of ebay. Both performed very well.

5. Register early and by mail to save about $50.
A: This should always be a goal…yes?