Race Report: 2022 Seaside Sprint Triathlon
19 Jun 2022 fitness
Summary
- What: Seaside Triathlon
- When: Sunday, June 12, 2022
- Where: Fairfield, CT
- Distance: Swim 0.5M, Bike 10M, Run 3.1M
- Strava activities: Swim, T1, Bike, T2, Run
- Finish time: 1:22:54
Discussion
I recently completed my first “official” triathlon! It was a ton of fun: the preparation, the anticipation, the race itself, the post-race celebration - everything. It’s safe to say I’m hooked.
I had a few goals for the race:
- Finish
- Don’t get injured
- Have fun
All of which I achieved, thankfully.
Going into the race, I was most nervous about the swim. It was my first time racing in the open water and I just knew I’d be too excited to pace myself. Sure enough, I went out a bit too fast and the swim was longer than expected, so I was breathing pretty hard by the end of it. I was light-headed during T1, especially while taking off my wetsuit, but was able to catch my breath and balance before taking off on the bike. The ride was cool and flat, as was the run, and it was over before I knew it.
Lessons learned:
- Swimming with other people is chaotic - stay calm
- It’s hard to swim staight - peek up every few strokes
- Expect to feel dizzy after the swim - go slow during T1
- Fitness watch goes on top of wetsuit, comes off during T1
- The wetsuit is easier to take off than anticipated - just pull
- Make sure to hit the “transition” button, not the “pause” button, next time
- Using the aero bars takes some getting used to - practice to avoid sore back
