Columbia Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Overall - a good solid swim for me, less than 30 seconds short of my PR on this course. At the start I lined up right of center and ignored the first bouy, instead going straight for the second bouy which eliminates an angle in the course and slightly shortens the swim distance. I got out in front right away so I avoided the crowds, and I stayed pretty wide of the bouys. After the first turn I drafted off somebody for a little while, something I rarely do, then I broke off and just fell into a nice steady pace. I tried not to drink the water (yuck), tried to maintain a nice long easy stroke with a good glide, and tried to avoid sprinting to keep my heart rate in a nice moderate range. I came out of the water around 22 minutes and felt calm and relaxed as I ran into T1.

T1 was ok for me. Wetsuit came off fairly easily, but all my gear was covered in trash bags because of the rain, so finding things was a little hard. I took a few extra seconds to re-organize and cover up my running shoes so they would be dry when I got back from the bike ride. I still put on my socks and bike shoes in T1 instead of on the moving bike so that always costs me a minute or so.

This was a PR for this bike ride for me, averaging just over 18.5 mph. I'd ridden the course a couple times this year and many times in previous years so I'm starting to feel a little bit of a home field advantage to this ride. The first 8 miles of this race are the most difficult for me due to the 3 longer climbs around miles 3.5, 5.5, and 6.5, so I just settled in and climbed, coming out of my aerobars as much as I needed to stay strong. The second section of the course is faster, so I worked on making up as much time as possible in the big chain ring. The hill at Green Bridge seemed to fly by and I felt strong as I headed back through the last 8 miles of the race. I made up more time and a few places in my age group on the long descent from the traffic circle at Tridelphia Mill Road. The sprint back along Rt 108 was uneventful and I rolled into T2 feeling good.

Like T1, T2 was slow. Helmet, gloves, shoes off. Running shoes, shades, number belt, and fuel belt on. I took a little extra time to finish off my Accelerade bottle that I didn't finish on the bike and I decided to put on a fuel belt with my own hydration instead of using the aid stations on the run course. I also took a few extra seconds to stretch my lower back which was feeling the effects of being in an aero position for over an hour. These little extras were intended to make my run stronger, and in retrospect, I think the extra time was worth it.

This was without a doubt the best run I've had in triathlon. In the back of my mind I wanted to come close to my previous PR in this course (around 53:00) but I would have been happy holding 9 min/mile pace and coming in around 55/56 minutes. So at the end of mile 1 (during which I stopped for 30 sec. to 'de-hydrate'!) I was happy to see and 8:43. After mile 2, when my split came up as a 7:49 I knew I was going to do well. Knowing miles 3 and 4 are the hardest parts of the course, I aimed at holding a pace as close to 8 minutes as possible. Some time around mile 4 I know I was well on pace for a PR and I just kept going for it. I did not walk any aid stations, instead opting to carry accerlarade on my fuel belt. I passed a number of runners in my age group and only got passed by one or two.

My best race to date - a nearly perfect day for me. This was my 4th time in this race and I set a PR by nearly 6 full minutes. Couldn't have asked for anything more.