Troika Sprint Triathlon

Last weekend, I made the last-minute decision to register for the local Troika sprint triathlon, signing up the day before the race. I have only done a sprint triathlon once before, and it was about eight years ago, with absolutely no running or swimming prior to the event. I do not recommend that method of race prep. The sprint distance is tough for me because I am not the strongest swimmer, but I figured this local race would be good race experience for me since I am still so new to triathlon.

By the time I arrived at the race venue, most of the bike racks were already full. This left me with the second-to-last rack, which was quite a distance from the entrances/exits to the transition area. Perhaps that's why people arrive so early to triathlons!

Starting the swim, it was weird to think of just how short the swim would be, and that portion of the race went by very quickly. I was a couple minutes back from the first woman after the swim.

I made the long run out of the transition area with my bike, and quickly settled into the bike. I found myself catching several women, until I was the first woman on the course. 

As I racked my bike and left the transition area on foot, I could see another woman heading in from the bike. Her racking position was better than mine, but I tried not to worry about that and just began running. I felt decent on the run, but looked back once and could see someone coming up on me. I knew I could only do what I could do, so just kept running. Around two miles into the run, the other woman caught me, and I could not do the pace she was running. It was a bummer, but I still had a decent run and finished 2nd overall in a distance that is not my strong suit.