Saturday, May 8, 2010

Seoul: World Championship Series Race #2

This past Saturday (technically Friday night in the USA), I raced my second WCS race of the year. The race was in downtown Seoul, South Korea. This was my first time to Seoul; however, in 2007 and 2008 I spent a couple of weeks in Cheju in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. Cheju is known as the “Hawaii” of Korea as it is a tropical island south of the mainland. Cheju is a beautiful island landscaped with tropical greenery, mountains and bright blue oceans. The look of Seoul is much different than Cheju in that it is a massive city with a population of over ten million people and an extensive city skyline.
The race took place at the Han River with a start time at 10:25AM (a 15 minute delay due to trouble closing the streets). The swim was a 1000meter loop followed by a 500 meter loop in the chilly 15.2 degree water. This was my first WCS race to wear my new TYR Hurricane wetsuit, which felt smooth and comfortable in the water. I had a great starting position and almost immediately was on the feet of Kerry Lang, who was having a great swim. Once we reached the first bouy, Kerry was on the feet of Hailey Peirsol and I was in third. By the end of the first lap, we had opened up a 15 second gap and extended the gap to 28 seconds once we exited the water and headed off onto the bike course.
I felt very strong on the bike on my Fuji SL 1 RC and wanted to push the pace to make the girls behind work and chase. I realized that I was going to get caught by the larger pack of women behind me; however, I was prepared for an attack once the groups merged. I wanted the bike to be hard and aggressive and with the tight corners in the race I felt a breakaway was possible. I attacked shortly after the packs merged, but unable to get a response from any of the other women to attack with me. We still had a chase pack behind us, so I felt it was important to keep the tempo of the group high to keep the second pack from merging. With so many strong riders in the second pack, we were unable to hold off the pack with two laps to go on the bike. Throughout the bike, I again tried a couple more unsuccessful attacks, but really focused on getting off the bike in front. I was happy to have another strong transition and able to execute my mental game to prepare myself for a successful run.
Once out on the run course, Emma Moffet took off very quickly. I ran the first 2k very hard and really wanted to get as close to Emma as possible. Right around the 4k mark, I started to hurt and around the 6k mark was really struggling to hang onto the pack. I think I may have burned one too many matches for my run legs during the bike segment and also took out the run very hard at the start. I ended up finishing 10th overall and remain in 8th for the overall WCS rankings. Congrats to Daniella Ryf for the win and an amazing spring finish! The goal of this race was to be aggressive throughout the entire race and see what would happen. I love to push myself from start to finish and although I may have pushed the envelope a little too far on the bike, it is important to know where your limits are and to test your body.
I have included a picture of me across the finish line, yes, looking a bit fatigued. I noticed my time on the clock reading a 1:55…and crossing the “finish” line seeing a 1:49….however, my overall time reads a 2:02. Once seeing this picture, the moment all came back to me; I was standing on the timing mat with a load blaring noise going off (my chip was hitting the map but not shutting off!). So, lesson learned…make sure you cross the timing matt completely when you finish and do not just STAND on the timing matt!! At least no one was close in front or behind so I did not lose a finishing spot!
Nate and I head home today and back to the US. It has been a whirlwind of travel and racing the past six and a half weeks, and now time to settle a bit and get back to some consistent training.
Also---I want to wish all mother’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day (the most important job in the world). I know I would not be where I am today without my mother’s love and support growing up and continued love and support today.

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All Matching!

All Matching!
Some of the new 2011 TYR cycling kits matched great with my Fuji and Zipp wheels!

Run Shots!

Run Shots!
New 2011 run gear. Poor TJ was quite sore after his 70.3 the weekend prior.

Downtown Sydney

Downtown Sydney
This is taken from the 20th floor of my hotel room. You can see just to the left where we swam in near the Opera House.

Check out the Scenery

Check out the Scenery
Out training in Idaho before heading to the airport! Beautiful lake in the background.

Ready For 2024!

Ready For 2024!
My niece has my suit and Speedo backpack...ready to train (but I think she mentioned she was going to Six Flags!)

Marin Triathlon

Marin Triathlon
Becky and I hanging out at the awards post race

Seoul WCS Finish Line

Seoul WCS Finish Line
I though I had finished the race, but I forgot to cross the timing matt completely until 10 sec later!!

Holding the Cup!

Holding the Cup!
Race to the Toyota Cup winners in Dallas, Texas. The cup was heavy...and brrr it was a cold weekend in Dallas!

Post-Race

Post-Race
Matt Reed was first for the men's race

Crossing the Tape

Crossing the Tape
Always a good feeling to break the tape!

On the Bike in Minnesota

On the Bike in Minnesota
Here I am on my Blue at the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon this past Saturday

LTF Swim Start

LTF Swim Start
Here we are right at the horn (I am in the Blue). Thank Paul Phillips for all the great pics more at: http://www.competitiveimage.us/tri/Sarah-Haskins/index.html

Bike Shot

Bike Shot
Out on the bike course---quickly going through my bottles!!

Flying Dive

Flying Dive
Here I am headed back into the water after the first lap.

Crossing the Finish!

Crossing the Finish!
4th place

T2

T2
I am headed into the transition area--ready to run!

Washington DC WCS #3

Washington DC WCS #3
Here is a pic of my bike pack out on the course

Ready, Set....GO!

Ready, Set....GO!
My parents came to visit me in Colorado over Memorial Day weekend (Nate was out of town). They came along to a track workout and Sarah wanted to race me!!!

Cheyanne Mountain Zoo

Cheyanne Mountain Zoo
Feeding the giraffes---they have LONG tongues...

Enjoying a Popsicle!

Enjoying a Popsicle!
Maybe most is not getting in her mouth...but that's not always the point, right? Sarah and my parents are enjoying a lunch at the training center.

Run Workouts For Runners and Triathletes

Run Workouts For Runners and Triathletes
Here is a picture of Bobby McGee's new book.

Babies are Wiped Out

Babies are Wiped Out
Megan and I are holding the sleeping girls---

Sarah, Sarah and Anna

Sarah, Sarah and Anna
Sarah (2 yrs) is getting to know her new baby sister!

Sarah Sharing Her Tags!

Sarah Sharing Her Tags!
When Sarah goes to sleep she puts the tags from her blankets on her eyelashes (she always uses the yellow one). She also thinks everyone else wants the tag when they sleep too---including her newborn sister!

Mom, Baby and Sarah

Mom, Baby and Sarah
Megan and Anna are both doing well. This picutre was the day Megan and Anna got to come home from the hospital. Sarah giving Anna some snuggels!

Michael and Meghan's Wedding

Michael and Meghan's Wedding
Nate and I are getting ready to walk down the asile for my brother's wedding.

High Powered Fans

High Powered Fans
These fans are the horsepower of the tunnel...very powerful! They can simulate speeds of 80mph.

Holding the Flower Girl!

Holding the Flower Girl!
Feb. 14th wedding day....Nate and I are holding our niece, Sarah. She did a great job walking down the asile at 23 months!

Inside the Tunnel

Inside the Tunnel
On my Triad, in my new aero position!

Last Minute Travel

Last Minute Travel
Here we are with our U-Haul...we made it safe and sound!

Wren Hollow Elementary

Wren Hollow Elementary
A couple of weeks ago I went back to my Elementary school and spoke to the kids about Triathlon, goal setting and the Olympics! They gave a wonderful welcome with signs, posters, and cheers!

Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning
My Mom, Sarah and I are playing with Sarah while she is enjoying her new toy. This elephant is very strong...my Dad sat on it and it held (he is 230lbs!!)

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa, Oklahoma
Here is Jess snuggling with her babies (Gwen and Rowan). Gwen looks a lot like Jess and Rown look like his daddy, Lucas.

Snow!

Snow!
This view is off my parents deck (the last picture showed the many colors of fall...but winter can be beautiful too!)

Post Parade

Post Parade
Busch Stadium in the background....looks different without the crowds!

On the Run in Beijing

On the Run in Beijing
Racing in the Olympics---if you wonder what the black strap is in my suit, it is my timing chip. It was falling off of my ankle on the bike and I did not want it to get stuck in my chain ring, so I ripped it off and shoved it in my suit!

Another View of Winter

Another View of Winter
Same view as earlier blog post, but with snow!

Holiday Night Out to Dinner

Holiday Night Out to Dinner
Nate and I with Tommy, Sarah (brother-in-law and his finace) and a friend of Sarah's. Tommy and Sarah are getting married October 17th.

Wedding in Minnesota

Wedding in Minnesota
Nate, my cousin Matt Beasley, his wife Lindsay and I. The wedding was beautiful!

Thanksgiving Parade

Thanksgiving Parade
Here I am ready to ride in the yellow Mazda (sponsor for the parade). It was great to see all the families and kids out to watch...

Fall Folliage

Fall Folliage
View off my parents deck

Fall Folliage

Fall Folliage
View from my parents deck

Lake Shot

Lake Shot
View of the pond on my parents property