Brrrr.....Winter is Here!

I am back in Colorado getting into the normal swing of things for a couple of weeks before I head off again to celebrate the holidays in Minnesota and Missouri.

I had a great Thanksgiving holiday getting to participate in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown St. Louis. Fortunately we had great weather that morning, with lows only in the 40s and sunshine! The parade lasted several hours and my family got to enjoy watching the parade in the VIP section at the Old Courthouse. After the parade we celebrated Thanksgiving dinner at my aunts house and got the opportunity to visit with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
I also spoke with more schools the final week in November and also traveled to Tulsa to speak with TAT (Tulsa Area Triathletes) club. While in Tulsa, I stayed with Jessica Meyer (Jones) and got to hang out with her family and spend time with her twins (20 months....cute!)

Now back in Colorado for a few days I have already experienced temperatures in the 60s, a high of 20 and snow, and this weekend forecast is expected to be back into the 50s! I am hoping to get outside for a ride this weekend, but I know I better become friends with my trainer....as it is only December and it will be awhile until signs of spring!

The past few days I have started swimming in the 50 meter pool again. The OTC pool closes every quad following the Olympics for several months for re-surfacing, and cleaning.
I had not swum long course since July and I can feel it!!! My arms tire so much more quickly than swimming in a short course pool. My saving grace is that the swims have all been pretty light this week as we are just getting back into the early part of the season.

I am looking forward to the rest of the month with holiday parties, visiting family and enjoying the spirit of Christmas! Enjoy and Happy Holidays!!!

Fall Folliage

The past couple weeks have been very nice with taking some time off from training and getting to spend some time in Missouri and Minnesota.
I was able to spend Halloween in St. Louis and go trick-or-treating with my 19 month old niece! She dressed as a St. Louis Cardinals cheerleader and picked up the thrill of Halloween very quickly---We also got to go to the zoo, spend time at the park and enjoy the beautiful weather St. Louis was having at the beginning of November. It has been quite awhile since I have been to the Midwest in the fall and I forgot how beautiful all of the trees are with their changing colors. Reds, orange, gold, brown...so many shades everywhere you look! I also got to catch up with some old friends and take a college friend of mine out for her birthday in U-City.

The warm weather was quickly cut short when I traveled to Minnesota on Nov. 6th for my cousin's wedding and visit my in-laws. The 70 degree days were replaced with rain, snow and cold temps! Of course it is almost Thanksgiving, so these conditions are much more normal...

The past week I have been getting back into some lighter training and will not pick up the intensity until December. It is a much needed change of pace for the body and the mind after a long season and needed to prepare the body for another long season.

This month I will also be spending quite a bit of time speaking at elementary schools. In Minnesota, I spoke at Crooked Lake Elementary (my mother-in-law is principal there) about goal setting, Beijing and the sport of triathlon. I will be speaking at 5 more schools before the Thanksgiving holiday, including my elementary school, Wren Hollow! I really enjoy speaking to the kids about my passion for sport and fitness and hope that I can touch them in some way.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy the spirit of the Holiday season
Best-Sarah

Back at Home

After a day of traveling back from Huatulco, Mexico, I am back home in Colorado Springs.
The race did not play out as I would have liked and I am extremely disappointed with the outcome, especially since this was my final race of the year.
Unfortunately, I experienced a mechanical on the bike and was unable to finish the race. This has only happened to me one other time in my career, my first world cup back in 2005.
This was hard to swallow, considering there were only eight women that finished the race...so if I could have just been able to finish the ride I could have broke even for the trip and earned world cup points.
More upsetting, is that I was not able to go out there and execute the past few weeks of hard training and also cross that finish line. I do wish I had another race scheduled for the remainder of the year to let out my frustrations, but I am going to continue with my regularly scheduled off-season plans. I am headed to St. Louis tomorrow to visit the family and enjoy my break from training!!
I always look at the positives from the race and try learn from my mistakes. The race began with mistakes from the get go----not only just mechanical on the bike!
The race began at 8:00AM, and the temperatures were already very warm!! We had a short run into the water with a beach start, and I got into a good position very early into the swim with a lead after the first 100 meters. Prior to the race start, I misjudged the layout of the swim course and did not make an appropriate turn about 400 meters into the race. I swam about 50 meters out of the way, before I realized my mistake and looked back and saw the entire swim pack 50-100 meters ahead of me. I worked the next 800 meters catching back up to the front group before exiting the water for T1. A positive in this aspect is that I stayed calm, and did what I needed to do in catching back up to the front. However, once out on the bike course I dwelled on my mistake and should have been more focused on the race at the moment.
About half-way through the bike course, I was shifting in the middle of a small hill and my chain stuck. I got off my bike, fixed it, and then hopped back on (2 min behind the lead pack of four I was riding with). I was very disheartened, but after a lap or so I got back into it. Unfortunately, my chain/shifting stopped working again and I was not able to continue.
I learned two very important skills----no matter what happens, DO NOT dwell on what happened in the past. I did a great job reacting in the water, but I was not present on the bike.
Could my mechanical been avoided? Who knows? Maybe if I was more in the present on the bike, my shifting would not have been so terrible? I do know that I need to be more smooth in my shifting and more aware of putting my bike in the correct gear before climbing, turning, etc. This course was very, very challenging, with one very steep hill. This course required mental and physical focus and I was physically there, but fell short on my bike skills, bike mechanical issues, and mental mistakes. I am going forward with what I can take away from this race and be stronger for next year.
I do have to say congratulations to all the men and women who had great days out there who raced on not only a challenging course, but racing in temperatures around a 100 degree heat index!
I have not quite figured out my race season for 2009, mainly because the ITU World Cup schedule has not yet been posted. I am looking forward to time with my family and a break to let my body recharge both physically and mentally. The past few days this race has been on my mind and my mistakes have been eating at me, although I know a mechanical is not completely in my control.
Have a safe and happy Halloween this Friday!
Sarah

Headed off to Mexico

Tomorrow morning I depart for my final race of the 2008 season. I will be traveling all day to Huatulco, Mexico for the last ITU World Cup event. My flight departs Colorado Springs at 8:15 AM in route to Dallas---then to Mexico City and catching one more plane to Huatulco. I should be arriving by 7:00PM if all flights are on schedule. I had never heard of Huatulco before, but I have heard it is a quiet city with beautiful beaches. Most of the tourism in the area is domestic, but it may become more popular for international travelers in the future.
Huatulco is located about an hour plane ride south of Mexico City---it is just northwest of Guatemala. I don't have to worry about being cold while there----temperatures will climb into the 90s during the day, with lows in the lower 70s at night.
My race begins at 8:00AM, so the heat should not be much of a factor at race start; however, I am sure it will get hot by the time we hit T2. We will be swimming in a calm sea bay, riding eight laps on a rolling course and running four laps (not quite sure of the run terrain yet). The men begin racing at 10:45AM, so all the racing will be done by noon and we can spend the remainder of the day at the beach!
The field is quite small for a world cup with only 22 women on the start list. I am wanting to finish out the season on a strong note and looking forward to going out and racing hard and having fun. The race will be be broad casted on the web at 8:00AM CST (7:00MST) on the itu website Tricast (www.triathlon.org).
I will post race updates once I am back home.
Best Wishes
Sarah

Dallas Triathlon/White House/Las Vegas

I have now been back in Colorado for a couple days and have been catching up on emails and getting back into my last block of training for the 2008 race season!
I was gone for a full week with traveling to Dallas, racing last Sunday, traveling to Washington D.C. on Monday, traveling to Las Vegas on Tuesday and finally one last plane trip back to the Springs on Wednesday.
My trip began with race preparations for Dallas---checking out the course, working at the Toyota booth in the expo and enjoying time with family who came down to Dallas to watch.
The race began at 7:50AM on Sunday morning with a slightly different agenda than normal (when we start just a few minutes behind the Pro Men). This race, we began 10 minutes after the elite ameature women (12 min behind the Pro men and 20 min behind the elite ameature men).
The water temperature was a nice 76 degrees with minimal chop. The swim was straight out, one right turn and straight back. Unfortunately on the way back in to shore, the sun was glaring down onto the water and I could not see a single thing except sun glare. Kayaks were out on the course, but they were not really leading us, just watching us and making sure everyone was doing okay. After several minutes, I stopped and asked a guy on a kayak where to go----I had started swimming off course and he helped me back into shore. I ended up getting out of the water with a 20-25 second gap on the main pack.
This was a goal of mine, especially considering the first 3 miles of the bike ride were in the park and it was very tight and technical section.
I lead through the bike section until around the half-way mark when I saw Lisa Norden and a group of about 5 women riding with her catch up to me. At that point in the race, I focused on sticking near Lisa and not letting her get too far in front. The bike was tough, but I exited in second about 20 seconds down from Lisa.
I started off the run doing the best I could to make up ground, but Lisa is a very quick runner (she just came off a world cup win in France the weekend prior). I felt good on the run and felt like I had a quick cadence. With about two miles to go, I knew that I was not going to catch Lisa, but kept running hard until the finish because I did not know what was going on behind me. The run was an out and back, so we only got to see where competitors were only once, at the half-way mark.
Although it was my goal to repeat my win from 2007, I can't complain with second place. There were many strong women competing at the Toyota Cup Dallas Triathlon this year and I only expect the race to get more and more competitive.

The day after the race, I got the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. to visit the White House on Tuesday. All the Olympians and Para-Olympians were invited to meet the President and tour the West Wing. The event began with a dinner at the Baltimore Hilton on Monday night and a very early wake up on Tuesday morning. We left promptly at 6:30AM to head to D.C. and with traffic, the commute took 2 hours!! Once we got to the White House grounds and went through security, all of the athletes stood in front of the White House and waited for the President and First Lady to address the crowd. I have to say, I have never met a President before, so it was very exciting to see President Bush and Laura in person. Surprisingly, President Bush was much taller in person than he looks on T.V.! After his speech, I was able to sneak down and get a picture with him! The West Wing was beautiful with an enormous amount of history. The paintings were beautiful (from George Washington to Hilary Clinton) there were so many original paintings. My tour had to be cut short, because at 12:30PM I had a flight to Las Vegas.
The final part of my trip was attending a dealer meeting in Las Vegas for Toyota. The same group I met a few weeks ago in New York was also in Las Vegas (Dara Torres, Culin Jones, Aron Peirsol and Brenden Hansen). Hunter and I joined the swimmers and we met Toyota dealers, took pictures with them and signed autographs. I was a very easy night of work, but by 8:00PM I started getting sleepy (considering I woke at 1:30AM Pacific Time).
I did end up getting to bed by 10:00, so it was not so bad. We also got to stay at the Four Seasons, which is located on the top four floors of Mandalay Bay. Talk about service....and a spectacular view of Vegas from the room.
I have just about two weeks in Colorado before I leave for Mexico. It will be nice to have two weeks in one place!!!
Best Wishes
Sarah

Back in Colorado....For a Short Time

I have been back in Colorado for a few days now and getting in some quality training before I head to Dallas to compete in the US Open Toyota Cup.
If you were tuning into the Today Show last Wednesday, unfortunately not all the athletes were able to talk about their charities on air. As things go with TV, our time segment got cut, so the swimmers were on air, but Hunter and I had an online interview to talk about Toyota's Engines of Change program and our charities.
You can read the article here:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26873822/
I have to say traveling across the country and back in two days was a lot of time spent on the airplane, but New York was a great experience getting the opportunity to meet some Olympic swimmers; Dara Torres, Colin Jones, Brenden Hansen and Aron Piersol.

I am leaving very soon for Dallas to participate in some media events and be in the race expo with Toyota. The race begins Sunday morning with the following schedule:
7:30 – Men Elite Amateurs Swim Start
7:38 – Pro Men Swim Start
7:40 – Women Elite Amateurs Swim Start
7:50 – Pro Women Swim Start.
I have some family members and friends coming to the race to watch and support---so really looking forward to racing and putting in a 100% effort. This race is a non-drafting race, so it is tactically very different from an ITU draft-legal race. I will be pushing the bike at my own pace, instead of riding in a pack.

After the race, I will have another crazy short few days of travel. I depart on Monday for Washington D.C. On Tuesday, the Olympic athletes have been invited to tour the White House and meet the president. Immediately following the President's speech in the morning, I am leaving for Las Vegas for a dealer meeting with Toyota that evening. On Wed. morning, I will head back to Colorado.

I am looking forward to my upcoming trip and ready to race!
Good luck to all racing this weekend!

West Coast to East Coast

For the past few days since the race, I have been in Portland, Oregon attending the USAT Arts and Science Conference. The Olympic triathletes are speaking at the conference on Monday night and sharing our experience at the Beijing Olympic Games. I have gotten the opportunity to meet coaches from around the country as well as many age group athletes who competed at thier National Championships this past Saturday.
Tomorrow morning I will be up very early to catch a flight to NYC. As part of my sponsorship with Toyota, I will be on the Today show on Wednesday morning and speaking about my charities as well as Toyota's Engines on Change Program. I have never had an experience quite like this and excited to meet Meredith, Matt, Ann, and Al! Other athletes Toyota sponsors will be there as well, including Hunter Kemper and swimmers Dara Torres and Colin Joenes. Aside from all the travel, I am very excited for this opportunity. I did not realize how long it takes to get to New York when departing for the West Coast (over six hours of flying)....only to turn around on Wednesday and fly back to Colorado Springs.
Fortunately, I will have about nine days to train and recover before heading off to Dallas for the US Open Toyota Cup.

Elite Nationals

This past Saturday, I raced elite nationals at Hagg Lake, Oregon. Hagg Lake was about 1.5 hours away from downtown Portland, so we were out in the country...and it was breathtaking out there! The course was very rolling (barely a flat section on the course) and lined with huge pine trees. The temperatures indicated that we were just about to begin the fall season, with highs in the 60s. The water was just warm enough to be non-wetsuit (69 degrees). Although this temperature would be too cold for warming up, it is okay when you are racing!
The race began at noon, with 19 other women on the starting line.
I had a great start and got out to an early lead for the one loop swim. I ended up leading the swim and exiting in first position. The water level was low in the lake for this time of year, so we ended up having a longer T1 run (the run out of the water was just a prelude to all the hills to come!). I had a decent transition, and immediately we began climing as we hopped on our bikes. I decided to climb the first hill with my feet on top of my shoes and did not put my shoes on until I crested the first climb. I pushed the first climb, realizing there were three other women with me, Sarah Groff, Jasmine Oenick, and Julie Ertel.
I tried to mix up the pace in the bike and make our bike group even smaller by launching a few attacks throughout the technical, hilly, eight-lap bike. Although I was never able to break up the group with attacks, we still rode hard and made the bike challenging.
Once we approached T2, I had a great transition and was out on the run course just a step behind Julie.
Once out onto the run, we had to start up the steep hill we climbed on the bike. Although it was quite short for the bike, it did not feel so easy on the run! The run was very hilly and some of the hills could really take the power out of your legs. Despite the course, I was feeling great during the race. Unfortunately, on the first lap, the turnaround was not marked and I did not know where to turn!! I ran past the spot, asked where to turn and Julie and I finally just decided to turn around. By the second lap, the cones were up and we were able to make the turn appropriately! I may have lost about 15 or so seconds, but in the end, it did not matter. I lead for about three laps of the run, with Julie right there. She made surge at the end of the third lap and I was close to her, but never could quite get back up to her. She finished in first for her second national championships and I finished 10 seconds behind. Sarah Groff claimed the final spot on the podium with her 3rd place finish.
Overall, I am pleased with my performance, but of course you always want to improve and think of what you could have done to place higher. I felt strong throughout the race, but my main focus is just less than two weeks away with the Toyota Cup in Dallas.
I had so much fun just getting back in racing on Saturday and am really looking forward to racing the remainder of the season.
For full results, go to http://www.pigmantri.com/jmsracing/results08/usatage08d.html

Weekend in St. Louis

This past weekend was spent in St. Louis and although I was very busy, I had a great time.
The trip began with getting to spend a little time with family on Thursday night. Friday morning, I was up early to fit in a three hour ride and a 30 minute transition run. Surprisingly, the temperatures were very cool for early September, but I definately won't complain about that!
I got a chance to ride with some friends out in Chesterfield and rode a loop that begins out by the Spirit of St. Louis Airport at the ShowMe Cables office, heads south down to Six Flags and back up through Rockwood Reservations. It is a great loop with lots of steep climbs and quite country roads with very little traffic.
After the ride, I headed over to Bellerive Elementary (Parkway School District) to speak to the school about my experiences in China and how to prepare for tests. I explained to the kids how I prepare for a triathlon is very similar to how they would prepare for a big test (the kids are taking standardized tests this week). My cousin, Jami DeBosch, is the administrative intern for Bellerive and asked me a few weeks ago to speak with the students. I had a great time interacting with the kids and answering their questions. Kids will always put a smile to your face..and have to mention that when Jami told the kids an Olympian was coming to speak with them, some kids assumed it was Michael Phelps! When they found out a women was coming, they then deducted that Micheal Phelp's wife was coming!!
After the school presentation, I headed over to Parkway South for their opening home football game. I was very honored to be presented at half-time with a special recognition and a my uniform retirement. Nate escorted me down onto the field, while the band was playing the Olympic theme song. It was great to see former principals, teachers, coaches and students ( I had coached many of the students at South now while they were participating five years ago in Big Bend Woods swimming and attending Hanna Woods Elementary) Wow--kids sure do change a lot in five years! I really appreciate all the work the district and school put forth in making the night special.
On Saturday, I got in a long run at Quenny Park and then headed down to Saint Louis University's campus for a wedding. My cousin, Brooke, and her husband Ron were married on a gorgeous afternoon and everything went off with a bang. We had a great time at the wedding visiting with family.
On Sunday, the day began with a free breakfest open to the community at the High Ridge Fire Department. We were also holding a silent auction for the charities I support, Jenny's Light and Train for Autism. It was great to see so many people in the community come out to support the charities and enjoy a pancake breakfest. I was able to auction off many items from Beijing and some gear from my sponsors. We were able to end the auction with a generous donation for my charities---thankyou all for your support!
Immediately after the breakfest, we headed over to Busch Stadium for the Cards game. This was a special day at the stadium because it was "Buddy Walk" day at the ballpark. Children with down-syndrome got the opportunity to walk to field prior to the start of the game. A friend of the family, McKensie (age 10), asked me to walk with her on the field. I also got the opportunity to throw out the first pitch of the game! I have never really played baseball before, so I have to say I was a little nervous about my performance!! Fortunately, I made it to the plate; however, not over the plate----the ball hit the dirt, about a foot to the left! All in all, it was a great experience and the day turned out even better since the Cards won!! After the game, I managed to sneak in a swim with Nate at the Lodge in Des Peres.
On Monday, I had one final activity before heading back to Colorado that night. I got the opportunity to speak with another school, but this time out in Jefferson County at Maple Groves Elementary (this is where my brother is currenty student teaching for PE). I got to speak for about an hour to the older students and roughly 45 min to the younger students.
Nate and I were able to train in the afternoon, before catching a flight back to Denver later that evening.
Now I am back in Colorado Springs and training hard for the remainder of the season. I leave in week for Portland, Oregon to compete at Elite Nationals.
Thank you to everyone for your support through the games and beyond!

Back into the Swing

I have been back in the States for over a week now and I am finally feeling like I am getting back into the swing of things! Getting used to this time zone again seemed to be quite a challenge, as it took me about a week to really feel like I had my days and nights correct. For about four or five days straight, I was fighting trying to say awake until 9:00PM, only to wake up between 3 and 5AM and not able to fall back asleep!
I am also back into the swing of training and getting ready for the last few races of the year. Next on my race schedule is Elite Nationals which is located just outside Portland, Oregon.
I will be traveling to St. Louis this weekend for a family wedding, along with several other events planned...including speaking with an elementary school and attending a Cardinals game. This Saturday it is "Buddy Walk" day at the stadium where children with down-syndrome get to meet the players and walk out onto the field. A friend of the family has asked me to walk their daughter, Makensie, onto the field--so it will be very exciting to get the opportunity to meet the players and the other children. My Dad has also organized a free breakfest in High Ridge on Sunday morning to greet people in the community and also hold an auction for several charities (Train for Autism and Jenny's Light). Olympic gear will be auctioned and all proceeds with go to the charities. It is going to be a very fast paced weekend between training and events, but I am looking forward to seeing friends and family.
Just before I left for the Olympics, I was able to pick up my Toyota Camry Hybrid! I have a year lease on the car with my sponsorship with Toyota. I have included pictures above! The car is awesome with leather seats, smooth driving, great city and HWY gas milleage---just to name a few great features. Our trips to Denver, St. Louis and Minnesota will be much more comfortable (and cheaper) for the next year.
Hard to believe summer is almost over...just seemed to fly by! September is a beautiful month in Colorado (and many areas in the US), so enjoy the weather...

Post Race

Taking It All In

The days after the race were quite a whirlwind. I wanted to see as many events as I possibly could. After my race, we took a taxi down to the famous water cube to see diving (men’s 3 meter springboard prelims). After the men’s race, we went to see synchronized swimming and then headed back for the triathlon party. Wednesday was packed, with BMX in the morning, followed by viewing the Athlete Village, having a burger at the USA House and then headed to the Olympic Stadium for a night of track and field.
BMX was an awesome event and I think it is a great addition to the Olympics. It was incredible to see eight guys race on the dirt track all at once. A crash was very likely each lap, which kept fans on their toes. Watching the cyclists’ explosive power on the cranks to fly over the jumps was very impressive. The three American men and one woman did very well. Although, one of the men crashed on his last quarterfinal, he still had enough points to move onto the semis. At the start of the run, another competitor took him out on the turn and he went down hard. He dislocated his shoulder, but the doctor popped it back in place on the spot and he was able to get back on his bike and finish the lap so that he could still get into finals…..insane? crazy? Incredible
The track and field stadium was massive and breathtaking. The design of the famous birds nest was unique. The stadium can hold up to 91,000 spectators…I have never been inside anything larger. We got to see 5000 meter prelims (two American men advanced), 200 meter final (Michael Johnson’s world record broken, with a time of 19.30), women’s hammer throw, 110 men’s hurdles prelims, women’s 200 meter semi-finals. It was an exciting night and a long, but eventful day. We got back to the hotel around 11:30 and hit the sack as Nate and I were departing in the morning back to the States.
It was great to share the experience with my family members, as they attended the events with me and Nate. My family will be spending the next couple of days seeing the Great Wall and viewing a few more events. They were such huge supporters leading up to the race and throughout. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support.
I had wonderful support from USAT staff as well, not only in China, but leading up to the Games in California and Korea. Katie Baker made sure we had our travel arranged, created a slide show for us, and put posters up on our doors in Korea. Jeff made sure our bikes were in working order, while Diana was able to give up pre-race massage treatment in China. Dr. Keith was able to be with us in Korea and China and work his magic on any ailments the athletes were having. Sharon and Andy were coaches for the Olympic Team and were there for us if we needed to get to a training session, mental preparation, or anything we needed. Bobby McGee was able to help with my run form and mental skills. Scott was there making sure everything was under control and working behind the scenes to make sure everything was running smoothly. Bob was a making sure the food we were eating was not going to get us sick, while also monitoring our hydration. He has been helping me prepare for the past three months with workouts, mental skills, and always there to help.
USA athletes have been so lucky to have such wonderful support staff and I could not be more thankful for all the effort that is put forth to make sure we have everything we need as athletes. Thank you!
Currently, I am flying back on the plane (was able to be bumped up to business class!!). I took a nice nap at the beginning of the flight and hoping that is enough to get me through the day of travel ahead of me. I am off to Chicago first thing on Friday morning to work with Toyota at the expo for the Chicago triathlon. I am not planning on racing, but looking forward to finishing up the remainder of the season strong. My next race is Elite Nationals in Portland, Oregon on September 20th, followed by the Dallas Triathlon on October 5th and finally an ITU World Cup in Mexico on October 26th.

Beijing Race Update

Beijing Race—August 18th, 2008

Fortunately for the women’s race (and the men’s race on the 19th), the weather was spectacular. We had nearly blue skies and a clear day, which enabled the crowd to view the beautiful triathlon venue. I have raced on the course twice before, but the race venue has never looked so crisp and green.
The race began at 10:00AM and all 55 athletes were announced and jogged down to the pontoon. I have to say I definitely had the pre-race nerves and all the fans, friends, and family here to support us heightened the excitement of the race. I had swim spot number three (near the right side of the pontoon). We had a very long swim (nearly 600 meters) to the first buoy and warm 81 degree, calm water. I had a bit of a struggle getting to the front of the swim pack as it was difficult to break away from the other swimmers. Once I got to the front, we were swimming several women across, which created a large draft behind us. It was also difficult to break away out front, with so many girls swimming across each other at the front. I exited the swim in front position, but we had a very large group headed out onto the bike course.
I had an average transition and quickly tried to make a move on the first hill. However, with a pack of 20 plus women, it was hard to get to the front on the hill because of the narrow road. I was stuck in the pack on the first lap, but was able to move up in position so I could push the second hill hard to try and split up the group. After couple attempts of breakaways from other athletes and my own attempt to break away on the hill, I realized that it was very tough to be able to break from the main group….there were so many strong riders in the group.
The race was going to come down to a run, as many of the players were all in the front pack. I moved up to the front of the group before exiting the bike and had a solid transition (although I was still about five seconds back from the first girl to exit). The run started off fast….I felt comfortable, but did not have the leg speed to keep up with the top girls. I kept my focus throughout the run and managed to feel strong all the way to the end. I ended up finishing 11th overall, with a solid race. My goal was for the pack to be smaller exiting the bike; however, it did come down to a run race. So many outcomes can happen in triathlon and you have to be prepared for all the different games that can come into play during the races.
Crossing the finish line, I was excited for the medal winners, especially for Emma Snowsill as she crushed the run and finished over a minute ahead of Vanessa. Laura had a great race, just missing the medals with her fourth place finish. Julie was a fighter out on the race course and ended up finishing in 19th position.
The atmosphere of the race was truly incredible, from the grand stand of spectators to the quarter mile of media lined up at the finish line. The women had the advantage of racing first so that we could enjoy cheering on the men the following day. The men’s race was extremely exciting and can down to a sprint finish between a German, Canadian and a New Zealander. The German pulled off the sprint and won the gold, with Simon Whitefield of Canada taking the silver (he was the gold medalist in 2000). Hunter was the top American with a strong 7th place finish. Jarrod ended up in 18th and Matt 34th.
I truly enjoyed my first Olympic experience, but I am already looking forward to working on qualifying for 2012 in London!

Arrival Into Beijing

Yesterday our team arrived into Beijing and had a wonderful surprise….clear, blue skies! This is my third time racing in Beijing; however, it seems as if this is my first time really “seeing” the country. The view flying into Beijing, we could see lots of rolling green hills and even mountains in the distance! The triathlon race venue is absolutely picturesque with rolling green hills, many trees and ancient temples scattered across the mountains. I really hope this weather holds up through Monday and Tuesday for the races. It would be great for the world to see how beautiful the venue truly can be without thick smog.
The past several days, Beijing experienced lots of rain, so I think that lead to clearing out the air. In addition, the city has worked to clean up the air by reducing driving and shutting down factories inside the city. We never know what race day hold, but we can only hope for conditions like today. The temperatures are very nice for racing as well, with highs in the mid-80s and lower humidity!
Today we had a busy day: training at the venue, the race briefing and media events. The race briefing was different than world cups, in that we had to pick our swim spot at the end of the briefing instead of picking the spot on the starting line race morning. I picked spot number three and I will be starting on the right hand side of the pontoon. The first swim buoy is 560 meters out, so we should not have too much congestion at the first buoy.
Some of my family members arrived late last night and are spending the day sightseeing. My parent arrive tomorrow and will probably be a little jet lagged, since this is their first oversees flight. The longest flight they have been on before this trip was under three hours, so I hope they are doing okay on the plane as I type this now!!
Tomorrow will be spent with training in all three sports and getting my muscles activated and ready to race on Monday. I have less than two days before the gun goes off (in our case horn). My race will also be shown at 10:00EST (8:00MST) on Sunday night, Aug. 17th.
I am looking forward to representing the red, white and blue!

Cheju Update

This is my fifth day in Cheju and hard to believe I only have two days until I head to Beijing. The past few days have been very challenging training in the heat and humidity, but I am beginning to feel like I am getting adjusted to training in this climate. The other day while I was doing a track workout, the heat index was 105 degrees----and those temperatures have been pretty consistent here every day. With the high humidity, it has been difficult to stay hydrated, although I have been adding additional salt to my sport drinks. Bob has been hard at work monitoring our hydration levels and letting us know if we need to drink more or add even more salt to our diet.
While training in Cheju, we have crossed paths with many other Olympic Triathletes from other countries….this little island in Korea is a popular place. Athletes from Luxemburg, Germany, Russia, New Zealand, Denmark, Great Brittian, Spain and Switzerland….are just the countries we have seen. The plane on Friday will be filled with Triathletes headed to Beijing!
During our downtime, Nate and I have been keeping up with what’s been going on in Beijing. There have definitely been some exciting races going on….especially the men’s 4x100 meter relay. That was a phenomenal finish and exemplifies the Olympic spirit. I am going to be watching Michael Phelps every step of the way in his quest for winning eight Olympic gold medals.
That is it for now---enjoy the Games!

Arrival to South Korea

I have arrived on the island of Cheju for a week of training before I head over to Beijing. I departed San Jose last Thursday morning from team processing and began the long trip over the Pacific. We got lots of really cool Nike and Raulph Lauren Polo clothing (they are the official dress sponsors for opening and closing ceremonies and Nike supplies all the training and podium gear). I had to ship two bags full of clothes back home before I departed for Korea so that I would be able fit everything I needed into one large bag and one carry-on backpack. Traveling with anymore just makes travel so much more complicated (considering we have to travel with a large bike box, in addition).
My travel went very smoothly and we had not delays. I was very excited to upgrade up to buisness class with a special deal of only using 15,000 miles (it is normaly 30,000 miles). I was able to nap for a couple hours on the plane, watch Maid of Honor and begin a new book. After 10 hours and 30 min, I arrived in Nagoya, Japan and had a short layover before getting on a quick 90 minute flight to Cheju, South Korea. Fortunately, all my baggage made the long trip and I arrived safely (although I was very sleepy...as it was 3:00AM Colorado time once I landed in Korea). We had about an hour drive to the Marathon Center where we will spend the week training and I got back, hit the shower, and my head hit the pillow!!! I was reminded how beautiful Cheju, Korea really is....mountains, oceans, and lots and lots of greenery. This will be a great place to prepare for Beijing humidity.
Now it is time to adjust to the new time zone and go through my final preparations for Beijing.

Look at the Beijing Pictures Below!!

My coach, Bob Seebohar, has been in Beijing for a week now and has been keeping me updated about what is going on over there. At the bottom of my blog, you will see two pictures of Beijing (each picture is taken from the same location). The first picture shows what you may typically see in downtown Beijing..."cloudy looking"...or to be frank, you are seeing quite a bit of pollution. The next night, Beijing experience some heavy rain and next morning....sunshine! Beijing is really trying to cut down on the pollution by closing down some factories and cutting back on the number of people driving cars during the Games. The rain also seems to help clear out some of the smog. So, hopefully, we will see more of the sunny, clear days like picture number 2 while we are experiencing the Olympics in Beijing.
I have just two days before I head over to San Jose for Team Processing. I have been told to bring an empty bay along because we will be outfitted with LOTS of cool Nike gear. Speedo was also a very generous sponsor of mine and shipped a box of Team USA clothing, bag, suits, hats...you name it!
Enjoy the weekend!
Sarah

2020 Olympians

My cousins (Adam and Tricia Williams) drove down from Denver to Colorado Springs to visit us for a night and I just so happened to get my Olympic cycling kit and swim caps for the Games. My cousins, Gaia (6) and Holden (3), did not want to take off the clothes. In fact, we took them to eat at the Olympic Training Center and they kept their swim caps on while eating! They might need those swim caps for an Olympics in the future!!!

Beijing Quickly Approaching

I have just one week before I depart for San Jose, California for team processing. At team processing, I will be getting my uniforms (opening ceremonies, podium uniforms, workout clothing). Nike is the official sponsor of the 2008 Games, so the US Team will be outfitted in Nike gear.
I did recieve some of my triathlon gear from USA Triathlon (cycling kits, speedo race suit, and our mask!!!). Each athlete will be given a mask to wear while not participating in athletic events or media events while in China. The less time your lungs are exposed to the air, the better!
Our race suits for the Olympics look great. They are blue on the front, with white down the side, and red stitching. The suit will also have red stars down the side of the suit screened, in addition to our name and country. In the Olympics, athletes are not allowed to have any personal sponsors on the suits, so the suits will look a bit different than normal ITU World Cups (not even the ITU logo).
I have been training hard and training in the heat of the day to try and acclimatize in preparation for the Beijing heat. Colorado does have the heat, but missing the humidity. Race day temperatures could reach up to near 100 degrees!! I have less than two weeks left of tough training before I begin my taper.

Beijing Adventures

This blog is going to take you through my experiences through the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. I am competing in the triathlon competition on August 18th, but will be training in Cheju, South Korea from Aug. 9-Aug. 15th before I head over to China for my competition.
I am planning on watching other competitions, visiting some famous sites in Beijing, and relaxing with my friends and family post-competition, before I head back to the US at the end of August.
I am ready to enjoy the Olympic experience and welcome you to follow along with me!