Columbia Triathlon - TriathlonOlympic

Started out fairly strong and felt like I was being efficient. Stayed with the front pack for a bit and began to fall off a bit, mainly b/c I can't maintain the pace of the better swimmers but also b/c I went quite a bit off course hugging the shoreline way too long on my way out to the first orange bouy. I looked up and had to make a diagonal cut over to the bouy and actually met up with 2 other swimmers. Stayed with them until the 2nd ornage bouy however, I had to stop b/c I went on the inside of the 2nd one and had to u-turn to go back around it. Even still I eventually caught and passed those two guys but was never able to hook up with anybody and draft a bit - unlike Rumpass. The guys finishing ahead of me was a solid 46-56s ahead so it would have been nice to have put myself in a position to swim with them if I hadn't messed up with the first 2 orange turnaround bouys.

Have to sight better! Also, I breathed entirely on my right side - my only concern with the breathing is stroke/pull balance. Obviously it hurts the neck the following day but I can offset that with a few "left" days in the pool.

Totally an estimate - just used a time similar to last year b/c the timing system didn't work. I didn't feel fast and actually had a slight delay putting on my bike shoes in addition to skipping the glasses(fog). Had to be close to last years and my bike computer 1:09:40 so I also just figured a 20s run out of and into transition and that's how I came up with my bike - whatever - it's close to these #'s!!

Not kick my ENTIRE hydration system off the back of my bike! That's right - I actually knocked off my Bontrager Race Hydration system. Thanks goodness

Bike was awesome!!! It was raining pretty hard the first maybe 8 miles I think but it did eventually stop and then it was simply wet and crowded! When I say crowded - I mean really crowded. There were a number of times I rode with the motorcycle who was telling riders to get over to the left b/c there was no room to pass. Despite the wet roads I tried to push as hard/fast as I could while being safe and cautious when I needed to be. The wind actually scared me a few times b/c it was only my 2nd race with the Zipp 606's and when I came out of a treeline and into an open field area the cross winds definitely pushed me around a bit - a bit nerve racking at times. All that being said, I couldn't be happier with my bike effort today - I improved drastically compared to last year and even compared to the 2 rides Dan and I did before this year's race with the new bikes. The race wheels make a big difference - bottom line! I felt a lot stronger on the hills and made up significant time compared to the other rides. Felt pretty strong today too. I owe Kendro as well b/c he passed me around Mile 4 and motivated me to try and stay with him - he's an extremely strong cyclist and I figured I might as well put it ut there and see what happens. I followed him for much of the next 20 miles able to keep him in my sight which helped mentally. That said, he slowly but surely put a bit more space between us over the last couple but I got out of it what I needed. I pushed the bike hard and learned that I could handle a push and respond on the run without the legs seizing up.

Let me end on this - I have to give a ton of credit to ELITE b/c the set-up is not only fast and comfortable but it really made a difference on my run compared to last year where my legs couldn't handle the transition off the bike and into the 10K run. Props to David and Richie up there they really hooked me up with a solid ride!!

Not kick my ENTIRE hydration system off the back of my bike! That's right - I actually knocked off my Bontrager Race Hydration system just out of T1 as I was hopping on the bike Thanks goodness there was a gentleman standing nearby who I asked if he could give this to a volunteer to turn into lost and found. Let's just say I was pissed and a bit flustered. I was initially going to throw the water bottle and keep the Perpetuem on the frame but I didn't want to lose my Columbia water battle agin this year(seriously) so I stuck it in my trisuit back pocket and finally got out of there!!

This transition started of great - I was out of my shoes, off the bike and flying down the hill into transition. Then I had to get my wet shoes on and things didn't go smoothly. Evrytime I tried to put my barefoot into the shoe the insole would bunch up in the front of my shoe. I had to sit down and try and hold the insole with a finger while sliding my foot in - I eventually got it but I could have been in and out much quicker. The good thing about the whole thing is I didn't waste time over thinking anything which is an improvement!

Nothing b/c the wet shoes seemed to be the cause of issues. If it happens again I may need some new insoles instead of the originals.

Came out of T2 feeling very good and ready to run. First mile was about 6:45ish and I didn't feel like I pushed too hard at all. the next couple miles were between 7:00 and 7:30 pace. I did the best I could for the run but at times it seemed as though I couldn't move my legs faster even though my mind was telling me to try.

Train and improve my running ability!

Stretched a bit but only after I went and saw the family and cheered for Dan! Then I wanted to hurry over to Princeton Cycles tent to see if they had my Hydration system and thank goodness they did. I then packed up all my stuff - changed clothes and headed back to grab a quick bite and mix up my CliffShot Recovery drink which was fantastic. Met up with Dan, Bec and Millie and watched the awards ceremony and saw Geoff, Ricardo and Kendro. Checked out the times on the way out and Dan and I were extremely pleased. Headed home grabbed a McD's chicken sandwich, fries and a coke.
Stretched thoughout the rest of the day off and on and actually took a 90-min nap - thanks to Teresa!


Training!


Once again I love the COLUMBIA Experience!!!