I am officially registered! This will be my 5th year (!!!) competing in this race and I hope to continue this streak for as long as possible.

The Triathlon by the Sea was my first ever triathlon back in 2009 and I remember being so nervous before starting the race. When we lined up to start the swim (which snakes an indoor swimming pool) the guy behind me said that the swim was the easiest part so not to worry. I have always been a strong swimmer but there was something about being in the pool with lots of other swimmers that gave me butterflies.

Before I knew it the swim was over. When I made it to T1 my new friend was there are well and he then told me that the run was the hardest part. Oh great I thought, now I have a 10 mile bike ride to think about how the hardest part is yet to come!

I don’t remember if I did all that well on the bike that year but I do remember that I rode my mom’s circa 1978 bicycle. It was not the most efficient bike and I have since purchased a new one but I’d like to give props to my Dad for fixing that beauty up so it could actually cover the 10 miles!

Every year I look forward to the race because it usually marks the beginning of real Spring weather. There have been years where the weather hasn’t been all that Spring-like (rainy, 50 degrees) but when you compete in a triathlon you swim first so you are already wet. Who cares if its raining?

This race is a sprint triathlon and I truly believe that anyone can compete in this type of race (as long as you can swim). This is the perfect race for first timers (like me 5 years ago) because it is extremely well run and each segment (swim, bike and run) and all short.

Triathlon by the Sea Broken Down:

Swim – 1/8 mile in an indoor pool. This equals 10 lengths of the pool (which is average sized). If you can swim for about 5 – 8 minutes straight, you can handle this race.
Bike – 10 miles on rolling hills (according the the event website) These hills are pretty steep in my book. Every year I vow to ride the course a couple times pre-race but I never make it out there 😦 This year will be the year!
Run – 3.5 miles on a flat course. There is one hill toward the end but if you read your participant packet you know that the hill is right before the home stretch so instead of a burden it is more of an accomplishment that you have nearly completed a triathlon!

My main goal is always to finish this race but if I happen to PR this year (wink wink) I would be very happy with myself!