I Tried Clip-In Pedals And Ate Pavement

Your body can be ready, and you can still get humbled by a borrowed bike, unfamiliar gears, and one tiny detail you forgot to practice. I’m Leonilla Campos, a registered dietitian and founder of Field by Leo, and I’m breaking down my sprint triathlon experience from start to finish: what went well, what surprised me, and what I would absolutely do differently next time.

I share the backstory of my first triathlon seven years ago, why swimming felt like the scariest part, and how returning to the sport as a busy parent changes the whole mental game. You’ll hear the real race-day stuff people skip: pre-start anxiety, counting pool laps, scrambling through transitions, and that brutal moment when you step off the bike and your legs feel like rocks.

We also get into endurance nutrition and triathlon fueling from a plant-based angle. I explain why I increased carbohydrates to support training and glycogen recovery, what foods helped me feel better in workouts, and how I think about vegan protein sources like tofu and shakes while still keeping meals balanced.

If you’re curious about sprint triathlon training, beginner triathlon tips, bike fit basics, or building big goals toward an Olympic triathlon and an Ironman, this one will give you an honest blueprint. Subscribe, share this with a friend training for their first race, and leave a review with your biggest triathlon question.

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to this podcast and share with a friend. If you would like to know more about my services, please message at fueledbyleo@gmail.com

My YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SqBP44jMNYSzlcJjOKJdg

Transcript

Why I Raced Again

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey hey everybody. So uh so nice to be back. It's been a few weeks since my last episode. Uh I promise I haven't forgotten about you. It's been quite busy, uh even though I have like topics that I want to talk to you about. But uh today's topic is actually something that I did this past weekend on Saturday that I've been training not for a long time, but some a few weeks you would say. And that's I did a sprint triathlon. So I wanted to talk to you about talk to you about my experience. If you don't know who I am, my name is Leonilla Campos. I am a registered dietitian and founder of Field by Leo. And so yes, on today's episode, it's a little bit uh different, but also so aligned with everything I teach and everything I do. I want to walk you through the full experience of my triathlon, what went well, what surprised me, and what I would do differently. Now I did this sprint uh this super sprint triathlon about seven years ago. I think my oldest son was maybe two. It was definitely before COVID. I remember so my sister Maria, who always challenges me, which is great, you need someone to challenge you and to tell you you can totally do these. Uh, she told me, hey, let's do a triathlon. It's in Vysalia, it's at the pool. And so I trust her. And I said, okay, let's do it. And so we trained together, right? We we both are runners. We've been running for such a long time. So we were not worried, we were not worried about the running. I was definitely worried about the swimming and the cycling. So I knew how to float, I knew how to not drown, but I had never done like laps in a pool, right? So back then, when she said, hey, we're going to do this race, we're gonna train

My First Triathlon Seven Years Ago

SPEAKER_00 1:50

at the pool at G V3. And so I think we would meet each other like maybe twice, twice a week. Uh, first thing in the morning, and we were swim, right? We were swim laps. I remember the first day when I did it, she, you know, did the laps, and uh halfway, halfway off the pool doing a lap, I was like, Oh my gosh, I'm drowning. Like I was holding my breath. I didn't know like how to do the proper strokes. And then she said, you know what, you just need to relax and you just need to breathe to the side. So she gave me the tips that she knew, right? And I said, Okay, let's give it a try. And I want to say we maybe trained for a month or so. So we would swim twice a week together, and then we were cycle like maybe on Saturday or Sunday, and then we were run throughout the week, right? Uh, because again, running was something that we we were already doing. So the race, when we did the race, I remember I was so nervous. It was at the pool, which was great, right? Because open water probably I wouldn't have been able to do it. And and yes, the the swimming was really hard for me. I don't even know how I did it because I'm sure my technique was horrible. But I think, you know, I got out of the pool whenever I did, and then I got on the bike and and I did really well on the bike, and then I did pretty good on the running. I wish I kept my time. I don't have that, so I don't have comparison to like be like, oh, I improved so much. But surprisingly, I got first on my age group, right? Which then I was uh early 30s. So that was exciting, right? And and something surprising because, you know, I didn't have experience in the swimming uh category. And so my goal after I did that was like, okay, I really, really liked it, right? It was challenging, but I think I can do a few more, right? Or I can um train or whatever. But um, I still had a little one and um I was also planning on starting a business. And so yeah, life just happened and um I never I never trained for one. I stayed busy, you know, training, exercising, strength training, running here and there, not cycling. So I don't know. Some something like last month, maybe at the beginning, maybe at the end of March, I was like, man, I should do another sprint triathlon, right? I should just really think about it and like just just go for it. Because I had been swimming already, right? I had been going to swim classes twice a week, just just to learn techniques, right? Just for another added exercise, another type of exercise. So I said I should do better in the swimming now that I know the technique, now that I know how to breathe properly and not hold my breath. So I I kept my routine, right, of running, you know, once or twice a week, and doing the stationary bike, the Peloton bike once a week, and the swimming, of course, twice a week, and then strength training in between. So I said, you know what? I'm just gonna do it. I signed up. I don't I didn't have a bike to

Signing Up Without A Real Bike Plan

SPEAKER_00 4:48

to do the race. And so I'm like, oh man, I asked my sister, her bike wasn't working. So I asked a swimmer, uh a swimmer mate, right? And so Alyssa, thank you so much for letting me borrow your bike. But I didn't end up having no practice, right? Because I I procrastinated. I have to tell you, I did procrastinate on getting a bike. So I didn't have, I didn't feel comfortable, right? I didn't learn the bike, I didn't practice the transitions from swimming to cycling to running, right? I did uh practice transitioning from cycling to running from the stationary bike, which is completely different, right? But I at least you kind of get the idea of like, okay, this is how my legs will most likely feel. And so when I was practicing with the bike, right, which was really light and that was really good, um, we I got the the clip-on pedals, and I do have clip-on shoes, um, but I have never done clip-on pedals. And so you can imagine the disaster there. So I'm practicing and my husband is helping me. So he's giving me some tips, right? Of like, okay, just make sure to do this and remember to unclip, obviously, before you like completely stop. So as he's giving me a tip, and we're doing this on the concrete, right, in in the backyard. And so somehow I I don't I don't know what I did. You know, so the accidents happened, and you're like, I don't even know how that happened. So I turn the wheel and like I go into like thinking that I can put my left foot down, which is the foot that is that has the the clipped onto the bike. And so obviously I fail, right? Because I couldn't put my foot down. I had to unclip first. Oh my gosh, it was so fast. My husband was like so worried, like, are you okay? Are you sure? And I'm like, Yeah, I'm okay. And at the at the moment you're okay, right? Because the adrenaline and like the endorphins, and you're like, wow, how did this happen? So I get off the bike and I see my knee bleeding, right? It's not a lot, but it was bleeding, right? It was a a scratch that I got, and like part of my leg was scratched, and then my wrist was hurting a lot. And so I'm like, man, this sucks. And now I'm now I have

Clip-In Pedals Crash And Switching Plans

SPEAKER_00 6:52

this fear, right, of these clip-on shoes and the race is going to be next weekend. So it was just so interesting, like all the things that you think about because you're not prepared, right? Because you think that you're prepared, but you haven't really been prepared. So um I say, you know what? It is what it is. Uh, I cannot do the clip on shoes because I don't haven't practiced and I don't want to injure myself, right? Because I haven't done something. So I I made the decision of running or riding the bike with just my shoes, my running shoes, right? And the clip on pedals. I practiced that a little bit, like a couple, a few days, and I said, well, I can I can totally do it, and that's what's gonna, that's what we're gonna do. So nutrition-wise, right, uh, I created a plan to make sure that it was like endurance-based, right? And that I was fueling myself properly and I was recovering my glycogen. And I probably will do an episode just on nutrition and like my nutrition because it will take a little bit more time.

Carbs, Fueling, And Vegan Protein

SPEAKER_00 7:52

But I increased my carbohydrates significantly, right? And I added more white rice, more white potatoes, more bagels, which is is very interesting because prior to training for this triathlon, right, I was more into like whole grains and brown rice, uh, just a small amount, and because I was maintaining, right? That was just my my maintenance nutrition. But with that change and that higher need for glycogen, right, and training, doing two to three uh workouts a day, I needed that, uh I needed that feel, right? Because you're using a lot. And you know your body more than anyone. And so I knew that my body needed those the the extra nutrition. And I could see the difference in my performance, right? After my swims, I wasn't feeling like so drained or like dizzy or nauseous, right? Or as nauseous. Sometimes I still feel nauseous, but that's a whole different story. So that that has really helped, right? Just being able to feel okay with like increasing the carbohydrates and choosing, you know, more white rice and choosing more uh, you know, bagels to fuel my workouts, right? Because that's essentially what I'm doing. I'm eating to fuel my workouts, of course, still balancing things out, right? Not forgetting my vegetables and my fruits and most definitely my protein. I definitely have to do an episode on protein as a vegan triathlete because I don't eat any meat. So all my protein sources are coming from, you know, my protein shakes in the morning when I had it, and tofu, right? That has been my staple. I can make it in so many ways. Uh, almond butter, a little bit, right? A protein with some of those healthy fats. So I have been able to maintain some, you know, the strength that I have that I have built when I was just focusing on strength training. But coming back to like the day off, right? I didn't, as I say, as I mentioned, I didn't have a time to compare to because I I can't maybe if I reach out to the organizers and see if I can get a time from last time when I did it. But this time, right, my total time for the race was an hour and 53 seconds. And so I wanted, I I didn't even have a target, right? I I said, you know what? I just want to be able to do it, complete it, and feel good about it. So the time right now doesn't, you know, I don't know. What I was interested, right, is that when I got into the pool,

Race Morning Nerves And The Swim

SPEAKER_00 10:12

or actually on our way to the pool, right, to the event, I think the day before actually, I put my the watch that I have, my garment, doesn't allow me to do like multi-sport, as my other watch that I had when I did that race, right? Where I could put trial on and it would track everything. And so I had to create like individual events, and so I thought I did that. And so when I got was ready, getting ready to um to start, right? I they allowed us to get in the pool after the men finished uh swimming, and so we were able to warm up, right? So I was able to warm up a few laps just to feel ready and just so I could chill out because I was getting really anxious. My heart rate was like racing and I was feeling shaky and like so like just not well, right? So getting in the pool actually helped uh to just be calm and like take some deep breaths. And so I I go in and I click on the on the watch, right, to track my swim. And so as I'm going, like, because we have to do 400 meters, right? It was a 400-meter swim, nine-mile bike, and a 2.2 mile run. So that's like the super sprint triathlon. And when I was halfway, right, in the pool, we needed to do 16 laps. And so when I was halfway, it like it it changed, it did something. And I was like, oh no, like it probably it's like messing up with my times. So at that point, I was like, you know what, I'm not gonna worry about trying to track the swim because it's not gonna be accurate. And so I finished the 400 meters. We had, thankfully, we had people, volunteers, telling us when the ate, when the 16 laps were done, because I lost count. I lost count at like maybe 10 when I had done 10 laps, right? And I was like, oh my God. So I'm thankful that they had someone counting the laps for us. So I get I'm trying to get out of the pool and like I'm struggling, right? Because it's not like, oh, let me go and like, you know, use the stairs. Like you have to get out of your line of your lane and like run right to your next event, to your next transition. So I was struggling and I was like, okay, I was able to get out, and I just needed to wipe down a little bit and put my shoes on, my my socks and my running shoes and my belt that had my bib, my helmet, and then leave, right? I had my water and I was like, I was hydrating a little bit, and then I was gone, right? But it the bike was difficult in the sense that I didn't know the gears, right? Again, because it's it was a newer bike and I didn't have a chance to like practice a lot. I couldn't find the right cadence, right? I couldn't find the right gear

Bike Fit Problems And Heavy Legs

SPEAKER_00 12:45

to like just like be be able to like pedal and have uh like feel strong, right? So I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna focus on like what I have now and like do my best, right? And then they I didn't fix the what is the the handles, right? To to like I didn't fit it properly. And so my back was hurting and I was having a pinch and I was like, oh, I can't like stop and like fix things. So anyway, lots of things that you that you don't think about until you actually do it or you practice, right, to make sure that things go well. So I finish the bike, right? And I get ready and the transition from the bike, even though it's only a little bit of miles, right? Nine miles, but getting off that bike and like walking it, right? Because you have to get off the bike before you like really go into the transition area. Man, that is hard. I felt like my legs were like rocks, right? That I was like, oh my gosh, let's go, legs. It was really hard to just like get off the bike and like keep going to you know drop off the bike. But you just have to adjust and the breathing, right? Like my breathing was like high. My heart rate was high. So I put the bike away and I just needed to do that and uh and hydrate, right? Because obviously I didn't want to take my water bottle with me. And then started there running. So it I started slow, right? I don't know, it's your body has to use my breathing was like out of control. So I was like, okay, take it easy, take a deep breath, you're gonna be okay. This is the last event, right? So uh I was able and it was getting hot. Um so I was able to just like pace myself, right? I didn't need to feel like add anything because it was such a you know what it wasn't taking me hours, but I did grab a date and I was able to eat that and that felt good, right? I was able to get a little bit of energy from it. And so I was able to do the first mile in like eight minutes and 34 seconds or so. So I said, okay, this is good. As long as I, you know, keep these going, I should be fine. And you know, as I as I'm coming into the second mile and like in going into the finish line, I wanted to like sprint, right? But man, I was I was having a hard time. So I finished and I was like, okay, hold on. That that that was it. But it was really nice just to see, you know, my boys and my husband just waiting there for me and like cheering me on. I honestly

The Run, The Finish, And Family Support

SPEAKER_00 15:05

thought, you know, I'm just gonna do it's close to home, right? Like 45 minutes away where I did the the spring trial. And I can do it myself, right? Like I can go by myself, not a problem. Uh, and I had already kind of made that choice because, you know, I didn't want to wake up the boys so early or have them be waiting there. But it makes such a huge difference, right? Just being able to see them into the transitions and as I did every single event, it was like a motivator, right? Of like, man, I feel so proud that that they're here and they're seeing me uh compete, right? So that was really nice to just see them and meet them at the finish line. So, and I think about this, you know, as a busy parent and like just for any other parent, any other mom that has a lot on on their plates, right? But they're still managing to like take care of themselves or like if there's something that they really want to do, like they're making it happen. So yeah, it was it was really neat. I I think, you know, once once everybody came in and and you know, you smile at the other participants and they said oh, we're gonna do the awards pretty soon. And they said, Oh, we have well because they have the different ages, right? You have your overall. And so I was uh pleasantly surprised that I was I got first place on my age group, right? Different category this time around, since I, you know, almost exiting the 30s. But another mom got second place, right? And it was just so beautiful to see that men, without saying words that, right, without like knowing this other mom, like we knew the work that it takes, right? We knew that there are things that that probably we have sacrificed time, sanity at times, right, to put in the work. And so we we embraced, right? Like again, we didn't know each other, but you you don't need sometimes you don't need words, right, to recognize the hard work to and just to be like so happy for this other person. Um and I think that was such a highlight too of the event, just being able to

Age Group Win And Parenting Perspective

SPEAKER_00 17:09

see that, right? That, hey, this is not easy, right? It's not easy as as a parent, as a busy person, because you have to plan things out, right? But it doesn't mean that it's impossible. So if you really want to do something, right, you can absolutely make it happen. And yeah, so that's a little bit in the nutshell about you know my sprint trial one. And I'll be I'll be definitely doing a a video, right? A YouTube video where you can see some of the pictures. My husband was able to get some footage, right, of my transitions and and just like the a little bit of the event, which is really nice. Uh what else here? Yeah, what's next? I've been thinking about this a lot, even before I did the this sprint trial son is that I have always been wanting to do a full Ironman, right? And and so of course I don't expect myself to just go for it and like just do it without the training, right? This is this is a lot of work. And I'm I'm someone that like wants to that likes to train and like be ready. And so some of the lessons I I learned by doing this is like you have to make sure that your bike is is fitted, right? That you feel comfortable on the bike, especially as the mileage increase. And so my next one is to do an Olympic, right? An Olympic Olympic triathlon. So that's coming up sometime in the summer. And then by the end of the year, my goal is to do a half Iron Man, right? 70.3. And by the end of next year, my goal is to do a full Iron

Next Goals: Olympic To Full Ironman

SPEAKER_00 18:40

Man. So I'll be 40, I'll be turning 40 next January. And I think that would be that would be my goal, right, for for my for entering my 40s. So definitely stay tuned. Um, I think I am going to uh just record my training, my nutrition. It is a lot different as we increase the mileage, not only during the race, right, but as I train because I am going to be training a lot more. So what I'm visualizing, right, it's keeping my strength training because I want to make sure that I keep my muscle mass. Uh, since it's so important for women, especially women, as we go into that perimenopause, menopause stage. But it also helps with strength, right? Like power. And so I want to keep that for sure. And so as I'm visualizing my training plan, right, strength training three times a week, cycling two times a week, running two times a week, swimming two to three times a week, right? That was some that's what I'm visualizing. Um, I'm thankful and I think super grateful that there is a local triathlon club, and uh there is a swimming coach that trains in open water, right? I've never done open water, I'm terrified. So this trainer is going to help me with tips. She has trained other triathlons, so I'm very confident and I cannot, you know, I'll be for sure doing some open water swims. I will continue with my pool swims, right, with my pool classes because with the techniques, right, and breathing, we're we already started working on breathing, right, which is going to be which has been helping me. So definitely stay tuned. I will try to document everything, right, and and put it on in my YouTube channel. But if you have any questions about it, right, or if you're thinking about something similar, let me know. I think it's amazing. It is challenging, but it's not impossible. So yeah, let's see a few more things here. Maybe what else? No, I think that's it. So thank you so much for listening. I'll see you and talk to you in another episode. Stay safe, stay strong, and I'll talk to you soon. Bye.