Lessons Learned

A real recap to come later but until then this is what I learned yesterday during the race:

1. Spend more time in the pool the next few weeks before Steelhead. A little more time (i.e. more than one freaking day in the water a week) will have tons of benefits come August 5th.

2. New tri shoes are not conducive to putting on while on the bike. The time saved in transition was not worth it, as the effort and time spent on the bike was ridiculous.

3. Avoid running directly into someone's feet going around buoy's. Slow down around the curves if someone is in your way. You won't gain any speed, especially if you get kicked in the face and have to put your goggles back on.

4. Get tinted goggles. (Clear goggles didn't cut it when the sun was in direct line of sight, good luck finding buoy's or anything else when you are blinded by the sun!)

5. Take it easy on the run. You're going faster than you think.

6. Don't run through sprinklers as tempting as it may be. 4 pound sopping wet shoes are not conducive to running 13 miles.

7. Heat may call for different nutrition strategy. Get out in the heat and figure out what sits well in your stomach.

8. Make sure that chip is on, and if you think it is falling off in the swim oh well. There is nothing you can do about it at that point. Don't waste time checking on it during the swim. Check it in T1. Perhaps a safety pin?

20 comments:

Iron Jayhawk said...

Nice tips... :)

Brian said...

You could avoid being kicked by not letting anyone in front of you!! Or being slower than everyone else, like me : )

mouse said...

I was so, so confused by the new name, but now that I know it's you I LOVE IT! it's perfect for your speedy self!

Meredith said...

I don't understand why the tinted goggles?

RobbyB said...

Careful with the tinted goggles. Some can get really dark, and in murky water could prove to be a disadvantage. Some other color may help block the sun but maintain in-water visibility.

And I agree with the sprinklers. Like you point out in #2, the cooling affect of the water isn't worth the weight and potential blisters from running in wet shoes. I'll soak my hat from time to time to keep the noggin cool.

TriBoomer a.k.a. Brian said...

All good tips and a good performance assessment. Let's hear the full recap.

Stay tuned...

Cliff said...

I find the first 10 min off the bike into the run is always the bad. I just keep telling myself....wait, the body will get use to it. Then after a while...get those run legs back and everything is peachy (as peachy as u can be after a long bike ride).

Steven said...

Nice tips. And it sounds like you learned some good things for future races!

Papa Louie said...

Thanks for the lessons learned info. You probably still rocked that race.

Trifrog said...

Try swimming a little wide of the buoys. EVERYONE else goes for the inside and you'll be all alone and not need to slow for anyone as you swim around them.

Vickie said...

You did great, don't be so hard on yourself!

A. M. Mericsko said...

I hope all went well!

Anonymous said...

hope you had fun...and that is wasn't as freaking hot as it is here...

Jessica DeLine said...

Wow! can't wait for the full recap!

Trisaratops said...

I totally hear ya about the soggy sneakers--some little kid was a little too happy to hit me with the hose and hit my SHOES--squish squish squish :) OOPS! Hope the race went well in this heat! Can't wait to hear the recap.

Afternoon Tea With Oranges said...

Elizabeth - OMG - it is so weird that so many of those points are the same EXACT things I have been thinking and learned during my Tri yesterday!

Pharmie said...

Sounds like you are definitely learning. My two cents: I lost my chip in the swim during my first tri, so now I always use two safety pins to keep it secure. Also, my clear goggles are "metallized" (sp?), and they seem to block the glare off the water better. The lakes up here are pretty green, and I'd never see anything if my goggles were tinted. Love the new name!

BuckeyeRunner said...

all good points, to be sure...can't wait to hear the real deal.

Michele said...

Wish this post had come BEFORE my race yesterday!
Look forward to the full recap.

liz said...

Hey there,

A little while back I blogged about this post on ThisNext.com (check it out at http://blog.thisnext.com/blog/triathlon-tips.html). ThisNext recently started a month-long private beta and I'd love to invite you to come to the site and make a list of your favorite fitness and health products (and any other products you love).

Clicking this link will get you into your account: http://www.thisnext.com/invitation/9058-1254-6294. It’s a one-time URL that’s only for you, so it can’t be shared.

Once you sign up, you can get started on making a list of your favorite products and telling everybody why you love them – just like Hans Rey has done here: http://www.thisnext.com/list/B3415DD3/How-I-Gear-Up. After your list is made, you can see what other likeminded members are recommending for you. It’s a perfect way to great product recommendations from a community of people whose interests, tastes, and values are in sync with your own.

ThisNext will also help you attract more traffic, since your list will link to your blog.

One small favor: We’re asking the bloggers that we invite to please NOT post about the project until our public launch in August. We’ll let you know when.

Hope to see you around the ThisNext neighborhood. Please let us know how the site’s working for you - we’re still working on it!

Thanks,
Liz

P.S. Don’t hesitate to email me any questions! (lizbarker77@gmail.com)