Went to Myrtle Beach today and did my first after all this time and missing 2 other races I finally bagged one but...

well it was interesting 10 people had to be rescued and brought in out of the ocean we had 4-5 ft waves on our 750m swim, a head wind for 8 out of 13 miles on the bike, and a fun little run.

took 11th in my class, and 126 in males, 149 overall out of 280 racers

so why do I feel like I sucked, I swallowed so much salt water I actually drank my whole water bottle on my bike trying to rehydrate from taking in so much salt water, got to the 1 1/2 on the run and the had a water station if they hadn't i would not have made it. I had cotton mouth that whole 1 1/2 miles of the run.

23 minute 750m swim
41 minute 13 mile bike
28 minute 5k- which really pissed me off since I've ran sub 24 minute runs since July!

My transitons sucked I had 2-2 minute trans.

the swim was horrible i could barley walk after getting out that surf!

Your swim was much longer than mine, but other things were comparable. After a good first experience, I would definitely agree it's time to do it again!

I've never done open water, but enough of you tell me it's possible to do so without rescinding your resolve to Tri that I'm interested. Good work, despite the things to improve. We always find "a little more" we should do!

So you finished, well done! Now you have a base line to improve from

Congrats! Nerves had to play a huge role in your first...the rest will be easier. Always remember you are now in an elite crowd; the majority of humans on this planet can not finish a tri!

Thanks guys, I'm thinking of hiring a swim coach, well a tri coach. there was only 18 minutes between me and my class leader but i really need to improve my swim time. If the water wasn't so rough i would have been a little faster but my surfing experiance helped me too.

Definatley! You have made the transition from "I'm going to do a triathlon, to I am a triathlete" a lot of people will respect you for it. Good luck with the swim coach.

i'm still having a hard time calling myself a triatlete, i was holding out till i did my first race to buy a I TRI sticker but i guess i've finally earned it. i tried to sign up for another local one but they sold out sprint distance with 1480 people in it. I think i'll pass on that!

my dad took these and hes not a photographer, I'm making funny faces in almost all of them.


IMG_4253 by jetta-the-hut, on Flickr


IMG_4258 by jetta-the-hut, on Flickr


IMG_4248 by jetta-the-hut, on Flickr


IMG_4215 by jetta-the-hut, on Flickr

One always looks faster when one has no one else around...photog or not, some good shots here! Shape enough clay and eventually you will make the perfect pot...

I have some very non pretty photos from my 1st tri, coming out of T2 I look like a handicap child but I got there. I have a friend that does ironman (been to kona and the world long distance tri champs in germany recently) and he said that I was a triathlete having finish, even if i finished near the end of the pack at least I did it. It takes some serious determination to train, enter and complete a tri, now wear that title with pride!

YES! Congratulations! Sounds like some tough conditions in the water, way to press through. Enjoy the accomplishment as you gear up for many more!

You sound like me after I ran my first 5K last year but the bottom line is you finished in less than ideal conditions. You might not make the Guiness Book of Records but you accomplished something that 99% of the population wouldn't even dream of attempting.

I'm aiming for my first (sprint) tri next year - if I match your times I'll be exceedingly happy (my PB for a 5K is just under 29 minutes and that's without a swim or bike ride)

I am stoked about how i did, i did finish and I didn't drown,lol! The swim was a little nerve racking but the whole time I was in the water side storking I just kept telling myself like Nemo's friend Dory "Just keep Swimming,just keep swimming" i never stopped to rest and I never flipped over and floated I swam the whole way. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't freestyle but I sidestroked 80% of it and i never had to stop to rest. some defogger would have been nice too.

I have a 15k and a 10k coming up and I'm back upto 6-8 miles a night in my training so I'm ready to see how I improve on my next one.

2 rest days is enough after a sprint right? The 7 miles i did last night reminded me that I "CAN" do anything I set my mind to now, heck i just put my body through hell on Saturday and here I am training again 2 days later!

Assuming your tri wasn't a near death experience--meaning you had pretty solid fitness going in--two nights' sleep and one good day without training is quite enough. Perhaps a little lingering soreness, but competition is rarely at the level of physiological alarm that good training is.

I got back on it today as well (a little yesterday...but working unused muscles at least!) and it feels great to have the accomplishment under my belt and be right back to business.