Races Approaching and New Gear!

The past couple of weeks, I have gotten to spend quite some time in my time trail position on the bike, as all the remaining races on my schedule are non drafting races. This Sunday, I will be competing in the Los Angeles Triathlon, followed by the Toyota US Open the next Sunday in Dallas, Texas. Dallas is the final race in the Lifetime Fitness Series and has more weight in the series compared to the other four races. To be eligible for the series, you have to start four of the five races. I have competed in Minneapolis and Chicago (missing New York for a race in Hamburg, Germany) and will be eligible for the series as long as I start the final two races. My goal is to finish the season strong, and I have to say it is very nice heading into these races not traveling across the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean to get there, much like most of my races this year.

These last two races will have plenty of competition, as many fellow ITU competitors from Europe will be on the starting line. This race will be very different from an ITU race, as the bike will be solo---no packs, strategies, as the race is all on you.

I am very excited to have gotten some new gear the past week. I recently got to build up my new TT Triad SL bike (2010) from Blue, which is very similar to this year's model, but is about a pound lighter, which is never a bad thing and very aero! I rode the bike for the first time yesterday, and it feels awesome. Check out the ride at www.rideblue.com

While I was in Chicago, I got the opportunity for my mouth to be molded for a sport performance mouthpiece. I have never heard of such a simple piece of equipment that can enhance your training and racing, but I just got the mouthpiece in the mail last week and have been training with it during the bike and run. From what I have heard, everyone experiences different effects with the piece, but personally I have noticed feeling more relaxed while riding. Being not as tense, and more relaxed in any situation saves you energy and when you are training and racing this equals positive benefits. For more information about the mouthpiece, please visit the website: http://bitetech.com. The piece is very comfortable in my mouth and I can easily drink while riding. The science behind the mouthpiece, "When athletes exert themselves, clenching the jaw is a natural reaction. Teeth-clenching, however, triggers the excess production and release of hormones, such as cortisol, that produce stress, fatigue and distraction, hindering an athlete’s performance. ArmourBite Technology in UA Performance Mouthwear prevents an athlete’s teeth from clenching, relieves pressure on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and prevents the excessive production of performance-sapping hormones."---who knew!

I am enjoying some of the last bits of warm weather here in Colorado...as fall is fairly short lived here and the weather can change at the drop of a hat. Last week for instance, I was running in tights, gloves, two layers, and hat (maybe 40...or more like 38 degrees) and by Saturday I was in a sports bra and shorts (80 degrees!). I have to say I much prefer the 80 degree training weather---