My first triathlon is complete and I didn’t drown. That, in itself, makes it a success. 
The Smithfield Sprint Triathlon is a great event for first-timers as the 300m swim is in the Luter Family YMCA pool. It’s a “snake swim” with athletes starting at 15 second intervals going up and down each of the six lanes before exiting the pool and heading to the transition area. You’re seeded according to your estimated swim time which is obviously not an exact science. As the day goes on and the slower swimmers begin the swim, the pool becomes a bit more chaotic. Some folks doing backstroke, breaststroke, walking, pausing at the wall, etc. Just doing whatever they can to get through 300 meters. Having a very late starting time, unfortunately meant that I had several hours to sit around and worry about my own swim. As it turns out, I did OK. Swam each length pretty smoothly but spent a bit too much time at the wall on a few turns. In any case, I know what I need to work on and where I’d like to be in the future.
As expected, I was pretty strong on the bike but not doing any bike/run transitions made for a tough 5K. I knew the transition would be painful but I hoped that I could push through it. But it was not to be. Did way more walking than I had wanted or expected.
As it turns out, the overall results were a bit better than I expected. I placed 325 out of 548 and ranked 469, 180, and 372 on the swim, bike, and run segments. Obviously need to keep working on the swimming and it looks like it’s time to start working in some “brick” sessions. More importantly, I’m looking forward to the next one!