Olympic versus Sprint

St. George Triathlon 2010

Last weekend was my first olympic distance triathlon since September 2007. Wow. That is even longer than I thought. I did not race at all in 2008 because I was pregnant with Max who was born in August. I decided to take things easy in 2009 and focus on sprint distance triathlons. I was not sure how much training I would be able to get in having 2 little boys (and one ultramarathoning big boy) and how long it would take me to get back in shape.

After racing a few sprints, I realized that they are super fun! Here is what I love about them:

Being able to go all out from start to finish.
No pacing involved.
No need to worry about nutrition.
Short recovery.
None of that 2-loop-stuff.
Empty finish areas. This means lots of food and no wait for a massage. Most everyone else is still out on the course!
If you are the winner, you are actually the first one to cross the line. Olympic distance winners just get swallowed up in the sprint crowd.

This year it was time to change things up a bit. While I would love to stick with sprints, I really feel the urge to go a little longer again. The reason why I have a love/hate relationship with olympic triathlons is because they hurt. By the time you are hurting in a sprint, you are pretty much to the finish line. In an olympic tri you are almost going as hard as in a sprint, but for a lot longer. However, I am ready for the challenge! I think...

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Sarah Borst Jarvis

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