14th at Stacked 5i50 Columbia Tri

My 2012 season continued earlier today (very early today) at the 29th Columbia Triathlon. This race is particularly special, 1 because this triathlon gives 100% of its proceeds to charity, 2 because it’s regarded as one of the toughest triathlons in the United States, and 3 because it’s the next stop in the 5i50 series with critical points on the line!

The latter was cause for another stacked field and thus an up-hill battle (literally and figuratively) to grab those valuable points. Side note—points are valuable and needed to qualify for the HyVee Finale in September that boasts a $1,000,000+ prize purse!

The conditions were ideal, and the day started off with a non-wetsuit swim. Too bad, because I was really looking forward to rocking my new Xterra Vendetta wetsuit! No worries – I got to wear Xterra’s Velocity-M Speedsuit instead and it worked great! I found the feet of friend and training partner, Chris Foster and was able to exit the water in a solid position.

It took a bit for me to get my riding legs under me and frankly, it kind of felt like that for the remainder of the 40k+ bike course. There were so many Ups and Downs on that course I was never really able to get into a good rhythm. What I do know though, was that my new Kask K.31 Crono TT helmet really allowed me to take advantage of the fast descents.

The run was much of the same as the bike—lots of hills without finding that rhythm. Nonetheless, I was able to overtake a handful of guys and cross the tape, 14th in 2:03:51. Despite no rhythm, my Skechers Go Run felt fantastic and I’m really looking forward to seeing what these babies can do as I begin to find my running legs this season! All things considered, I’m glad I secured some valuable 5i50 points and it’s another step forward as I iron out the kinks and continue on my 2012 journey!

Up next will probably be my one and only ITU race of the season in Dallas on June 2nd, closely followed by my favorite-- Escape From Alcatraz!! As usual… Let’s Get Into It!

A big shout out to the rest of my sponsors who never let me down, EVER!! Zico Coconut Water, Champion Systems, Evolution Physical Therapy, and Gu Energy Labs!

Thanks for checking in. Talk soon!

-HH

5i50 Round 2 and Something New!

Getting ready for another 5i50-- Columbia (Maryland) to be exact! Another VERY stacked field and another early season race to iron out the kinks.

Speaking of kinks (not really), I’ve had some very recent changes to my coaching! I’m super excited to announce that I’ve decided to join the Sirius Athletes squad under the guidance of none other than Siri Lindley!! I felt I was at a turning point in my career, particularly before I start business school in the fall, and if I wanted to take my career to the next level then I felt Siri & Co. would be who to do it! It’s only been 1 week and there is definitely a transitional period from what I was doing to what I am and will be doing, but I already feel right at home.

I love the hands-on coaching I get from Siri, not to mention enough 7am-energy to power a city block! I’ve also realized in this short week that my training intensity has paled in comparison in the past. I think that’s both good and bad. Bad, because this transitional period is going to be a lot tougher than previously thought! Good, because it will really bring out the best in me. Being able to chase athletes around like Chris Foster and Leanda Cave, to name a few, is exactly what I need in order to bend my boundaries.

The camaraderie and dedication within her group is immense and I’m really excited to see where this takes me!!

I’m boarding now, so I’ll check back in with all of you in Maryland! Let’s get into it!

Talk soon.

-HH

Bitter-sweet St. Anthony's Result

ALRIGHT, as I had mentioned, the 2012 St. Anthony’s Triathlon pro field was BEYOND stacked. We’re talking Bennett, Reed, Dye, Collins, Osplay, Hayes, Odonnell, Bozone, Atkinson, Matthews, Yoder, and that’s not even a quarter of the field!! A world-class field to say the least! For crying out loud - all we were missing were Potts and the Brownlee's!

I finished 28th and with a result such as this, you can do nothing but look at the positives. My swim continues to improve and thanks to Xterra Wetsuits and my crazy fast Velocity M-speedsuit, I came out about 2:10 down from the 1st pack. To put it into perspective, in 2010 I raced here and came out of the water more than 5 minutes back! I also came out just behind Jordan Jones (most recently the triathlete who nipped L. Armstrong at the tape at the 70.3 Champs – big Ups) who has regularly whooped me in the water.

Out onto the bike, I was able to pick off several riders once I found my rhythm. My bike split wound up being more than 2 minutes faster than my 2010 split – pleased with that! Out of T2, I started a bit conservatively because I know my run fitness isn’t yet there and I didn’t want to go out hard and then die. This tactic worked great, as I was able to really warm up to a quicker pace and pick off some guys. I even had a little speed left at the end – found the tape first in a three-way sprint! Additionally, my new Skechers GOrun shoes were light weight, comfy and really effortless when I needed to get into sprint mode! I crossed the tape in 1:54:38, more than 5 minutes faster than 2010, yet 6 places lower – should give you another idea of how crazy this field was!

A bitter-sweet result. I still have A LOT of work to do and I've got a good three weeks at home to get ready for another hotly contested 5i50 in Columbia, MD on May 20. One of my goals for the season is to continue to chip away at that bike deficit!

A big thanks to all my sponsors: Xterra Wetsuits, Skechers, Kask Helmets, Gu, Zico, Champion Systems, and Evolution Physical Therapy!! Looking forward to more 2012 action! Let’s get into it!

Thanks for checking in. Talk soon.

-HH

'12 Season Opener - St. A's!

I've touched down in St. Petersburg, Florida for the first race of my 2012 season – the coveted St. Anthony’s Triathlon. I’m very excited to get the season going as I’ve had an interesting off-season. It got off to a bit of a late start since I was recovering from my psoaz injury from DuaWorlds, but once I healed up, things started progressing in the right direction!

As usual, I've worked hard in the pool and feel I’ve reached a new level in my swimming. I also linked up with Faster Fit Studios in AZ to conduct some wind tunnel testing. I got legitimately dialed in, having shed over 400 grams of aerodynamic drag!

One unrelated thing that also happened over the off-season was that I got into business school! Starting in September, I will be a member of UCLA’s Anderson FEMBA 2015 class!! I chose to pursue an MBA program on a part-time basis so that I could continue my full-time triathlon career. Anderson is the perfect fit since it’s my undergrad alma mater and I already train on-campus on a regular basis. Really looking forward to the next couple of years!

Back to this weekend’s race— the 45 participant Pro field is regarded as being arguably the deepest field of the year. I just came from the Mad Dog's tri club pasta dinner and there were a number of pros from a variety of countries - Canada, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, and Australia to name a few - quite the international "championships"!

Not only is St. A’s a very popular triathlon, but it also marks the first 2012 event of the lucrative 5150 race series and crucial points are on the line in qualifying for the series finale in September. The way I see it, you can’t find a better measuring stick to gauge where your fitness falls this early in the season than a pro field like this!

Gun goes off Sunday. A full race report will follow. Let’s get into it!

Thanks for checking in. Talk soon.

-HH

2012...Bring It On!

Wow, have I been MIA for some time! So sorry about that! Life’s been crazy during the offseason, but I’m getting ready more than ever to crush the 2012 season! It got off to a bit of a late start but training has been going well and I’m looking forward to getting back out there and toeing the line yet again!

Things have been changing at GOHHGO (ha). Sponsors have come and gone. I have parted ways with K-Swiss and New Performance Nutrition. They were terrific companies at the start of my career and I wouldn’t be where I am today without their amazing support. I wish them the best in their future endeavors.

The NEW sponsors! –

I’ve signed on with Kask Helmets! After last year’s bike crash in which my helmet cracked like a walnut, I needed to find a helmet that would keep my noggin safe. Kask helmets are incredible. Not only are they safe, but stylish (I’m going to look like a rocket ship in my TT helmet) and crazy comfortable! Looking forward to doing great things in Kask Helmets!

I also signed-on with Gu Energy Labs! I already use Gu's to begin with so why not make it a more formal relationship. My products of choice? Chocolate Outrage Gel is a classic but Mint Chocolate is awesome! Also, the Recover Brew and Electrolyte Tablets work and taste great! Grapefruit? Who knew?!

I may have one or two more sponsors coming down the pipe-line so I can’t reveal them at this time obviously but I’ll be sure to let you all know as soon as I know!

This year’s race schedule is going to be a good one! Still working out the kinks but it looks like the season opener will be St. A’s on April 29. For the most part I’ll be hitting a fair amount of 5i50’s to try and qualify for the 5i50 season finale at HyVee. Barring any hiccups like last year, I’ll also be hitting the usual suspects – Escape From Alcatraz, Kelowna ITU, NYC. I even have some road races and swim meets?? Crazy I know, but have to get it done to break into that upper echelon!!

Check back soon for more sponsor news (hopefully!) and race schedule updates. And yes, GoHHGo Giveaways will be coming back!! Stay tuned!

Hope everyone had a great off-season and I look forward to what this season has in store!

Yup, LET’S GET INTO IT! Talk soon.

-HH

Reactions to DNF in Spain

I've had about a week to take-in the unfortunate events that occurred in Spain at the Duathlon World championships. Going in, as you may have read from my previous posts, I was feeling confident in my running, having returned to a feeling I hadn't seen in quite some time. I had produced some promising solo results and was more than ready to mix it up with the world Duathlon elites.

Pre-race, I felt fresh. I had had a good week of laying low and the mini workouts leading up to the race were promising. Race day showed ideal weather and no big surprises. The gun went off like any sort of big running race. Immediately a lead pack formed with a few anxious athletes off the front - they would undoubtedly come back. I wasn't aware of any splits being given out during the first run but I did hear post-race that the first 5k was fast, around 14:30. At about the 6.5-7km mark, like an explosion, my entire right abdominal section from my waist to my ribs seized. I tried to run through it over the next 400 meters, attempting any anti-stitch technique I could think of but it only worsened. By the end of that quarter-mile, it seized up so much that I was having trouble breathing and I wound up tearing muscles in both the upper and lower sections of my abdomen. 

My race was over.

I couldn't decide what was more painful, my abdomen or watching the group run away from me. Again I say, my race was over and it was simply surreal. Everything was lost. I had worked so hard; put in so much time and for what? This? No. In disbelief, I tried once more to get back on course but it was unbearable. What I was hoping would be a top 10 finish or even better turned into a DNF - not how I saw this one panning out.

While this result was completely defeating and demoralizing, at times like this I must rely upon my ideologies. I am an optimist through and through and I believe these types of events happen for a reason (credit is due to my wife for reminding me when I didn't want to be reminded). 

It took a little while for all this to settle in which is why I'm getting back to you all only now. My conclusion of it all: I am still HERE. There will be ANOTHER day. I WILL race again. In this profession where bad days certainly happen, you must be teflon-like. You have to deal with the cards you're dealt on that given day and tell yourself there will be another hand of cards. Letting this sort of guff bother you for too long will only hurt you down the road. With that, my plan is to take what I can from this experience, channel it into something useful and get ready for next season. 

For those who had already heard, thank you for your kind, supportive remarks. I'm going to heal up as quick as I can and get right back into it!

Thanks for checking in, talk soon!

-HH

Arrival in Spain!

The Mrs. and I touched down in Madrid early Monday morning. Despite two LONG flights east, we were determined to stay up and acclimate to the time change as soon as possible. We stayed with friends in Salamanca, right in the heart of Madrid and since we only had two days here, we wanted to hit the ground running!

We dropped our bags and bike box (sigh of relief) and headed around the corner to a coffee shop for a quick croissant and cappuccino. I NEVER drink coffee (this was in fact my first cappuccino) and for some reason, after having drunk most of that cup all I wanted to do was lie down! What?! So, we weighed our options and decided to head back, get an hour of shut-eye and THEN hit the ground running… An hour of shut-eye turned into 2.5 and we didn’t get out the door until 2 at which point we deliriously shuffled over to the Thyssen museum. I have yet to look at the pictures we took on our stroll to the museum, but I have to assume they were pretty amusing because I don’t remember much of that part of the walk!

Happily, that 2-hour nap was all we needed to get us on Spain-time. We enjoyed some Paella with our hosts the first night and then the following day some botanical gardens, more croissants, the Palacio Real, more gardens, the Palacio Cristal (pictured) and a great inter-continental dinner again with our hosts to complete our trip in Madrid (another sigh of relief). I may be able to race triathlons full-time, but being a tourist for the better part of a day is EXHAUSTING. Before we knew it, we were headed to Gijon, Spain! USAT chartered a couple of buses to take their athletes from the Madrid airport to the northern coastal town of Gijon – about a 6 hour bus ride. Our bus route was as if we were driving through rural parts of the U.S. It started with open agricultural plains, followed by rolling hills, and then a mean, winding dissent to the coast. During this dissent, we hit a 5-minute tunnel that ventured through the base of a mountain and it spit us out into an entirely different climate. We went from dry, sunny and hi-80s to wet, socked-in fog and hi-50s!

We arrived in Gijon around 7:30pm, dropped our bags and immediately got some food. While Spain’s schedule normally consists of 9:30-10:00 dinners, today, mine did not! I wanted some food and then sleep! I woke up this morning, met with the USAT coach and a few other elite athletes and headed out for a little course inspection.

The course: 10km run, 43.2km bike, 5km run. Being an ITU-style (draft legal) race, the course’s main focus is being spectator-friendly. With that, there are 4 – 2.5km loops for the first run; 8 – 5.4km loops for the bike; 2 – 2.5km loops for the final run. Talk about being dizzy after all those loops! On top of that, the transition area is on a 400m outdoor velodrome track where the race starts, continues through, and ends!

The specifics: The runs will be flat and fast with only one out-and-back per lap. The only variable is that the out-and-back will be on 50 meters of cobblestones! The bike is slightly long but also flat and fast. What will make this portion of the race interesting is whether it rains Friday night, and how much?! There are a few technical turns and one out-and-back each lap so with a little added water to the course, this could make for an interesting ride..! If you're interested in more info regarding the Duathlon World Championships, click here.

I’m feeling good about the course and about my fitness. Barring any disaster, I’m ready to have a big race! Most of all, I’m proud to be wearing red, white and blue this weekend!

Thanks for checking in, talk soon.

-HH