Post Worlds and Cozumel World Cup

Well I’m hanging out in the Cancun airport lounge and there is no food so I’m drinking coffees like it’s my job. Ergo, I have the ability to type like a superhuman and I may as well use it to my advantage to do some blog updates. Besides…my brain is still a little too fried for homework.

After flying home from London on September 17th and letting my performance at U23 Worlds really sink in, I jumped into a Varsity Cross Country workout on my second day back in Guelph. I was overjoyed to be reunited with the team and to feel the energy and excitement that was building amongst the girls in preparation for our upcoming season. I joined in for a couple more workouts with the team and decided to race the Vic Matthews Invitational last weekend (September 28th) in Guelph.

The race went out fast and I was flying for about 2km before I hit a wall and the volume from the previous week crept into my legs. I was still doing full triathlon training and was not rested for the race. Needless to say, it was very fun and a great performance overall for the Gryphons.

Quick video recap of the race...http://www.trackie.com/CIS/XC/Videos/gryphons-at-the-new-balance-vic-matthews-open/3033/

Last Thursday I flew to Cozumel to compete in my last triathlon of the season, the Cozumel World Cup.

I was extremely excited going into the race and pretty confident knowing that I had some good fitness coming off of Worlds. I didn’t feel extremely sharp in the days leading up to the race and fretted a bit about the heat. In the end I knew I was just going to have to race hard, stay focused, and put myself in the mix. Everything else was out of my control.

I had a rough swim, and was pulled and dunked a fair bit before the first buoy. I was held under the water briefly which was scary but I made friends with some fish and they were friendly so that was ok. I’m guessing that my timing chip fell off at some point during all of the grabbing and scraping so I apologize to anyone who was trying to follow if I made it extra difficult. Its probably still at the bottom of the ocean somewhere and I’m sure a scuba diver will find it and maybe show it to his friends or just leave it at the bottom of the ocean.

Not having a timing chip means that I can make up all of my splits and everyone will have no choice but to believe me. Bonus.

So…not only did I have the fastest swim, but I also had the fastest bike AND the fastest run. If you’re thinking, “Well then, how did she have the fifth fastest time?” I have the answer. Apparently, I stopped to have some cervezas in T1 and then a small siesta in T2.

The highlight of my race came after exiting the water. I sprinted to my bike and mounted just behind the Olympic gold medalist. We were about 30 seconds back from the lead girls and had to TT to bridge to the front group that had formed. So I worked with Spirig to close the gap and we joined the front pack after about 8km. Working with Spirig was - and I risk sounding like a huge dork here - really cool. It’s not often that I have the opportunity to work with other strong cyclists and everything just flows so much better when you have someone to push the pace with.

I was very badly positioned going in to T2 (mistake 1) and then was far too kind as I ran with my bike in transition, not wanting to hit or collide with anyone (mistake 2). I then proceeded to struggle with my helmet (mistake 3) sunglasses (mistake 4) and running shoes (mistake 5). I exited T2 at least 10 seconds back from the leaders and immediately felt the heat. I could see the leaders just ahead and decided to just be patient and build gradually instead of hammering right away to catch up (mistake 6). I ran through some girls on the first lap and could still see the leaders just ahead. I stayed in fifth for the second lap, maintaining my distance from the lead but not quite running fast enough to close the gap.

In the end I finished fifth. Again.

I don’t have a whole lot more to say about the race but I will say that I am disappointed. Sure, it was a strong result, but I could have done better. I will always strive to be better and fifth place is not in the least bit satisfying. 

I’m home now, after spending a lovely Monday morning with Leslie Buchanan during our journey from Cozumel to Cancun. I’m happy to back in Guelph for a bit and it seems like I am just now settling into school and cross-country. It’s been a long season but there is always room for cross...and dessert?

I would just like to take a minute to thank a few very important people who made this trip possible. My coach, Craig Taylor, flew down to Cozumel with his two beautiful daughters and superstar wife, and they were all there to support us this week. Kyla Rollinson flew down last minute to take in the race and support the Canadians and it was a treat to have her there. The race organizers did a great job of making the race safe and smooth, and I want to give a special thanks to both Ulf Schuetze and Leslie Buchanan.

Finally, congratulations to my Canadian teammates who fought through the hot conditions and finished strong. Kyla Coates raced for the first time in two years and had a great performance and Dominika Jamnicky and Andrew Bysice are both headed to San Juan next weekend to race an Olympic distance tri.

Thanks to anyone who followed along and for any words of encouragement…and thank you for reading!

2013 U23 World Championships London

I had originally written a blog the day of my race that I was going to post right away, but after a bit of an internal debate I decided to sleep on it before sharing. As you can imagine, it was fairly emotionally charged and really reflected the frustration and disappointment that I felt on the day. This is my revised version…that is a bit less angry and a little more introspective, but just as honest.

Last year after my bronze medal at the U23 World Championships in Auckland, I went home content. I wasn’t satisfied or over the moon, but I knew that my result showed my fitness and my potential and that I had made great gains in my first year of U23. Looking back now, I recognize that 2012 was a great year for me. I was putting “money in the bank” and seeing my investment grow steadily. I cashed out in regular intervals, reaching the podium in almost every race that I did and meeting no major roadblocks along the way.

I know that everyone says the tough years make you stronger and keep you hungry. That is all good and well and as athletes we have to learn to deal with all of the lows just as professionally as we embrace the highs. It is easy to say that tough years make us grow and become more mature but the difficulty is found in the living out of the tough times. It hurts when it feels like no matter how hard you work, the world is working harder against you. It hurts when you do your best to be disciplined and diligent and careful and you end up injured. It hurts when you give something all of your time and energy and focus, but in the end you are left empty handed.

There seemed to be a few too many low points of my season this year and it just seemed like there was trouble waiting for me around every corner.

The hardest part of the year for me before London was the World Cup in Edmonton. It was our National Championships, and the race meant a lot to me. In the buildup to the competition I felt extremely fit and a couple months of good training had helped my confidence. I knew without question that I would perform well.

I was in the lead pack on the bike heading into the run, however, I was hit and fumbled with my bike and crashed entering T2. I jumped up as fast as I could and ran to my shoes carrying my bike. Everyone had left transition by the time I racked my bike and I struggled with my helmet and running shoes, finding that my right wrist and fingers were pretty useless. After what felt like an eternity, I finally set off on the run. The leaders were already out of sight and I thought the race was lost. It took me a good couple minutes to reset and refocus. I told myself to get back into the race and proceeded to hammer up the hill and just try and make up as much room as possible on the run. My hesitation cost me a lot of time, and although I have no way of telling what the result could have been had I not fallen, I felt like I had failed. I was ecstatic to see that my teammates had all had amazing races, and in the end Canada finished 1-2-3-4.

When I got home from Edmonton I quickly realized that getting back to training was not going to be as easy as I initially thought. All I wanted to do was throw myself into training, but the pain in my wrist and fingers prevented me from swimming or biking. I tried to grit my teeth for the first few days, but Craig knew that I was very uncomfortable. Showing for the umpteenth time that he knows me better than I know myself, Coach sent me home for a few days to rest and not only heal my wrist but also my mind.

The few days at home were just what I needed, and I returned to Guelph refreshed and prepared to face another large block of training before Worlds. We had to withdraw from the Palamos World Cup, which was and extremely hard decision, but the right one in the end as I continued to have wrist pain for about three weeks after the crash.

The next couple weeks flew by, and I got back into the rhythm of training. After a few weeks of mediocre sessions in the pool, I really started to find my swim and I was feeling strong in the water. I was also running some very high mileage weeks and just ticking along. My confidence was growing again, and I started to sense that I was ready for a good show in London.

Unfortunately, the universe decided to throw me another curve ball about five weeks before the Grand Final and I injured my foot. At first, I tried not to panic, hoping that it was just a minor speed bump and that the issue would clear up within a few days. A couple days of missed workouts turned into a couple weeks, and I was soon restless and stressed. I had interrupted run training for more than three weeks and was getting very sick of water running.

The foot injury didn’t completely clear up until a week before Worlds, when I had my first absolute pain free and tightness free run. Just in time.

Fast-forward a few days to the race, and I stepped on the start line healthy, happy, and excited. I had a great start and a decent swim, exiting the water in sixth. I made my way up to the leaders in the first kilometer of the bike, and was well positioned for the run. I had a sloppy T2 but bridged up to the leaders very quickly. The entire run I was completely in control, relaxed, poised, and pushing the pace from the front. What was a pack of about ten girls dwindled down to five, and rounding the last turn about 500m from the finish I was still in front.

When the pace accelerated I held on but my legs suddenly went leaden. I struggled to keep the pace, and watched as a group of three girls pulled away. I attempted to recover and surge back to the group, but my legs wouldn’t respond.

When I crossed the finish line I was disheartened. I had come to win and I had expected to perform much better. I felt like I had let myself, my coach, and all my family and friends who had come out to watch down. I wanted to apologize to everyone and hide.

Reflecting back, I made a few mistakes that could have cost me the race. I had bad transitions, causing me to have to expend unnecessary energy. I chose to be a driving force on the bike and was constantly pulling and in the front. I went to the lead early on the run to increase the pace. I had a very bold race, but to be honest I felt very bold and strove to be fearless. I went into the competition wanting to make everyone work hard and I paid for it in the final sprint.

I read a quote on Twitter a couple hours after my race that said, “Defeat is only bitter if you swallow it.” At the time I didn’t let myself think much of what it meant and I was still ready to sulk. A few days of thought have helped me to accept that there is truth in these words. I have played out a hundred different situations and outcomes in my mind, reflecting on where I went wrong and things I maybe should or could have done. But at the end of the day, as much as I want to, I cannot change the result of my race. However, I can control my attitude and what I learn from this experience. I will always stay hungry. I will always work to improve. I will not be defeated. 
Thanks for reading!

Florida Adventures (NDT Camp and Sarasota ITU CC)

This was supposed to be a training camp post…in February…but I will combine it in to a race report and then it’s two for one!

I am not a big fan of winter. I get cold and sad and it feels like the world is closing in.

Last year I was very fortunate to miss a lot of winter as I attended strategically placed camps in the worst months. By the time that I got home to Guelph the snow had melted and warm breezes flowed through town. I was training outside again before I knew it.

This year I was highly encouraged by my coach to take classes during the winter semester, which would leave me grounded in Guelph and therefore no chance for two-month escapes to summery places. I decided to stay in school and become smarter (I think that is how it works) but I was very fortunate to be a part of the Triathlon Canada National Team camp in Clermont, Florida that took place during reading week.

 

I was very excited to head down to Florida in February and see all of my triathlon buddies and get in some super training too.

We arrived safely in Clermont and were picked up by taxi driver / high performance manager Drew. It was a short drive to the Swiss Ski School where we stayed for the next two weeks.

We were also very fortunate to be graced with the presence of amazing run coach Bobby McGee who taught us some useful drills and tricks and who was unmatched in his skill at riding small pink bikes around the golf course.

Sara McLarty kicked our butt in the pool and in the open water for two weeks, and I have never met someone so enthusiastic and charismatic who knew the right thing to say when the going got tough.

The support staff at the camp worked tirelessly to make everything smooth and the camp really could not have happened without them. I have to thank the coaches Craig, Carolyn, Alan, and Kevin. Libby and Drew worked out logistics and kept things rolling from day to day.

Camp video by the amazing Coates!!  - http://vimeo.com/60913691

After the camp I was not very excited to come home to the snow and cold but pilots tend not to listen to you when you tell them to turn the plane around. I was only in Guelph for a short bout before heading back to Florida to race the Sarasota ITU Pan American Cup.

Sarasota was my first race of the season and I was pretty anxious to shake out the legs and just see where I was at from my base training from the previous months. I arrived a couple days early and scored an awesome hotel with Amélie Kretz and Domi Jamnicky...both had stayed in Florida and I almost didn’t recognize them due to their extreme tans.

Amélie and I had some pretty fun adventures the day before the race that included an unplanned 90min ride and two trips to the race site to try and get all of our precomp done. We were also almost eaten by alligators.

When race day came I was excited but also a bit distracted as I was trying to complete an essay that was due the next evening. I had written a lot of it but in a (rare) bout of foolishness I had left my textbook in the airport lounge in Toronto while on route to Sarasota. Luckily, super coach CT had picked it up for me when he flew out the next day so I was scrambling to put more words on paper. In the end I guess it was good to have something to focus on so that I wasn’t too fixated or stressed about the race. I am usually the most nervous for the first race of the season. (NOTE: got that essay done on time and didn’t even have to pull an all-nighter)

There was a bit more scrambling around when I got to the race site as I had some malfunctions with my race wheel cassette, but in the end everything worked out and I was pretty calm when I lined up for the start.

I ended up being far right on the start pontoon and I didn’t have too many fast swimmers around me until…Sara McLarty strutted down the pontoon and stood next to me. I was so happy (I did a little dance) because I knew I would either get dragged along with her, or she would shoot off like a rocket and I would have a bit of clear sailing until the first buoy.

When the swim started I put my head down and just told myself to take super fast strokes and stare at McLarty’s hip. I stayed there for a little bit (meaning all of about 75m) and then I looked up and saw that I was in second place! This lasted for about 3 seconds before the storm of flailing arms descended upon me and McLarty kept on accelerating. I got caught up in the fray and watched McLarty motor away to an eventual 55 second lead out of the water. Man I want to swim like that some day.

When I got out on the bike I had some catching up to do as I had a little disagreement with my wetsuit in T1. I caught up to four girls and we made an eventual pack of six. Our bike pack worked well together for about three laps before everyone decided that was enough effort for today and sat up to save their legs. It was very frustrating to watch two very small packs in front stay away from our big pack of six but I didn’t have a ton of confidence in where my legs were at so I wasn’t as aggressive on the bike as I usually am.

Off the bike I had a decent T2 and only had a bit of accelerating to do to catch two girls that had shot off in front. Kretz, Frintova, and I ended up running together for most of the run and the race finished in a sprint (yay) where I just couldn’t get my legs turning fast enough.

I was happy with the execution of the race and now have some good focus on things that I need to tweak going into the season. 

A huge thanks to coach Craig for coming down to the race and also to Amélie’s parents for helping us out with bags, bikes, boxes, and everything in between.

The highlight of the weekend was getting to spend some time with Amélie and her famille and hitting up froyo not once but TWICE on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.

Anyways the plan now is to finish exams, get ready for San Diego WTS, get the snow to leave Guelph, and start working the tan again.

Thanks for reading!

Link to results - http://www.triathlon.org/results/result/2013_sarasota_itu_triathlon_pan_american_cup/8964

All dressed up at the Gryphon Varsity Athletic Banquet!