Hot bath to "relax" the muscles. Massage a bit and stretch(dont over stretch!). Go for a light jog (5-10 minutes) to loosen the muscle.

"Dont do that again" is my best tip. Dont do anything hard for at least 4 days before a race... unless its a "C" race.

Its a little late, but ice and elevate those things. But DOMS isnt really treatable. Studies are showing that stretching before or after will not affect the level of soreness felt after a hard work out. So take it easy the week before.

Thanks for the advice...it really isn't that big of a deal--I am just in it for the fun :) (And yes, it is a sprint--but I am a "her"--maybe I need to change my avitar pic :) )

No worries :)

I survived the event today--I was very slow and tired, but I crossed the finish line! My legs hurt during the bike--but they don't hurt anymore! Go figure! :)

It was a good course. The swim was more difficult than the previous tri that I did. One thing that I didn't like was the self-seeded waves. Basically you just jumped in where you wanted to. Also, the bouys weren't set up until right before the race start. I wish that they had been up earlier so that I could have checked them out.

The bike course was good--though hillier than I remembered the last time I rode the course (it involves closing down an express lane to traffic, so you can't go out on practice on the exact route.

By the time I finished with the bike, there were a lot of people already done. This made it difficult in the transition area. So, a note for people that are quick--just remember that even though you are finished, there might be some people that are still "racing" so be aware of that in the transition area. I felt like i had to weave in and out of people in getting to the run. Also, the first aid station was no longer running, so I didn't get any water at the start of the run.

The run was sort of "rolling hills." The course was well marked and the volunteers were great.

I was so happy to cross the finish line and hear my name announced.

I really felt "off" the whole time (from a minor panic attack in the water to lots of pain in the lower legs during the run), so it wasn't as fun and good as it could have been. But, it was definitely nice to get another tri under my belt and to close out my first season.

I learned a lot--mostly about training (like i should do some :) ) and things to do (and not to do) in the days leading up to the race.

Now I am looking forward to the off season. My plan is to focus on losing some weight (even with working out 6 days a week and watching what I ate, I didn't lose anything this season!) and planning out a training plan and schedule for next season. I bought the Triathlete's Training Bible and have some other resources in mind. Any tips that people have for off season training would be appreciated :)