First Sprint Completed! Brag Report

Hey All,

I just wanted to share my ecstatic results from a sprint tri I did yesterday! 1hr 31mins which is within my goal time. Here is the break down in how I went:

Pre-Race:
I was very anxious as this was my first OWS plus needing to do a straight 750m swim without breaks. Day was stunning with no wind and a beautiful clear warm morning. Couldn't have asked for a better day.

Swim:
Started out strong for about 50-80m doing freestyle until I inhaled/gulped sea water. All went very pear shaped. Because I couldn't regain focus, I completed the rest of the swim by backstroke. Attempted to get back into a freestyle rhythm without success so I gave up and decided I would just make it any which way possible. I was determined not to give up. Upon coming out of the water, I was very dizzy and felt extremely dehydrated all of a sudden. Very unnerving. I was also one of the last out of the water so I was feeling quite inadequate.
Time: 15mins 44sec (Fantastic time for someone who thought it would take longer)

T1:
Due to feeling all over the place, I shoved my bike shoes on and a t-shirt and got out asap. I had planned on wearing socks and putting on longer shorts but felt I was wasting time. Had some electrolytes to try and correct the dizziness.
Time: 3mins 3sec

Bike:
First 1km was a bit wobbly due to dizziness. Once this passed (with a bit of water and more electrolytes), I picked up speed and went hard on the bike. I over took many people which meant that I was gaining in time and placings. This made me feel a lot better since the swim went pear shaped. At the end of the bike, I upped the cadence to allow for a better run start.
Time: 42mins 52sec (could have been better - but happy with result)

T2:
Went into T2 strong - started taking off my bike shoes and as I pulled the left shoe off, I tensed my calf a bit too much and cramped it. Screamed in agony and started to wimper thinking that it was all over for the race. Marshall ran over to check I was ok and told me to rest a couple of mins while I sorted myself out. As I was determined to finish, I threw on some 3/4 pants to stop chaffing and threw on my runners (no socks) and got out and started out running slowly to allow my calf to relax into a rhythm.
Time: 2mins 38sec

Run:
This being my strongest of the three disciplines, I found this a lot easier than expected. Even though I was in a little bit of pain for the first km or so, I warmed up and it became easy. I found that I could just keep going and going. I over took more people and was feeling incredibly strong considering I had just completed two other disciplines. My only other issue was noticing blisters occurring from not wearing socks.
Time: 26mins 53secs (One of my faster 5km runs yet)

I completed this sprint to get an idea how I was going for my OLY coming up in March. After this - I feel I am so ready to do it. I have a bit to work on for the swim and need to possibly do more training rides - but overall I am more than impressed with my results. Always room for improvement - open to comments, questions and suggestions.