The race coverage wasn’t quite as intense at the first two editions of IronWar and this was only a half-ironman, but the race was just as epic on the streets of Middlebury, CT.  At least for this guy

The Columbia Olympic distance triathlon was my first triathlon of the season.  It’s a hilly bike and run course with a competitive field so it’s a great early season fitness gauge. 

I headed into Snapple Camp this year with minimal bike fitness.  My focus this winter has been running, so I let the biking slide.  I’ve done this before and the bike fitness usually comes back rather quickly after a few hard weeks of getting the rust off.  This was going to be one of those weeks.  But I was really excited to get back to the Lost River barn in Mathias, WV and to train with a bunch of my teammates for four days.

I really didn't want to pace myself to run a 3:05 or a 3:10. Why not take the risk and go for the sub-3 even if it was at the outer reaches of my fitness level? There is no glory in being conservative.