Tuesday, September 14, 2010

World Championships Finale, Budapest, Hungary

World Championships Finale, Budapest, Hungary

This past Sunday, I competed for the first time in eastern Europe in Budapest. All three days prior to my race were cold and rainy, but on race day for the women, the skies cleared and the temperatures warmed up to mid 70s. The race course had two different transitions, T1 and T2 located about 3.5 miles away from each other, which led to more of a challenge than usual on race morning. Fortunately, I had my teammates with me to bike through the streets of downtown Budapest, so I did not get lost finding both transition areas.

The swim was a wetsuit swim, with water temp in the low 60s. The Friday prior to the race, the water felt, much, much colder due to colder air and water temperature, but on race day the water felt comfortable with the warmer temperatures. I started off the swim in a great position, was in second position after the first 300 meters and at 500 meters took the lead and held the lead for the remainder of the swim. I wanted to push the swim to try and create some separation; however, I did not want to push over my limits so that I could exit the water with a quick run through the first transition and onto the bike.

A couple months out of ITU racing I realized can get me rusty with transitions. Unfortunately, I got a bit caught up in my wetsuit and lost a critical five or six seconds. Instead of riding with Helen 100meters in front of the group, I found myself working hard to catch up to Helen Jenkins so that we could start working together. The first section of the bike course was a straight 5k, which headed to the looped portion of the course. The bike course was very technical and challenging due to narrow turns, railroad crossings, and potholes. I have to admit I was a little timid due to all of the crashes in the races the day before (however, it was raining during those races). We were very lucky to have dry pavement and were able to have a fast ride. I felt the ride was very challenging because of all the turns, required repeated jumps out of the saddle with high end wattage. In fact, I had my highest 10 second wattage recording of all time. To be honest, most of my cycling training has been more time trial based focus and I have not prepared my legs for the repeated jumps. It is a tough call to know how to prepare for a race, especially not having raced prior on the course.
Most importantly, all the women stayed upright on our bikes and finished safe. With one lap remaining on the bike course, I made sure to get to the front of the group, however, with the last turn I let up just for a second and ended up exiting about mid-pack. Again, I noticed I was rusty putting on my shoes and I lost about 5 seconds in the second transition. It is tough to run out on the run course and see a long line of close to 30 women in front of you. In addition, ITU racing has a new rule about putting all equipment inside a box, and if not followed the athlete will serve a 15 second penalty, so I was also worried about putting all the equipment in the box…for the future I will need to practice with the box!!

Once out of the run, I struggled to find my rhythm, but I stayed focused to catch as many women up the road as possible. After lap 1, the pace settled a bit and I focused on my form and staying mentally in the game. Unfortunately, a couple women passed me within the last one kilometer, but I managed to finish inside the top 20 (20th). This final score left me in 14th position overall for my world ranking, which was short of my goal. However, I do have to consider that I was missing a score from my overall ranking since I was unable to run in London and only had four scores verses five. I was not quite prepared for the day, but as always, I can learn from my mistakes.

I finished up second on the swim rankings and finished just behind Laura Bennett and it was great to finish first/second for the Americans in the swim title.

I have still a bit of racing left this season, including my goal to defend my Toyota Cup title. I look forward to finishing the season strong and racing in the US.

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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