The Grand Event! Edmonton WTS

Yesterday I did something in my triathlon career I hadn’t done yet,

I competed in my first World Triathlon Series Grand Final event!

After some rough patches throughout this year,

I wasn’t quite sure what shape I would be in as it grew near.

Winning Kelowna was a really great feeling but it was a more low key race,

And in Stockholm I wasn’t happy with my performance, but was happy with my place.

After Stockholm I got sick with some kind of flu,

Apparently it got quite a few other athletes too.

Thankfully I kept feeling better and better as the week went on,

And by the time the race rolled around all illness was gone.

I got through the week really listening to what my body was saying,

Knowing that pushing too much at this point wasn’t a game worth playing.

The more rest the better to head into the biggest race of the year,

I couldn’t believe how fast it came up and was nearly here!

I started the race ranked number 22,

Diving into the swim knowing precisely what I had to do.

I tried to save more energy this time and swam farther back,

Trading clear water for a lot more contact in the middle of the pack.

Picture by Dean Hardie

I came out of the water and had a pretty good transition onto the bike,

Right away knowing this was a group I was going to like.

We had strong cyclists and Lucy Hall took control,

I think we were all in agreement we had a common goal.

Thanks for the picture Dean Hardie!

To try and get as far ahead of the chase pack as we possibly could,

And I would say we worked well together which was really good.

I was extremely happy with my riding in the race,

Excited to be a part of the pack and helping to push the pace.

Compared to Stockholm it was night and day,

Finally feeling comfortable, sometimes even leading the way.

Awesome picture by Rich Cruse

 Getting off the bike I may have had the slowest transition ever,

Which really cost me in this race, when everyone else started together.

Do not misjudge the importance of transitions is something I find,

Because I had to do a lot more work to catch up from behind.

Another cool picture by Dean Hardie!

But I slowly worked my way to maintaining 4^th or 5^th place,

However, unfortunately I had no sprint at the end of the race.

I got passed by four and was ninth crossing the line,

So happy to finish this race in the top ten that I really can’t whine.

I’m finishing the series in the 16^th position,

Only 6 places off my original mission.

Picture brought to you by:Alejandro Maldonado

A couple months ago I never thought I would be able to rebound like this,

But I am so excited to be on the rise and learn from all the things that went amiss.

I could not have done it without my support crew for sure,

My family, Tommy, my friends, Bobby McGee and so many more.

And of course to my sponsors for their unyielding faith in me,

Having your support this season was definitely key.

To Team Psycho, Coeur, ROKA, Brooks, Powerbar and Endurance Shield,

You all stand out far above the rest of the field.

But it’s a trick the Grand Final doesn’t mark the end!

I actually have about 4 more races in which to contend.

On September 11^th I’ll be racing the Las Vegas Super Sprint,

And thus will continue the final two month racing stint. 

Stockholm's Successful Struggles

Well since I last wrote yet another race has come and gone,

And before I know it Edmonton will be here where I’ll be hoping to show my brawn.

I arrived in Stockholm after the fourth and final flight,

Arriving pretty late on Wednesday night.

I’d never been to this city before and it was a lovely place to be,

Even getting lost on the bike pre-race didn’t bother me.

I had a few concerns leading up to the race,

Mainly not knowing how to deal with cobblestones if rain was taking place.

 

At the same time I felt more confident than I had in WTS’ past,

Which I think came from learning from the ones that I’d done last.

Warming up for the race things got a bit rushed,

Typically I do a swim warm up, but this time the water was not touched.

I ran out of time and my run prime took precedence,

But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me a little hesitant.

 

However, when the swim began all turned out fine,

The chop made it challenging to keep a straight line.

With my ROKA wetsuit I hooked on the front pack when they came by,

Groff, Hall and I coming out behind Routier for the 2^nd out of water tie.

The transition was on a hill,

And I came out thinking it was something I wanted to kill.

But that mean little bugger showed me it’s stuff,

And after doing it 8 more times at the end of the race I’d had enough.

 

Going onto the bike there was no rain,

But I can certainly assure you there was a lot of pain.

My first three laps were ok, but I consistently found myself at the back,

And then after that I found myself 10 meters off the pack.

 

Luckily I stayed and didn’t lose too much ground,

But this was not an effective way to conserve energy that much I found.

As soon as I caught up to the group I’d pop right back off,

And the strength at which the front pack was working was nothing to scoff.

 

Getting off the bike and transitioning up the hill was a meer crawl,

It definitely felt like I was about to hit my wall.

And in a way I kind of did, my run really wasn’t very great,

But because the front pack worked so well my placing is something I certainly can't hate.

Sarah Groff and Lindsey Jerdonek celebrating awesome finishes!

I finished up 7^th with my best WTS finish yet!

And was I happy? Yes you bet!

I don’t find this to be my best race by far,

But I held strong and still managed to raise the bar.

I’m excited because it means I have so much more,

Coeur’s heart and courage came in handy during this race for sure.

Not to mention fellow American Sarah Groff won,

And my dear friend Lindsey Jerdonek was 5^th when she was done!

That means we had three Americans in the top 7,

And don't forget USA's Ben Kanute he was 11!

So what a great weekend and experience this has been!

Though there are definitely improvements that need to be made; I’m calling it a win.

So now I’m in transit,

To complete the Canada sandwich,

And as long as the Icelandic volcano doesn’t blow,

I’ll be in Edmonton tonight to begin the Grand Final show!

Most pictures brought to you by Victor Carapelho, our wonderful masseuse and apparently photographer :) 

Kelowna Pan American Cup

August 17th marked the beginning of my triple race tour,

The race taking place on the Okanagan shore.

So the first thing we did from the US was travel up,

To compete in the Apple Tri Kelowna Pan American Cup,

After NYC I was feeling good to go,

But also more nervous than I liked to show.

I knew who would be there and that the course suited me well,

But there were also more unknowns from what I could tell.

I was aware Summer Cook was a good swimmer and to hang on her feet,

And Paula Findlay would be coming back hungry as she had many goals to meet.

Though we didn’t discuss it much Paula and I both had a plan,

To work together as much as we possibly can.

Well last Sunday everything worked out just right,

And I ended up getting to be satisfied with a win that night.

The swim was solid and I came out with the lead pack,

Hopping on the bike getting ready to attack.

From the start of the bike Paula and I went real hard,

Dropping the rest of the field and still staying on guard.

Working with only one other person can be pretty tough,

There was no hiding when the legs had had enough.

We worked well together and got off the bike with a significant lead,

Which was good when my transition was not as fast as I would typically need.

I struggled to get my shoes on fast,

 And Paula went out on the run with a blast.

I followed behind making sure to keep her in my sight,

Reeling her in little by little wanting to make sure I paced myself right.

Once I got to her side I continued to push,

I kept being afraid she was going to pass me with a “whoosh!”

Coming down the final stretch I realized I had the win,

And couldn’t be more happy with how the trip was going to begin.

And then Tommy Zaferes won the men’s race too,

I realized being even happier was something I could do.

It was so much fun standing on the podium with my best friend,

And being able to completely celebrate with one another in the end.

It’s not often both partners get to be satisfied with a win,

But it is certainly something I think we’d both like to do again.

Next up for me is Stockholm WTS and I am in transit as I write,

Looking forward to racing hard this weekend with all of my might.

Thanks again to my sponsors for supporting me when times are rough,

Helping me back to the wins, because I can't get enough.

Team Psycho, Coeur, ROKA, Brooks, PowerBar, Endurance Shield you all are the best,

That is certainly something to which I can attest!

Ok, ok so my post of this may have been a bite late,

Because if you read my next post you’ll find out about my Stockholm fate J

Photo credit: KelownaNow

Cheers NYC!

When I found out I was going to be racing Lifetime N-Y-C,

I was excited thinking racing a nondraft would be fun for me.

To be honest New York City overwhelms me quite a lot,

A girl conquering the big city is just something I am not.

But I was excited because before the trip was through,

I got to see my family as well as a bunch of friends from SU!

So many people who had made it out to the race,

Giving me the motivation to keep pushing when I fell off the pace.

You see my swim started out quite well,

But everyone exited the water together as far as I could tell.

Then began the long run to transition and I was second onto the bike,

And for me this was quite a brutal hike.

After only riding my TT bike three times before the race,

I quickly figured out I was in an uncomfortable place.

I rode up on my hoods and never found rhythm in the ride,

Did you know within NYC there are a lot of hills that hide?

Well anyways I struggled a lot and came off the bike quite behind,

And starting the run I was finding it hard to really grind.

Just when I wanted to give up I saw my friends in the park,

And them being there gave me a spark!

I could only see one person up ahead,

But started to pick up those legs full of lead.

After picking off one there was no one in sight,

So I tried to keep a rhythm as hard as I might.

Finally I saw two more in the distance,

And came up on them without too much resistance.

And that is where I finished the race,

After all that I ended up in 5^th place!

Not a bad finish with a bike that was lacking,

Happy all considering my TT training has been slacking.

It was a good first race back from an injury and this time there were only good kinds of pain,

And by racing, even if it wasn’t everything I had hoped for, there was certainly a lot that I gained.

Without my friends and family there I may have checked out,

And I know that them being there helped me stay in the game without a doubt.

When I was racing at SU I always loved cheering for one of my friends because she always listened,

If you told her to stay on a girl during a run- right on that girl’s hip she would remain positioned.

It was so much fun to cheer and feel like I was really helping in some way.

And that is exactly what happened for me today.

What’s even better is that friend was one of the ones who came to watch,

I took a bit of Spags toughness and when I saw them I picked it up a notch.

I thought about how lucky I must be,

For everyone to wake up so early and stand in the rain just for me,

Their cheers and support kept me in the game,

So that in the end I didn’t feel shame.

Today on the course there were always people keeping me going,

As the hills in central park continued rolling.

Just know when you cheer at a race for someone you know or a random athlete,

That your words might be the reason they’ll be able to push harder the next few feet.

Never underestimate what encouraging words can do,

Because during today’s race that got me through.

And as always the support of Coeur, Team Psycho, ROKA, Brooks and Powerbar cannot be missed,

I’m backed by such encouraging companies that are so much better than I ever could have wished!

Thank you to all and to all a good night,

In two weeks I will be on my Kelowna flight!