My First Tri

Hawk Island Triathlon
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Sports

Race info: Hawk Island Triathlon
JHagerman

Hawk Island Triathlon
2008-06-01
Lansing, Michigan
United States
Sunny

Triathlon - Sprint
Total Time = 1h 09m 14s
Overall Rank = 102/500
Age Group = 24-29
Age Group Rank = 11/34


Pre-race routine:

Swimming was my main focus over the last few weeks as I needed a lot of improvement. I regularly run and bike.

Event warmup:

1.5 mile run apx 30 minutes prior to race start. 3 or 4 minute swim just prior to heat starts.


Swim

Comments:

I started great! Passed a few people then got too excited and lost focus of my breathing. I turned to my back for about 10 seconds and restarted my swimming. This happened twice. I finished the swim well, not strong, but well. I was glad to realize how *quick* the swim went.

What would you do differently?:

Need more OWS experience and practice with other people. I gotta remember to focus on my breathing when I get excited and lengthen my stroke/stride.


T1

Comments:

I started removing my wetsuit, goggles and cap right after exiting the water.

My hand-me-down biking shoes suck and I had a problem getting the strap to stay tight. I realize that I could have spent less time in T1 if I had new shoes. My shoes also were quite slippery when walk/running out of T1.

I was pretty excited to realize that I had just completed the first leg of my first tri!

What would you do differently?:

Buy new shoes.


Bike

Comments:

Rode hard. I pushed hard on the bike, hoping to make up for my slow swim. I was able to dig deep in the hills thanks to the course I've been training on.

I kept an avg cadence of 90rpms. A few times on the flat and downhill areas I knew I could go faster in a higher gear so I shifted up.

What would you do differently?:

I wonder what options I have to make my bike faster? It's an old 70's model Fuji road bike, so it's already pretty light. But I cannot afford a new bike, yet...


T2

Comments:

I wasn't quite as fast as I'd hoped to be during T1 so I tried to move more quickly during T2. Again I had a strap issue with one of my shoes. Overall I was happy.

What would you do differently?:

I had my transition are noted well, but I think I may try to use my daughters sidewalk chalk next time. That may help me find my bike / transition area a bit faster.


Run

Comments:

My calves started to cramp just into the run. I figure I used gel too late into the bike. I've had this happen with longer rides recently so I was kind of prepared for it. I knew that I could just run through it and eventually the cramping would settle. It did. Then I found my grove!

I found myself digging deep up the small hills and cruising along the boardwalk. Then I saw a photographer, gotta look like I'm pushing it here. Running back into the woods and into Scott's Woods I know that I was making good time. After the turn around I looked at my watch. I've run here quite a bit, I know it doesn't take me 6 minutes to run that back stretch back to the finish line.... I make just run my fastest 5k...

I see the finish - there's my wife and daughter, gotta go a bit faster to impress them! Then the rest of the crowd, clapping - I see some guy kneeling next to the course and he looks at me and yells 'good pace, keep it up until the finish line' I think to myself, I have some reserve in me. Then I wonder if pushing too hard now will make me sick. Just finish the run... HECK NO! This is my first tri! I'm gonna finish strong even if I do puke. I pushed harder and lengthened my stride. I felt like I was flying past the guy who told me to keep my pace.

'155 Jeremy Hagerman' I hear the announcer. That's me, I did it, I ran my first triathlon. I looked at my watch - I just ran my fastest 5k ever... after swimming and biking.

What would you do differently?:

Nothing!


Post race

Warm down:

An easy walk. Nothing too intense.


What limited your ability to perform faster:

When I lost focus of breathing in my swim, and cramping calves at the start of the race. I wonder what my time would have been without the cramping.



Swimming
00:08:54 | 400 yards | 02m 13s / 100yards

T1
Time: 02:48


Biking
00:31:47 | 10 miles | 18.88 mile/hr


T2
Time: 01:16


Running
00:24:31 | 03.1099 miles | 07m 53s min/mile