Worlds Video

Craig worked tirelessly for days to finish this amazing video for me before Worlds. It is tradition that he puts together a video of the year for athletes that compete in the World Championships.
I was extremely happy to see the video and am so thankful that I have a great coach who is willing to put in the time and go the extra mile.
Thanks Craig!

Auckland World Championships

The RTC Guelph crew + special guests Matty V and AK-47 flew over to Auckland, arriving nine days out from our race.

Our lovely B&B at Springcurl

Breakfast! 

Craig had organized a bed and breakfast in Clevedon for us to stay in for a few days before heading down to Auckland to join the rest of the team. We got some work done in Clevedon and had some fun too and before we knew it we were packing our bikes up again and piling into our 100 year old Toyota van to scoot over to the big city.

Doing some swimming in the ocean in Clevedon

Saying goodbye to our hosts John and Christine

Seeing the whole elite team together is one of my favorite parts of the World Championships, and our team meetings really helped us to gain a sense of community. We were lead by a group of world-class coaches and some amazing support staff that made the whole operation smooth and relatively stress free.

The big city!

In my last few days in Clevedon I began to suffer from some intense pain in my jaw than ran up my temples and across my forehead. My wisdom teeth were growing in and they were being quite loud about it. It left me unable to eat solid food some evenings, but I was really fortunate as the pain cleared up a couple days out from the race and it hasn't really revisited me again yet.

Dinner chez Mama and Papa Hinton!

I was quiet and a bit withdrawn in the days leading up to the event, as my body still didn’t seem too thrilled with being thrown into a different time zone. I was worried that I wasn’t going to feel good in time for the race, but I got a glimpse of where my fitness was at during a swim in an outdoor 60m pool where everything felt effortless and I knew after that workout that I was going to be ready for some fast racing.

The pool that saved me

My fears of coming out of the water a giant ice cube were abolished after we swam in the harbor two days out from the race. I was perfectly comfortable in my wetsuit and could actually feel my face and hands when I got out! Craig only told me after the race that the water was just over 14C.

On Friday I was going crazy inside but managed pretty well to keep it in. I was just ready to go. It was the most anxious that I have ever felt before a competition, and I just kept picturing myself on the start pontoon. When race day finally came I woke up with jitters and could not sit still. I warmed up on the bike with Alison Hooper and we were both quiet as we rode on our trainers. We were so fortunate to have a perfect day – low wind, sunny, and dry.

I was 22^nd on the start list so I didn’t get much choice of pontoon position. I don’t think I could have gotten luckier with my spot as I squeaked in between two very fast swimmers.

Ready... 

GO!

I can’t remember much of the swim, but I know that I had a good start and that I had clear water early on. My first lap of the swim was nothing amazing, but when I dove back in for the second lap I started feeling better and better and made up more and more time while passing a bunch of girls.

Exiting the water

Getting ready to ride                              

I struggled in T1 to get my wetsuit off and lost some time, but was on my bike and off on the course before I knew it. I made up a ton of ground on the first lap, and by the start of the second lap I was well established in a group with some strong riders. We quickly rode down a couple of the fast swimmers that were strung out in front.

I was really well prepared for the hills and felt strong through the entire bike. I would start mid pack at the bottom and then move up as we climbed the hill.

I had a fast T2, but made a big mistake right out of transition. A small gap formed to the two leaders and I made the wrong decision to not surge and to not go with them. I thought that I would be able to reel the girls back in over the course of the 10km. After the two girls broke away I ended up in no man’s land between two running packs. I have no idea how the run would have gone had I latched on right away, but I think that not running with them cost me in the end.

Finally achieved my goal of having a Delly Carr photo

I felt smooth for the entire run and even had a chance to slow up and grab a flag from Barb Sharpe as I ran down the final stretch of blue carpet.

Placing third again at the World Championships was a great feeling, but I think that I have won enough bronzes for a little while. Time for some more colours.

The main reason that I wanted to write this post is to thank a bunch of very special people that have helped me this season and made everything possible.

First of all, I have to thank my coach Craig Taylor. I didn’t think there was anyone who loved plotting to take over the world as much as I did before I met Craig. Craig accepted me in to the RTC in the fall of last year and he couldn’t have made the transition to a new university, a new town, and a new training group smoother. He is so dedicated and very passionate about the sport and his athletes. We have many great years to come and I am fortunate to call him my coach and one of my best friends.

I also have to thank Craig’s girls, his beautiful wife Tonya, his baby Sophie, and his bouncing 4-year-old Kate. They have all been so supportive and I have no idea how Craig is able to pull himself away from them and go to work every day or travel far away. As Worlds came closer, Craig was often out coaching on weekends and I have to thank his family for accepting that we needed the extra time.

Thanks to my parents, my aunt Joan and my brother and sister. My family came out to visit me the weekend that I left for New Zealand and it meant so much to me. They are there for me year round and some of the highlights of my year have been getting to see them.

A huge thank you to my sponsors, starting with the gang at Cyclelogik who provided me with an amazing Focus Izalco to race on this year as well as helped me out with countless other things. I would not have been able to compete without them and they made the move to Guelph so easy by still being willing to care for me. They have amazing staff and a really cool storefront that is always a great place to visit.

Asics has sponsored me for four years now, and they took a risk in 2008 by taking a young athlete under their wing that they didn’t know a ton about. They have been very fundamental to my success and are always very efficient and looking for ways to help.

I was very fortunate to receive an EVOC bike bag and suitcase this year that brought me around the world and back and has held up in amazing form. It is so light and I can pack and unbelievable amount of stuff in my bike bag and still have my bike arrive safe and sound.

Thanks to Titika Activewear for providing me with some awesome clothes for training and hanging out. It was so much fun to visit the store and I hope to be more involved with them in the future.

Nineteen provided me with their new Rogue which I loved swimming in and it kept me warm in the 14C water temperatures in Auckland. I am looking forward to working with them and having some stellar swims…lead pack, you are mine!

Nineteen Family

Thanks to Triathlon Canada for looking out for me and making triathlon possible for me. To Triathlon Ontario, thank you for recognizing my potential and helping me to continue to develop over the past years.

I owe a lot to the ground crew in Auckland; our U23 head coach Carolyn Murray, supporting coach Kyla Rollinson, elite coach Joel Filliol, coordinator-of-all-things Drew MacKenzie, our new HP director Libby Burrell, and mechanic Steve. They made the event very low stress and were essential in the success of the entire team at the World Championships.

To the entire team at Worlds, thank you for making this one of the best World Championships yet. Everyone was very encouraging and your cheers made a big difference. We will need to be there for each other in the coming years and I'm sure that we will only get better at working with each other.

Some of the team in our kits

My training group has put up with me all year and I would be nowhere without them. To the entire crew at the RTC, thanks for accepting my (mild) OCD and being there for me day in and day out. I don’t know what I would do if they weren’t here to beat me up a little bit every day. Shout out to the Hack Squad, Alexander, Dominika, Jason, and Tristan, one day we will learn how to swim real pretty. And a very special thank you to Tyler Bredschneider, who is probably one of the world’s greatest training partners and gets the work done day in and day out, no matter what.

I am also very fortunate to have access to some of the brilliant minds behind Speed River Track and the Guelph Gryphons Varsity Team – Dave Scott-Thomas and Chris Moulton. These guys let me jump in to workouts with the teams and also aren’t afraid to make fun of me and keep my head from getting too big. Three cheers for the Aerobic Alliance!

Speaking of Speed River and Varsity, thank you to all the athletes and to my varsity women’s team. One of the best parts of every week was getting to go out and long run or do a super tough workout with my girls. Those workouts keep me sane and I am so lucky to be able to run with (or behind) some of the country’s best runners. The team listens to me complain and keeps me grounded. They accept the fact that I swim and bike, too.

Rollin.

I have to mention the three M’s…Mike Coughlin, Mike Hay, and Mark Linseman. Mike Coughlin joined Craig for many training sessions and was out at the early mornings at the pool, driving around for countless hours as we rode, and staying out late to see us finish run workouts. Mike Hay is always a welcome face at workouts and helped me out with one hard key bike session that made a world of difference. He is always great to chat with and is always a source of valuable wisdom. And cookies. Mark helped us figure out some important hydration information and also let us use his office as a heat chamber before hot races. He must like the smell of sweat (…?)

I can’t forget about some very important people back in Ottawa, Brian Gomes, David Markin, and Jaime Trick. Brian took me under his wing a year ago and secured a ton of support for me that made racing at an elite level a reality. If it wasn’t for him I would have been on my own for trying to secure sponsors and I had no idea where to start. Jaime and David have believed in me from the beginning and are always among the first people to congratulate me after a race or time trial. David kept me motivated to swim strong all season as we compared PB’s and Jaime provided me with amazing treatment and brought me back from injury countless times. I think a lot about you guys!

Because we love so much to break our bodies down, I owe a lot to those that help to keep me together. Marcell Meresz is a massage therapist extraordinaire as well as part time psychologist. Jennifer McKay is an amazing physio who kept me in one piece all year.

Lastly, as much as we always love to think about where we are going, it is important that we remember where we have come from. Thank you to Greg Kealey, my start in triathlon, and to John Hawes, who has taught me so much beyond swimming. I literally would not be in this sport without these coaches.

For now I will be working my butt off trying to catch up with school. It felt like I was in a bit of a time warp in Auckland and now reality has come crashing back down again. And, as alway, I am eager to do some training and maybe a little bit of this...

Cross cross cross cross cross

Thanks to you for reading!

Magog Continental Cup and U23 Nationals

If you have never been to Magog you are seriously missing out. It is such a beautiful small town with a cozy downtown and some interesting small shops and cafés, almost like Canada's mini Europe.
The last time I was in Magog was as a Junior in 2010, and the race was Junior Eastern Canadian Championships. I managed to win that race and it helped me to qualify for Junior Worlds.
Two years later, Magog is just as charming and I am back for a different race, this time it is U23 Nationals and a Continental Cup.

We stayed in a condo close to the race site, and it was very fun to stay with my teammates, coach CT, and Emma Lujan from B.C. and Lawrence Fanous from Jordan. There was an electric atmosphere in the condo, and everyone was excited to be together and ready to race. We had some family dinners and played some board games to keep things loose before the race.
Going into the race, I was very at ease. I had put in a big block of training before Edmonton and then just rolled the next two weeks prepping for the race. I was rested and restless...more than eager to get to the start line.

It was my first time this year being first on the start list and I got to pick my position on the start line. Craig had watched the races that morning and directed me on where to go at the start and in the end it ended up being a great tactical decision. I was very happy to start beside Dominika Jamnicky, because I knew that if I could stick with her, or even try and be relatively close, I would be ahead of the rest of the field. We were a bit thrown off by a late start, but Domi and I took the opportunity to crack some jokes and ease into our warm up. We chatted some more with Craig and started with huge smiles on our faces.

Domi out front and me trying to hold on

The start was fast. Domi was out like a firecracker and it took everything I had to stay on her. I ran in the water as far and as fast as possible and then proceeded to dolphin dive before falling into the water and putting my head down to swim. Being an Olympic distance tri, the swim was 1500m, but it was a one loop swim course. All of the Olympic swims that I have done this year have been a 2 loop course and I was a bit bewildered by the long loop that seemed to take forever. At the first turn buoy, 600m out, I was way behind and a lead group had formed in front of me.
I knew that it was going to be essential for me to catch up and minimize the gap as much as possible. I got into a good rhythm and worked as hard as I could to catch up to the tail end of the leaders. By the time we reached the exit, I had swam my way up to a small group behind the leaders. I had a quick transition and hammered the first 4km of the bike to catch up to the lead group before the far turn. The rest of the bike was pretty uneventful, with a small group of Canadians working well together to keep the tempo up.

When I got off the bike and transitioned to the run, I didn't feel great at first and ran in a small group with Ellen Pennock, Domi, and Alex Coates. Ellen and I got a small gap by the first turn and then proceeded to run together for the next two laps. My legs were feeling quite good and I knew that I had more in them. I held onto Ellen and then tried to get a small break before the last lap. My body cooperated, and just focused on getting my legs around and staying strong.

Many thanks to my awesome anti-doping chaperone Nadine!

After the race on Saturday I headed out to a Fast and Female event with Amelie Kretz (the superstar winner of the Junior Elite race that morning) and we got to hang out with some fun girls and tell them about triathlon. There was also a dance but my feet and legs were so sore that I just kind of moved my arms around and shuffled a bit.

I was sad to leave Magog but hope to be back again very soon. Thanks as always to Cyclelogik, to all of my supporters, and to my family for coming out to take in the race. It was great to see the Asics reps at the race (who I have known since I was 16!) and spend the evening with them catching up. 

Thanks for reading!

Edmonton World Cup

Leeches are hematophagous creatures that feed on the blood of invertebrate and vertebrate animals. To feed on their "hosts", leeches initiate contact with their anterior suckers and then use a combination of mucus and suction to stay connected and snack on your blood. After going for a nice little dip in Hawrelak Park in Edmonton the day before my first World Cup of 2012 and observing a bazillion leeches swimming happily in the little lake, I dreamt of the start of the race...the horn blasts and the athletes jump into the water...there is chaos as everyone struggles to establish their position as the water churns and all you can see is a furious flash of arms and legs...and then someone stops suddenly and begins yelling...they are slowly being pulled down under the surface...as they disappear the crowd catches the smallest glimpse of a dark grey creature...the MOTHER OF ALL LEECHES!

The Mother of All Leeches

Thankfully, the Mother of All Leeches decided to behave on the day of the World Cup and there were no unfortunate victims. I did, however, flash all of the possibilities through my mind; leach in my suit, leech in between my toes, leech in my hair, leech in my ear, swallowing leeches. Needless to say, it was great incentive to get out of the water as fast as possible. 
Edmonton was a sprint World Cup - sprints are becoming increasingly popular on the world cup circuit as they make for fast and spectator friendly racing. A sprint has a swim of 750m, a bike of 20km, and a run of 5km. I participated in sprints all last year as I was in the "Junior Elite" category. This being my first year of U23, I thought that I would be participating solely in Olympic distance tri's (twice the distance) but I have already done a couple of sprints this year. 

Ready...

Set...

GO!!!

The race was in the afternoon, and after a morning of relaxing and taking in some of the Junior PATCO races, I headed down to the race site and completed my warm up. Before I knew it, I was on the starting pontoon, lining up, and waiting for the gun. I had a relatively good starting position and got off the pontoon (after jumping over the wall of leeches that wriggled in anticipation in the shallow water) and started towards the first buoy. The packs immediately split and I was caught in the middle and decided to go with the pack that had the more direct line to the buoy. In hindsight, I probably would have been better off veering to the other side, as that pack was much smaller and contained some fast swimmers. After about 100m I found myself caught up with another athlete, who I later discovered was my good friend Manon Letourneau. We kept running into each other and I was getting quite frustrated, as I would move over and she would follow me and it was almost as if we were tied together. I had no idea that she was also battling with someone on the other side of her, so as I moved over to giver her space, she moved closer to me in attempt to disentangle herself from the girl on her right. I knew that I was going to have to have a stellar swim if I wanted to even be in contention, but my swim ended up being very sub par and I was well back from where I wanted to be. I exited the water and booked it to transition. 

On the bike I was in a small pack with Manon and Chantell Widney and we caught up to the lead group after 5km. Flora Duffy from Bermuda was out front, soloing the ride, and we managed to reel her in on the third lap. My super speedy team mate, Dominika Jamnicky, and I managed to grab a bike prime on the third lap and I was feeling quite good and excited to run. 
When I got onto the run I knew right away that something wasn't quite right. My legs were not responding the way I would have liked. I held a good position up the hill but then got dropped on the way down and started to cramp and feel quite nauseous. On the two loop run, I made my way back up again on the hill, only to be dropped again and plod along to the finish. 
I returned home and did a couple of easier weeks of training in preparation for the Magog Continental Cup and U23 Nationals that was two weeks later. 
I have to say a huge congrats to my travel buddy and training partner Alexander Hinton and Coach Craig Taylor. Zander had an absolutely astounding race, placing second in his first World Cup, and made everyone extremely proud. More great things to come.

Fast and Female Event - Magog, QC

I am really happy to announce that I am a new ambassador for Fast and Female and hope to become more and more involved with this organization. I will be attending a fun bilingual event with Fast and Female after U23 Nationals in Magog...if you are around come and check it out!!

AND if you register you get some cool stuff!! Including a Buff. So many ways to wear them...https://www.buyabuff.com/t-Buff.Content.How_To_Wear_A_Buff.aspx

From Fast and Female - 

On July 21^st, Fast and Female will be in Magog, Quebec for a first ever afternoon of triathlon training and inspirational delight.  This event will be held in conjunction with one of the biggest two-day triathlon events in Quebec - the Tri-Memphré. This year it is comprised of 20 races including an ITU Pan American Cup, the Under 23 National Championship, and a Quebec Cup.   

What is Fast and Female ? Fast and Female is a not-for-profit society started in 2005 by Chandra Crawford, the 2006 Olympic gold medalist in cross-country skiing. The organization’s mission is to support, motivate, inspire, and empower girls to stick to sports and the healthy lifestyle. Fast and Female fulfills its mission of "Empowerment Through Sport" by hosting fun-filled, non-competitive initiatives all across North-America aimed at exposing young female athletes to inspiring female Olympians and elite level athletes. The young girls who attend Fast and Female events today will lead it in the future, may it be as athletes, coaches, volunteers, parents, and community leaders. For more information about Fast and Female. 

On July 21st, girls ages 9-19 are invited to an afternoon of team-building activities, a Triathlon clinic, inspirational presentations, dance, and autograph sessions. Lead ambassador to this event include Amélie Kretz recently won the junior women’s North American triathlon championships race and Joanna Brown who won the bronze medal at 2010 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary. So it's a unique chance for your athletes to meet great model to connect, share experience and to be inspired to stay motivate in the sport ! 

The cost of the event is $25, which covers a snack, a Karbon technical tee ($40 value), and a Buff ($23 value) with the Fast and Female colours! To find out more visit  www.fastandfemale.com and to sign up go to http://ff21juilletmagog-efbevent.eventbrite.ca/ - HURRY!! Registration closes the 20th of July at noon. On-site registration is $30. 

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.