Sedona + Dallas ITU Pan Am Cup

I used to think that heat was just heat. In the summer it gets hot. The sun makes things hot. 

Little did I know that there are so many different ways for warmth to prosper, and in the last month I got to experience the bone dry heat of Sedona and the sticky insta-sweat heat of Dallas. 

May started off with a super fun camp in Sedona with the RTC crew + a few special guests. We lived in a very nice house with 12 people and got in some great work in Camp Verde and Flagstaff. I think one of my favourite adventures was our ride up to Flagstaff. The road builds into the mountain and most of the way up there is a meandering creek that runs beside the road. We also ate rattlesnake. And buffalo. And cactus fries. They were interesting.

After the camp we flew over to Dallas to race the ITU Pan Am cup that was being held there. We stayed at the very classy Homewood Suites and by the end of the week we were all get fairly rowdy and ready to race.

When Saturday finally came I was more than ready to go. I had a great warmup and was feeling loose and relaxed.  I was the sixth woman to be called down into the water for the in-water start. The left side provided the shortest line to the first buoy, but I went far right with Alison Hooper, who had made the intelligent move to stay clear of the crowd and take and open outside spot. I was in good company with Ali on one side and Alex Coates on the other. I had a very clean start and didn't really get into a rhythm until the second lap of the swim. I saw that there was a break to the lead pack, and I just tried to minimize any loss of time until we got out onto the bike. 

On the bike I contemplated making a go of it and attempting to catch the leaders, but we were a minute down out of the water and I noticed that I was again with a great group of girls that I could bike with and I was pretty sure we could do some damage. We had a nice little Canadian draft pack going on, and Stevie, Manon, Alex and I were quickly in sight of the lead group. We caught up to Laura Bennett (who had soloed most of the ride) and then continued to push a strong pace until the last lap where everyone relaxed until the end of the bike. 

I was ready to run. The sun had been focused down on the hot concrete for the entire day. By the time that we were ready to set off for the last 10km, the sun had heated up the little town of Irving to a balmy 41-42C. You could already feel it on the bike; with very little wind and absolutely no shade we were riding through the thick masses of humid air and now we got to jump right in it and run. 

I was fifth out of T2 and eased into a comfortable pace. I had to keep finishing the race in mind as I set my pace and just stayed focused on Laura's back. I grabbed water at every aid station and poured it on my head to stay cool. I kept a constant tempo and took things one lap at a time, and finished second. 

Over half of the field DNF due to the heat. Congrats to all who raced...that is a pretty impressive number and finishing the race was a feat in itself. 

I am very happy with another good result at a Continental Cup and am looking forward to getting back to work again. I didn't realize how much I missed Guelph until returning home. The pool is faster here.

I have to give a thank you to all of the race volunteers and organizers for the event and to all of the coaches and officials who helped out before, during, and after the race. There were many great performances that day and I owe a huge thanks to Coach CT, Dr. Jason Vescovi, and the RTC crew. Also thanks as always to  my supporters and I am looking forward to heading home to Ottawa soon to visit Cyclelogik and see all of the new summer stuff! Next up on the agenda is more training and then my first World Cup of the year in Edmonton.