Consisting of a Super Sprint triathlon on October 8th, TWO Olympic tri’s on the 9th, and to top it off, a Half Ironman on the 10th!

My family, friends and I arrived early yesterday to start things off with a bang.

Already racing the Sprint and 1st Olympic for the day, I’m taking a minute to jot my times down.

My super sprint times were: a nice 7:15 swim, 20:22 bike for 7 miles, and a blistering 5:01 mile finish. Total time: 33:44.

Olympic race #1. was at 7:30 this morning. Still waiting for the official results, but I believe my total time was 2:21, with a 38:58 10k.

Race #2. is this afternoon, so I’ll be back soon to keep you all updated. See you then!

I’m was fortunate again to have my family, and close friends in town supporting the race. The swim passed by much smoother than the previous year. There seemed to be more participants than last year so the start was a bit of a cluster. However by the first buoy the kicking and clawing had spread out and I was moving along.

The bike course was what I remembered from 2009. It took half of the first loop to feel smooth, but once I got going I kept focus on a good cadence and working the hills.

Finally to my favorite part – the run! After a quick T2, I’m was off and running : ) I focused on being steady, yet strong the first 4 miles. The temperature had really increased since the start and I didn’t want to use it all at the start. As I began catching athletes, I quickly checked their leg to see if they are in my division. Once I hit the 4 mile mark I began to pick it up and push hard for the finish.

My finish time for the day was 2:17:40 – which puts me 13th in my age group, and 37th overall. I qualified for Worlds again! To finish off a great weekend, I watched the elite women race and went out for pizza and football with friends and family. Another successful nationals in the books!

Check out USATlive on Twitter for live race updates and photos!

See you all at the finish line!

Me & John Curwen

My Orbea is on the right – with the pink saddle : )

With a carbo-loading dinner at Deplamas, and a trip to the Alabama college stadium, we relaxed and threw around the football to ease our tensions.

Me – Tom Snell – John Curwen

This morning we woke at 5am for a refreshing swim in the river, then previewed the bike course before lunch. The water felt great!

Next stop, the Expo! Hope to see all my friends from other states, and find some great new gear!

Stay tuned for more photos to come.

View the full results here: 2010 USAT Rankings

While I didn’t walk away with number #1, I still had a ton of fun with my friends!

It ended up being a great day for a triathlon! Lots of competition to fuel the fire, and I posted very quick transition times to lead into a powerful 5K.

In the end, I took first overall female and a personal best for the course.

“As an athlete and coach, Campbell is a role model for students, “I love triathlons, and want to take it as far as I can. I don’t ask my students for more than I can’t or won’t do myself,” she said. Triathletes agree that preparation – both physical and mental – is the key to success in endurance sports…” Read the full article HERE…

The siren sounded and we were off. First couple strokes I collided with the person next to me – however after the initial bumping, I was able to find my rhythm and focused on trying to site. Once on shore I hustled to my bike knowing I had given time to some of the ladies on the swim. Out on the bike, it took a little while to get comfortable, and I was fighting with my race number which I had not secured properly. Even with the breeze on the bike, I could feel the temperature heating up and focused on hydrating. Finally off the bike – I knew that I had improved my bike split from previous years – I am completely focused on making up ground on the run. Jamie Church (my coach) gives me an update at the top of the hill on how far back I am from 3^rd place. I focus on keeping a consistent pace and move into 3rd before the 2 mile mark. The next two miles were the toughest – just hot and trying to stay focused. Finally at mile 4 something clicked, I opened my stride and regained my focus for the end of the race.

Total time for the day 2:13:43, that is 8 minutes better than my 2009 race time. The heat index when I finished was around 107°. All together it was a good day and perfect opportunity to see where I stand and what needs to be done leading up to Age Group Nationals.

Back over to the start – I hop into the lake with a friend and swim a few out and backs. The water is warm. It reminds of me of the pool I swim in for masters’ practice. As the men take off, I patiently wait with my friend Karen (who also swims with masters). We start three minutes after the men.

The siren finally goes off. The swim is a triangle. Typically around the 2nd buoy, I begin catching the men – today I am catching them at the first turn. I stay to the inside on the way back to shore to avoid running into fellow swimmers.

The swim passes by quickly – I motor into T1 in second place, grab my bike and am off. I catch the 1st place woman on the first road out. My thoughts at this point are pass as many men and relays as I can. I want to push the bike hard today and see how my legs hold up on the run. It is very hot and humid and I raced a 5k the day before. I focus on keeping my cadence up and when we make the turn onto Little Neck Road, I crank up the gears.

As I am nearing the end of my bike, I feel good about my effort. I glance at my watch and know that my big time goal may be out of reach for the entire race – but that doesn’t stop me from wanting a solid run.

The run course is two loops. I love this format because I can see everyone. I know I am in the lead coming out of T2, but the goal is to get a solid time. I am not worried about anything but feeling strong on the run. I maintain the same pace and stride all the way till the final curve – finishing with a solid time of 18:19. Total time for the day 1:02:16…. Not too bad for a solid weekend of training.