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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Tri #2: Columbia Triathlon, May 22, 2011

Time marches on and the 2nd tri of the season, the Columbia Triathlon (olympic distance) has come and gone.  One could not have asked for a more beautiful race day (that's 2 for 2!): sunny, blue skies, temps starting out in the 70's and climbing...o.k., the run did feel a little hot & humid by the time I was finally out on the course! 
(Tri pals: Frank, Sara, Chris, Polly, David, Deanne)

FYI, starting in swim wave 11 isn't exactly ideal for beating the heat!  But, the lake temp was a pleasant 71 degrees, perfect for a fast .9 miles.  I was also fortunate enough to have and end spot on the transition rack with a big orange cone next to it.  Only extreme delirium could have kept me from locating my bike!  Columbia's 41k bike course has something for everyone: beautiful scenery, rolling hills, roundabouts and a pasture of sheep that were loudly "cheering" us on!  Though the course was a bit crowded for me (wave 11!!), I relished bombing down those great hills - awesome!  I'm always grateful that the last leg of tri's is my strength!  Though this run was a test for the legs (considered a hilly course by triathlete standards, not by trail-runner standards!), I was happily able to muster sub 7's on the 10k.  I guess that my explanation for gradually increasing speed on the run is that the finish line is getting closer and closer!
And what a great feeling it was to finish, with fingers pointing skyward to signal my dad; hearing Chris' familiar voice cheering, "Come on, Polly!" as I approached the line.  In typical fashion, Chris and I had close finishing times...by close, I mean a mere 20 seconds apart!  It's nice to have such togetherness in life and in tri's!!  Race day was also shared by some of our special friends from the Philly Tri club and also Bryan from the HCM team.  Awesome to have such great company and support out there to remind us of what makes racing tri's so great: the comaraderie of friends, pushing yourself to the limit and racing for a great cause. 
Thanks to everyone for your support!!

Here's a rundown of the results for me and Chris:
Polly:
Swim: 25:43; T1: 2:11; Bike: 1:17:55; T2: 1:12; Run: 42:38; Total: 2:29:36; 2nd in Age Group
Chris:
Swim: 26:45; T1: 2:29; Bike: 1:14:32; T2: 1:24; Run: 44:08; Total: 2:29:16; 24th in Age Group 
Link to results: http://chiptimes.com/?TabId=65&EventID=544
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2 comments:

  1. Clay WellsMay 27, 2011 at 7:25 AM

    Congratulations, Polly!

    ReplyDelete
  2. marstellerMay 27, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    You are so awesome Polly - congrats to you and Chris on another great race!

    ReplyDelete

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