2023 Sugarman Triathlon - PR 5K Run

An amazing race from start to finish. After having competed in 5 races for 5 weeks in a row, it was nice to have a 3-week break before this race, which I strongly believe paid off. I had a decent 500M swim (9:37) and a solid 15M bike (20.0 mph ave.). However, the highlight event was the run. I ran the 5K in 24:50 (8:00 pace), which is a current new PR for a triathlon! So first, the swim seemed to be surprisingly faster than expected, yet the overall rank didn't necessarily reflect that. Possibly the swim distance was shorter than 500M or there were fast swimmers out there.today. Either way, it was a good start to the race. The bike was above average, but a little more challenging than usual with more headwinds. Plus this was a new bike course, so possibly more headwinds for this new route. Either way, it felt good to hit a 20.0 mph average. The run started interestingly. So recently, I've been experiencing calf or hamstring cramps going out within the first 5-min of the run. Interestingly, once I eclipse the 5-min mark, usually I'm in the clear as cramps typically won't occur past this point. So having this knowledge, I paced myself somewhat but I did go out a little faster than usual since it's the last race of the year and I wanted to finish it strong. Not to mention I felt pretty good and I threw down some pickle juice as well as having a liquid IV electrolyte mix on the bike. All that being said, I still experienced the onset of a cramp in my right hamstring and fortunately I was able to slightly alter my run gait by externally rotating my right leg slightly changing the landing position to offset the cramp, which actually seemed to work and literally within a minute or two it went away and I was able to get back to normal running form. After that, I felt very good and being that this race was on October 1st, the weather was very suitable for a fast run being cooler and less humid (70-78°). It felt so exhilarating to pick up the pace on the back half of the run and I was so surprised, yet pleased with the final result once I crossed the finish line. In 2021, I remember I felt so stiff towards the end of the run and it was painful, whereas this time I felt so loose and it was actually a smooth but strong finish. It just felt so well orchestrated and executed and it was a wonderful feeling. Overall, it was a great race performance with today having a highly competitive field. I was grateful to have placed 5/17 in my age-group and was actually 0.2s away from 4th place! Congratulations to all those who raced today! Great weather and it was a fun race!