After 6 tries I finally got my first win of the year at the Giant Eagle 5150 in Columbus, Ohio. (YEAH!!!!). I also got enough points (still awaiting official confirmation) for a spot in the Hy-Vee Triathlon in September. And, I had fun. Three for three on my goals for the weekend!
One of the best parts about the trip to Columbus was I had a stress-free travel experience. My flights were uneventful, my luggage arrived intact, and I had an incredible homestay. Thanks to one of my triathlete friends Erin Spitler, I was hooked up with David and Sue Bell. I got to their house Friday and we walked over to their neighbor's house for a true Maryland crab feast. The crabs were flown in from the Eastern Shore and were spread on newspaper covered caaaaard tables. Instantly, I felt at ease and dug into the pile. I knew I was going to have a good weekend!
Since the disappointing race in New York, I have been really focusing on getting everything done and done well. I got in some good training, strength work, pilates, massage and ART sessions. I did my hardest run workout of the year on Tuesday before the race and I swam some of my recent history best times in swim practice. I was ready to go physically and I knew I would just have to not allow anything dumb to happen.
The races started on the beach of Lake Alum, about 25 miles from downtown Columbus. I had a great start and with my new ROKA speedsuit I was so far ahead I felt like I might be the girl who keeps on swimming the whole 50 when there is a false start! But, within a few minutes Jennnifer Spieldenner came up to me and we started our dual. I decided to hop on her feet and follow her around the course. Turns out it was really short and we only swam 15 minutes. We exited the water a few seconds apart but I had a slower transition and had to work pretty hard to catch up to Jen on the bike. I think I caught up about 12 minutes in and we went back and forth the rest of the way. Jen was riding very well and I think we were about evenly matched because neither of us could get around each other. The bike ride was mostly downhill as we went from the lake through the suburbs and then into downtown. It was a great way to see the city. We got to T2 a few seconds apart and I moved into first in the first 400 meters of the run. My feet were frozen but I was determined to have a decent run and win for my dad on his birthday! I felt great running and ended up winning by almost a minute. Unfortunately, I had no superfans there to greet me, but I did get to meet the parents of one of my competitors, 3rd place finisher Julie Patterson. It turns out her dad is also a Hodgkin's survivor. Great to meet you guys and thanks for cheering for me!
Thank you also to Giant Eagle and M3S Sports for putting on a terrific race. And thank you to my sponsors: Nike, Cervelo, NYAC, Zico, Rudy Project, First Endurance, and ISM. Did anyone notice our new race suits? Don't they look good? I really love all my gear and am so lucky to have such great support. Also, I have to give a shout out to my coach Cliff, my training partners in crime, and my massage therapist Oz who got me ready to race.
Congratulations to all the finishers of the weekend's races. Especially the ladies in the girls only race who had to race in the rain!
The next race is Rev3 Wisconsin on August 11. Bec will be joining me there.