Los Angeles Triathlon (Kaiser Permanente) - Olympic Distance - TriathlonOlympic

The swim went really, really well. I did much better than I expected to do. The first few hundred yards or so-to the buoy, were a bit crowded, but after the turn south things thinned out and I was really able to get into my groove and concentrate on my stroke. However, when I was really in my groove, I'd stop sighting, and go a bit too far out. One time I overcorrected and ended up swimming perpendicular to the course, but it was quick so I didn't lose much time. Also, I kicked maybe 50 times during the entire course, not sure how much of a problem that was. By the end of the swim, I was really feeling it and picking off people. I did a pretty good job of riding the waves, and didn't stop til I could catch sand. I came out of the water really happy with how I did, even without knowing my time, feeling great, and ready to hit the bike.

Hopefully sight a bit better. Maybe with more practice start further in front.

This is a definite weak spot for me. I seem to focus quite a bit on getting the sand off my feet. I brought an extra water bottle for this, but that just meant I spent more time trying to dry off. I gave up at some point and just got everything on and went. Also, I probably spent a minute packing my wetsuit back into my bag (required for point to point format of this race). I never did get my gloves on and put them in my pocket.

I don't know. I need to do something different, as 5 mins is way too long. I won't bother with bike gloves next time.

This is far and away my weakest leg, and I knew it going in. I'd set a rough goal of 90 minutes, knowing that I could go faster than that. I was, by a bit. I was, however, quite a bit slower than others with similar finishing times. One thing about this that was different than my other race, a quick sprint, is that I was never really tired. My legs were burning, but I was never winded at all. Maybe that is just the difference between running and biking, or maybe I wasn't going hard enough. With a few miles to go, I was really looking forward to the run, and felt I had it in me to do well on my feet.

Go faster? I need a lot of time on the bike and also some instruction. Maybe even a $3k bike!

I'm not sure why this took me a while-maybe b/c I had to run a ways with my bike in my shoes, which I've never done. It seemed to be an ok transition for me.

I don't know.

The run went very well. This may have been my best run ever, considering the two hour warm up and the nasty hill. I think on a flat course and all other factors being equal, I would have had a 10k PR. I felt great as soon as I started, and only felt bad on the hill. I may have had a bit left in the tank, as my last 1.2 miles were pretty quick. It was just impossible to judge effort with that hill-I could not have run up it any harder. I did a lot of cheering for fellow LA Tri Club members, and generally had a great time. I finished the run with a huge smile on my face.

Nothing, very pleased with the run.

Just stretching, cookies, fruit, and water.


My biking ability. I know I need more time on the bike and also some instruction, so I'm not worried with how I did. I will get better.


I had a great time on this race (my first olympic, second race), but there a few things that I can't get over, and probably will not do this race again. For one, they screwed up my age group, which caused me some stress that I probably could have gotten over. However, my results were then missing because of this (worked out within 48 hours). This wasn't a huge deal and I'm sure happens to others at every race. I do not like the point to point format, and would try to avoid it in future races. The entry fees + parking were very high. The worst part of the race, for me, was the condition of the roads. I bike all the time in West LA, Santa Monica, Malibu, Brentwood, etc. and do not have to deal with bad roads. These roads were bad from start to finish. Next year, I will be doing Malibu Olympic (which, this year, is just one week later).