Columbia Triathlon : Official Thread

I'll guess I'll have to represent for Fred and kick your a$$. 

I'm in. Remotely ready? Maybe. Really ready? NO! I don't think I'll be really ready for this race, but hopefully by my next Oly in July, I'll be ready!

Looking forward to it, though. I hear it's a great race .

From the same location, so I guess that's fair!

Do we start in the same wave?

Sweet! I like being one of the first waves!

For the swim, I'm nowhere close to where I was last year.   I'm getting concerned I am going to embarrass myself in that swim this year.  I'm blaming it all on the shoulder injury from last year (it's still not 100%) and not on the fact that I haven't been swimming enough this year... 

Bike I'm getting the feeling I'm not going to get in enough serious outdoor rides.  And the run, well, that's the only leg I feel ready for (I have so not been a runner until now).  I ran the course on Sunday- those hills didn't feel so bad this year.

I hope I'll be ready, I'm having a lot of trouble with my running some old injuries that won't go away and I have a packed schedule before Columbia! Biting off my than I can chew? Of course!

So we'll see, but when you pass me say hi!

Its interesting how many people bowl right through Columbia in their builds for E-Man.  I've not put Columbia on my schedule BECAUSE of E-man each year!

Sure, racing an oly. and then 3 weeks or so for recovery to be ready for E-Man is doable, but in some ways you blow a few training weekends by racing.

With that said, of course I am racing both this year for the first time (meaning first time doing both in the same season - I was only in the relay last year at Columbia).

Since my bike fitness is a little further along than the whopping 300 miles or so I had in my legs before Columbia last year, it will be interesting to see if I can put up the same sort of bike split and a good run afterward.

I'm not questioning you at all, because I know you know what you're doing better than I do; however, the training plan I am on for Eagleman actually calls for an olympic distance warmup race the  weekend of Columbia, so I thought it would work well.  That and I've never done a race before, so I wanted to have the first race experience out of the way before the hIM.  I just rode Columbia course for the second time today and am really excited for the race!  The second time was a lot easier than the first, so I feel fortunate I've been able to practice on the course.  I highly recommend it for anyone in the area. 

Very hilly!

Ever driven through the Appalachians?

Like that, but with slightly shorter climbs.

Seriously, it is a very rolling course with some longish gradual climbs and a few very short and steeper ones.  Definitely favors a strong cyclist.  You can figure about 1 - 2 mph off of what you would normally be able to put up on a flat olympic course.  Plus it is 41k and not 40k ...... so you have to work that extra .62 miles.

My BIIIIG recommendation is to ride the course a few times to get used to it.  Once you get to Tridelphia (sp) it gets a little difficult but after you spin around for the back part your pretty much done.