Ever the competitor, he tried to run as fast as he could out of the second transition. His plan was to hold that pace throughout the entire 10K run. Though the concept sounded good in his head, but his body simply could not hold the pace. He began to fall apart after only two miles and his feet ached with every step. Forced to a walk/jog between sitting down at the aid stations, he finished the race near the back of his age group.
Humbled, he said there was a list of things he'd do differently:
- Do the first race for fun and forget about placement goals;
- Save the beer for post-race activities;
- Control portion size at the pre-race meal;
- Ride more conservatively so he could have energy left for the run;
- Wear socks and time-tested shoes for the run as he had three blisters on each foot from no socks and new shoes;
By avoiding some of the common newbie triathlon mistakes, you can make your first race a memorable event in the positive way.
More: 7 Tips for Triathlon Newbies
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About the Author
Gale Bernhardt was the USA Triathlon team coach at the 2003 Pan American Games and 2004 Athens Olympics. She's worked as a World Cup coach and delivered education training for the International Triathlon Union's Sport Development Team. Thousands of athletes have had successful training and racing experiences using Gale's easy-to-follow training plans. You can find some of her training plans on Active Trainer to help you succeed.
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