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