This past weekend I competed in the Kring & Chung Newport Beach Triathalon. It was a Sprint Triathalon so it consisted of a 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike and 3 mile run. I’ve been training for the past 4 months so I was definitely ready for it but it was hard!
One thing that definitely worked against me was the fact that I was training mostly at the gym. So when I swam that 1/2 mile in the Newport back bay, the salt water was making me sick and I think b/c of my nerves I was having a hard time controlling my breathing. About 1/2 way through I just realized I was going to have to breathe every other stroke, instead of the way I was training, which was every 3 or 5 strokes. The other challenge was trying to swim in a straight line from buoy to buoy.
Next came the bike. It felt good but again I wished I had trained more on a road bike. I had spent most (99%) of my training on the cycles at the gym. It would have been a lot more prudent to train on a bike and even on some hills. (There was 1 hill on the bike portion of the Tri and 1 on the run… tough stuff!)
Last was the run. My legs felt like jello right when I got off the bike. I was ready for that b/c people had told me it’d happen but it still feels pretty crappy. I was totally exhausted by the time I started my run but I chugged along and finished in 1 hour 43 mins and 20 seconds. Not bad for my first time but I know I can do way better 
One thing that really helped me was I bought a wetsuit at Triathalon Lab in Redondo beach. It really helps you float A LOT and makes the swim much easier. From what I understand a wetsuit gives you an advantage in the race no matter what. Also I barrowed my cousins Bianchi road bike. If I didn’t have that the bike portion would have been so much harder. That is a great road bike! I also bought Triathalon shorts and a cycling shirt from REI. Both weren’t completely necessary but they made the experience so much more comfortable so I’m glad I had them.
This week I started training for my next physical endeavor. It’s a half marathon in San Diego. Wish me luck!
-
- Standing on the beach at 6:45am.
-
- The Swim. 1/2 mile.
-
- Ready for part 2!
-
- What a bad ass :)
-
- Grabbin the bike and gettin ready for a 15 mile bike.
-
- So hard!
-
- At this point I’m pretty much exhausted.
-
- Sweet Victory!
-
- My number.
-
- My love :)
-
- Support team.
-
- Support team.
