Checking my times. Prognosis?

Thanks!

Yes, the swim is open water and I'm okay with that. I have done it in my distant past, and I will have the opportunity to practice that this summer. For now, practice is all indoors.

I'll definitely look at how I can incorporate your advice.

Thanks again!

You are seven months out from your race and you've already completed the distances consecutively - that puts you ahead of at least 85% of first-timers. Congratulations!

I agree that increased focus on the bike (especially) and the swim would be good focus areas. You didn't list the specific distances for each leg, so there's no way to judge relative paces to see where you could see the most improvement.

I'm going to assume that you looked for races at least a few weeks ago...for an area as big as Chicagoland I would find it somewhat unbelievable that there aren't races at least monthly from April or May until at least September. If I were you, I'd search again to see if I could find something in the May timeframe to do, and then if you feel good about how that goes you can still contact the race director for the August race and jump up to the Olympic if you are feeling it

Good luck, and have fun! You only get one first time!

Hi Nicole,
welcome to the sport!
I did Chicago Tri (Sprint distance) last year and I loved it. I have couple of notes for you, as I were in your shoes exactly a year ago:

1. Good choice on starting with Sprint. You can always do Olympic (or even the Tripple Challenge next year).

2. There are many local events in Chicago area prior to that one, and those are very fun and could serve as a preparation for the big Chicago event:
- YMCA Leaning Tower sprint triathlon in Niles IL, in May (swim in the pool)
- Twin Lakes Sprint in Palatine IL, in June (swim in the lake)
- Esprit Sprint triathlon in Naperville, in June (swim in the lake)
- Glenview Sprint triathlon in Glenview IL, July (swim in the pool)

3. It would be great if you can do your activities outside, running and biking, to get a sense of how it is with the actual race. Try hills and turns on the bike especially. If Chicago bike route is in Lake Shore Drive, be prepared for ups and downs.... and the potholes

4. There is an Open Water Swim every Saturday morning (yes, even during winter) which is a great way to get some open water experience - and it all happens following the magnificent sunrise The guy who runs those meet-ups also has an open water swim clinic. On Saturday mornings as well.

5. The timing you provided: was it measured for each discipline separately, or one after another? It is important to practice couple of times one workout after another. Especially running after hard-core biking. Your legs may not feel like they belong to your body

Question for you: which discipline you feel is the strongest for you? Which one you feel is the weakest? I would suggest being as strong and comfortable in the water as you can, and practice different strokes, because water is no joke. You cannot predict waves, other people around you, or anything else that could happen. I do not want to scare you, but rather prepare you I had a major anxiety attack during the race and I do not want that to happen to anyone

keep us updated in your progress! I am anxious to see you there
Also, post your workouts in your log. There are plenty of experts here who can guide you and provide some feedback by checking your workout schedule.

Thank you! I was probably looking for 2016 races too early. I'm going to dig around and find some others. Great advice!

Oh, and that day I did my test, I did .5 swim, 15 miles bike, 3.2 run. I kept the transitions as short as possible, but had to get mostly dry before getting on the bike at the gym.

Thanks again!

Thank you, Mary! What great advice. I'm going to look into all of those races you mentioned. I'm about two hours south of Chicago, so anything within three hours of me is doable.

I'll definitely start posting my workouts.

Appreciate the help!
Nicole

Are you having fun? If so, then you're doing great.

I'll just add that I would keep track of your paces in each sport as you go. It's fun to look back at your progress as you get better and faster at each sport. If you want to have time goals for the race in September that's fine, but be prepared to revise them over the next several months.

Good advice, definitely. I wear a multi-sport watch and am keeping track of my paces. I am an info-junkie, so I wouldn't have it any other way.

I guess the point of my question was whether of not that kind of start would be a good base to have a successful sprint race. And I know, the question is, what does successful mean to me? Well, I don't doubt that I'll finish, which was my original goal. Now, I'm shooting for under 1:45, which is slow compared to so many, but a huge goal for me. Those times I posted were indoors (no weather, no hills, etc) and the transitions weren't quite as cumbersome as they will be at a race.

But, yes, I'm having a great time.

Thanks!

Mary!

That Naperville Esprit De She is EXACTLY what I need. Perfect timing and distance, plus it's a lake swim...good practice for Chicago. Looks like a fun event. And the sweatshirt is really cute.

Thanks for pointing me there!

Good, that means I will meet you there because I am going too!

I guess continue what you're doing and, as mentioned, have fun After your first race you will have an idea on what to change/improve. Also, the transition time is hard to predict in Chicago Tri: last year it was 500 m run (or walk for some) from water to your bike...
If you could, increase your training to AT LEAST twice a week for each discipline.

I'm going to try to do that. The swim is my favorite part but it's the hardest one for me to make happen for logistical reasons, but I'm going to make a serious effort to get more swimming in.

I look forward to meeting you in Naperville. I'll be the one bringing up the rear.