Ixtapa, Mexico - PATCO 2010

Well, after a brief (cough) hiatus from blogging I have decided to start up again. Since it is finally race season, I will actually have something to talk about!!

Okay so, Race numero uno - PATCO Pan American Championships. Worlds qualifier. Arguably one of the biggest races of the season. This is one race that determines a lot for the rest of the year...if the swim is not cancelled.

I left on the 18th of May at 3:00am to catch a flight in the Montreal Airport at 7:30am. After checking in, I was on my way to the sunny and warm Mexico City, where I had a 3 hour layover, and then finally on to Ixtapa. We were very lucky on our flight to Mexico City; the plan was almost empty and I got an entire row to myself. Not too shabby!

Mexico City Airport

Coach and his Starbucks

We arrived in Ixtapa and the weather was amazing! Warm and clear skies, perfect for me. For the next couple days we settled in and get used to the heat. It was fun to hang out with Team Canada and get to know some interesting people who live on a tiny island in the Caribbean.

Before I knew it, race day had come. My team mate, Domi, had just arrived in Ixtapa the night before the race, but she was as happy and as optimistic as ever. Her attitude gave me a huge mental boost, and I told her that the sun had finally arrived for real.

Race morning I was woken up quite early, but I proceeded to eat my breakfast and complete any last minute preparations that were necessary. Then, it was time to head down to the lobby and spin over to the race course.

After getting my numbers and transition set up, I headed down to the water to start my swim warmup. I, personally, had not seen the waves that morning, but Domi had been out practicing the night before. All she could talk about was the size of the waves that evening, and speculation about what if they cancelled the swim. I assured her that it would not be cancelled, but I was so wrong!! Kyla describes the ever growing size and aggression of the waves well in her post.

Before I was even down to the beach, they had announced that the boats were not allowed to be launched into the water and that the Junior event, that was starting in less than 30 minutes, was to be turned into a duathlon. We would complete a 2km run, followed by the standard 20km bike and 5km run.

Craig Taylor, the lead coach, remained calm and focus. He called all of the Canadian athletes together and made the new change cleat to everyone. Canada still needed those Worlds spots, but the race would most likely not be used to determine the athletes selected to fill the spots. Some of the athletes, most notably Matt Sharpe, stepped forwards and thought immediately of a team approach. CT assured them that he didn't want anyone throwing their race away. It was really important to see others thinking of the "team" first. They deserve a lot the respect and recognition.

For me, I had a million thoughts going through my head, but I knew that with less than 20minutes to go it was time to change my warmup, reset my t-zone, and talk strategy quickly with my coach.

The race was underway before I knew it, with the men leading out about 5minutes ahead. The first run was really smooth and controlled. I had talked with Greg and he told me not to kill the pace and just settle in. There was no point in breaking away, because then I would just waste my legs and have no one to bike with.

I came into T1 with a large pack of girls, and we proceeded onto the bike. Christine Ridenour and I attacked a couple of times, and one attack of Christine's put a big gap in the group. We formed the lead pack, with four Canadians, two Mexicans, and one lone American. Christine worked amazingly well on the bike, and the grouped worked pretty well together, although there were always a couple girls just sitting in on the back.

We came into T2 where I was second out behind Christine. It was fun to experience that wobbly ache in the legs that comes from a good ride for the first time again this year. I built into the run, and I was in first by the turnaround on the two lap course. I continued to build my pace and put a bit of a lead on the others. At one point I remember telling myself that I had won, and that I just had to keep taking one more step - the finish would come soon!

Overall it was a great race, a great environment, and a great experience. I was ready for a triathlon, but I guess two out of three will have to do for now!

The rest of the day was spent watching the Elite / U23 race and eating a ton at the hotel buffet. Congratulations goes out to all of the U23 women and men, who had to race 2 hours in the heat of the day. Their bravery and effort was unmatched! Also, to the junior men, who like to play bumper cars with their bikes and forget their shoes.

One last shout out has to go to Alexander Hinton, who had a blistering first run and absolutely destroyed the competition and claimed the number one spot going into T1. As we all know, that was REALLY the only title that matters.

After a day in the sun the whole group headed out to celebrate and let loose.