Los Angeles Triathlon

This past Sunday, I competed in my second LA Tri. The first time I toed the beach for the LA Tri, it was my first non-drafting race and my first win of my professional career. Back then I was still riding my road bike, but my equipment, the course and the competition was completely different this time around! As excited as I was about my first win back in 2005, I can’t complain about second place for the 2009 race, as I feel this was the most competitive non-drafting race I have had the opportunity to compete in so far in my career (although I will get the opportunity again in five days in Dallas!!)
The race began at 7:20 AM (five minutes behind the professional men). We had a beach run into some incredible surf and chop. I don’t mind swimming in the waves and chop once I am past the break, with the exception of trying to find your way in the water (which is tough). The waves make it extremely difficult to find the buoys! Fortunately, the surf was not as rough as 20 minutes before the race during my warm-up. I did get lost a couple time and the lifeguards were trying to steer us in the right direction. I had a good swim and ended up exiting the water 15 seconds behind Haley Peirsol. I had an average transition, just feeling a little jostled from the waves and did not get on my bike as quickly as I would have liked to, so I will focus on both of my transitions for next weekend.
I started off the bike hard. I knew that STRONG women were behind me on the bike chasing and I had to put my head down and go. The bike course is challenging as it is mostly false flat uphill, so it is quite a grinder and requires massive power. About halfway through the bike section, Juile Dibbons biked by me and I focused on staying with her, then Daniella and Lisa. For the next five miles I focused on staying with the women and did not lose too much time to them. Heading into the last turnaround with about 5 miles to go, my legs hit a wall and I lost almost a minute to the women on the last section. I just focused on keeping my cadence up, as I was experiencing some muscular fatigue. I headed into transition just over a minute down.
Once out on the run, I felt good. After how my legs felt at the end of the bike, I did not know what to expect. After the first mile, I could see Julie and just kept a good tempo up and worked my way up to her. After half-way, I realized Daniella was about 15 seconds ahead and just gradually worked my way up to her. Lisa was having a great day and I knew that catching her was out of the question, but I was pleased to work my way up to second. I crossed the line not leaving everything out on the line, as the entire run I was thinking about Dallas the next weekend and wanted to leave something for Dallas!
Every athlete heads into the race with the goal of crossing first, which is my goal for next weekend. I know I have to race smart and just go out there and give it 100% for that day. Dallas has even more amazing athletes than Los Angeles, so I am welcoming the challenge and going to give it my best. I am currently leading the Race to the Toyota Cup Series and my goal heading into the final race is to finish up on top of the standings. This is my last major Olympic distance race of the year, so I would love to finish with something to smile about!
I leave for Dallas on Thursday afternoon...
Have a great week!

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---

Gold Coast Australia

Gold Coast World Championship Series Finale:
On Sunday, September 13th, I competed in the world championships in Gold Coast, Australia. This was the final race of a five part race series, with the finale having a bit more weight (1/3 more points) in the overall standings. The race started later in the afternoon (2:45PM) and was perfect racing temperatures, with highs in the lower 70s. The wind did pick up quite a bit before our race start, which led to very choppy waters and turned into more of a strength bike/run (although the course was mostly flat).
The swim conditions suited my strengths, as it was cold and choppy. I started out the swim in second position at the first turn buoy (250meters) and followed the athlete in front of me. I remember thinking we made a very sharp turn and I remember NOT making this sharp of a turn in the warm-up swim. After about 50 meters or so, I realized that we were swimming far off course and I turned back left to head to the right direction. I finished the first lap in front, winning the swim prime. The second lap, I knew I had a gap from the field, but just focused on staying within my limits and not pushing too hard. I ran out of the water with a 15 second lead into T1.
Once I got on the bike I pushed it hard for the first 2k and then realized there was a pack of six behind me. I soft-pedaled until the group caught me and then we all worked very well together pace lining over the eight lap course. The course was very smooth and not too technical, so we had straight sections were could rotate through and work together. We ended up getting a 50 second lead on the chase pack and over a two minute lead over the third pack.
One of my goals this weekend was to get off the bike in great position. I attacked just heading into the turns before transition and ended up exiting third, just behind Lisa Norden and Emma Moffett. Things were going great, but as I racked my bike, my bike fell over and my shoe flew over to another athlete’s transition. I had to re-rack my bike (to be sure I would not get DQ’d) and lost a precious six seconds. Instead of running out of the transition with Lisa, I was behind and had to work my way up. I quickly worked my way to fourth and after 1500meters I was in third and held that position most of the run. I was feeling great most of the run and keeping close distance behind Emma and Lisa; however, on the third lap I felt my foot beginning to fatigue and I lost some time to the leaders. On the last lap, Helen Tucker was coming on very strong and surged past me with about 600meters to go. I was not able to respond to her surge as my muscles would not push my body any farther. My dreams and goals of a podium finish were shot and I crossed the line in fourth. Although I was very disappointed with my fourth, I have to focus on all the positives of the race.
Also, I thought that I would hold onto my fifth place in the series, since I finished in fourth. However, with Helen Jenkins finishing in third, I was bumped to sixth in the series. Danellia Ryf finished sixth in the race and fourth overall, Helen was third in the race and fifth overall and I finished forth in the race and was sixth overall. Although I finished sixth, it was almost a three way tie!
World Champs is always a great opportunity to meet younger up and coming athletes as well as Team USA age group team. There were so many athletes competing this weekend, it was great to see so many people racing. I am always amazed to watch the Para athletes out there swimming,biking and running. Triathlon is going to be a test event in 2012 for the Para-Olympics, so hopefully it will be on the schedule in 2016....
I have two major races left this season…LA Triathlon and the Dallas Triathlon. My goal is to finish the series up on top, but each race will be very challenging because many international athletes are going to be in attendance.
I am in the LAX United red carpet lounge right now with a long layover until I catch my flight back to Colorado Springs. I have to say I am ready to get home after a week on the road. Gold Coast was beautiful and we got to spend Monday at the beach, just relaxing! We found a restaurant, Clock Hotel, with great food for a cheap price. We ate dinner there four days in a row!!! Now time to recover from jet lag and looking forward to a shower when I get home. I did pay to upgrade on the way home too and very glad to travel in business class. It is so hard to travel international after you have traveled in the new business class seats. Each seat reclines into a bed and each seat has a large tv screen in front to watch any movies, tv, radio, games, etc. No more international trips for the year (thank goodness).

Chicago Tri

This past Sunday, I competed in the Chicago Triathlon located right in the heart of downtown. This was my first year racing in Chicago and I can’t be happier with my finish, as I met my race goal and finished on top of the podium. I was amazed with how many athletes were competing in the race (9300 athletes in total). I believe this makes the Chicago Triathlon one of the biggest triathlons in the world! I was great to see so many people out watching the race and so many athletes out competing.
The weather was perfect day for racing, with temperatures in the sixties. The pros did not start until 11:15 (men) and 11:18 (women). I am sure it was a bit on the cold side for the age groupers with the first wave starting at 6:00AM! We really lucked out with the weather, as August can still be hot and humid in Chicago. The wind on the other hand, made for tough conditions with a 20mph wind from the north. The swim was swum in the New York Yacht Club harbor of Lake Michigan and it was a straight out and back swim. The water was 65 degrees, so wetsuit legal, and was quite choppy with the wind. I lead out of the water, with Sarah Groff right behind me and headed to the run transition (almost a ½ mile run to my bike). I was debating weather or not to put shoes on, since most of the run was on pavement, but opted out of the shoes (I think this was a good call, although I my heels are a little sore at the moment). I started off the bike wanting to hit it hard for the first 10k and it was hard, as the first 10k was slightly uphill into the strong headwind. At the first turn, I could see Sarah Groff about 30 seconds back and I though I saw Julie Dibbons, but surprised I did not see her the rest of the ride. Unfortunately, it turns out Julie crashed right after I saw her and was not able to finish the bike portion, but fortunately, she is okay! I continued on the second half of the bike in the lead and managed to spin the legs at the end to prepare for the run.
The run was again a straight out and back with a tailwind for the first 3.5 miles and then a strong headwind for the last couple of miles. I felt pretty comfortable the first half and once I made the turn, my heart rate spiked with the run into the headwind. With one mile to go, I was beginning to feel confident with a win; however, did not want to led up as you never know what can happen at any moment. Once I crossed that finish line I was relieved to have accomplished my goal! It made the extra special to have family and friends to share it with as they made the short drive up from St. Louis. I could not thank all my sponsors enough for all the support they have given me thus far, especially Toyota and Blue who were both sponsors of the race as well.
My wishes go out to Julie Dibbons and Andy Potts (who also crashed in the race) to speedy recoveries and back to training for the remainder of their 2009 season. Congratulations to Matt Reed, who was the men’s winner in the race.
Part of my race schedule will include Chicago for 2010 for sure! I am looking forward to returning and trying to defend my title. Also, on October 2nd, Chicago is up for the 2016 Olympic bid----so I am keeping my fingers crossed as I think Chicago would be an incredible host city for the Olympic Games.
Next up for me is the World Championship Series Finale in Gold Coast Austraila. I have eight days in Colorado Springs to prepare for the race before I make the trip across the ocean.
Enjoy the end of summer and the upcoming holiday weekend!
Best Wishes
Sarah

Yokohama Race

I competed in my fourth World Championship Series race this past weekend in Yokohama, Japan. This was the final race in the series leading into the Grand Finale in Gold Coast Australia. My number one goal for the race was to finish the race with an overall ranking of 5th in the standings and I am very pleased to have accomplished that goal. I finished 9th overall, which was my lowest score of the four, but really fought the race through to the finish line and can’t beat myself up over the result.
The race took place right in downtown Yokohama (which is only an hour outside of Tokyo). We swam two laps in a calm harbor, 8 laps on a flat and technical course and ran the standard four laps. The race was all flat, but very tough due to the weather. I have never raced in such humid conditions. The air temperature was in the upper 80s, but since the humidity was close to 100%, the heat index was near 100 degrees. Training in Colorado with such low humidity, it is tough to switch to a drastically different environment. I feel as a triathlete you have to be ready for any weather condition and be ready to race with whatever is given to you on that day!
I started off on the swim feeling pretty good, I tried to make sure to start on the outside to avoid contact with the fractured ribs (although they are healing up now very well). I exited the swim in third position and got on the bike working hard from the start with a small group of four athletes. Despite our efforts, we were unable to hold off the chase pack and they managed to make up the 20 second advantage we had, at the start of the third lap. From this point on, I focused on staying hydrated as best I could (although I still ran out of fluids the last lap of the bike) and make sure to stay at the front in case any breaks occurred. I also knew a good T2 was critical. I ended up starting the run about 4 seconds off the leaders, which is not great, but not terrible. I caught the leaders within the first 200meters of the race.
The 10k run was the toughest 10k I have run so far this year. The humidity was so high, I felt like I was being suffocated by the air! I focused on staying with the leaders and just trying to keep contact with them. After the first lap, I was already hurting and knew it was going to be mentally and physically challenging. I was hoping my body would hold up through the end and not collapse in the heat. I was able to stick with the leaders until about 3k left to go in the run. Lisa Norden (the race winner), put in a surge and I was not able to hold onto the pace. Unfortunately, on the last lap I ended up losing almost a minute from the women I was running with and ended fading a bit on the last 1k and finished 9th. I was starting the feel my leg muscles beginning to chill and goose bumps all over my body, so I was just glad to get across the finish line. I gave it everything I had to stay with the leaders for as long as I could.
Heading into the finale, I am in 5th position overall. My goal all season has been a podium and I feel I have been knocking at the door. My goal is a podium finish and a 3rd or 4th place in the overall rankings. After a long travel back to the States, it will be a quick recovery and then I begin a hard training block before my next overseas travel. I have the Chicago Triathlon this next weekend and although I will be training through the race, I want to have a strong showing there and test out the TT fitness on the bike.
I was bummed to miss Nationals this year, but with all the races I am doing I felt I had to make the decision to focus on the WCS races. Congrats goes out to Jasmine Oenick and Matt Charbot on their wins yesterday. Also, Jarrod finished 6th in the men's race today in Japan, so congrats to another strong finish for him.
Best Wishes!

Rib 3 and Rib 9....

I had a great time in St. Louis last week, as I got to visit friends and family and enjoy a different training enviroment. Unfortunately, I was in a bit of pain from the crash and I figured after a few days, my ribs would begin to feel better. By Friday, my ribs were feeling worse after training, especially swimming, and I began to question if something more serious had happened in the crash.
I returned back to Colorado on Monday and went into Sports Med on Tuesday morning to have an evaluation completed. Not to my surprise, I have two fractured ribs (rib just below my chest and a rib just below my collar bone). I believe that when I went down in Hamburg, the handle bars jabbed me and this is what has lead to my fractures---or it could have been the pavement. The rib below my chest has not been bothering me too much, but the rib just below my colar bone has been a BEAR----especially swimming. I have been able to keep up with training running/cylcing, but swimming has had to take a back seat for the time being.
Right now is the middle of race season and all is going well, so I am just going to train through it...good news is that I won't cause any more injury by swimming/biking/running, but may just prolong the healing process.
I have just over two weeks until I race in Yokohoma, Japan, so my ribs should be feeling better by then, although it will take six weeks for the fractures to heal.
Good news is that my leg is feeling great, so I am fully confident that my surgery in Feb. was a success.
Overcoming and dealing with injuries is another part of the sport and at least have to look at the bright side and take a couple of broken ribs over a broken arm or leg!
Best Wishes
Sarah

Hamburg WCS

Race Report---Hamburg ITU World Championship Series:

This past Saturday, July 25th, I competed in my third WCS Race in Hamburg, Germany. This was my third time racing in Hamburg, as I had previously raced in 2006 and 2007. The course has not changed over the years, but the weather has been different every time. This year, the weather was a challenging element, especially on the bike as much of the bike portion was in the rain. I finished in sixth place overall, and I have to say I was pleased with my finish considering a few obstacles I overcame during my race.

The race began later in the afternoon, very common in Europe, with a 3:30PM start time. When racing in Hamburg, there is always much excitement in the air, mainly due to the fact that almost ½ million people are watching the race. The run especially goes by fast, as people are along the entire course cheering on the athletes. The water temperature was 20.2, which would normally be a non-wetsuit swim, but since the air temperature was only in the 60s, the race officials decided to have a wetsuit swim. The swim is a two loop swim in the downtown river. I had a solid swim, exiting in the front of group. I was about 45 seconds behind teammate Haily Peirsol, who is only one of three women ever to break 16 minutes in the 1500 meter freestyle and this year has switched over to the triathlon.

I had a descent transition and started the ride feeling strong. I was looking down at my SRM and noticed that I was pushing well above my threshold (70 Watts above) and feeling great. My goal at the start of the bike is to really push the pace to try and separate the packs as much as possible out of the swim. Within the first ½ of the first lap, I had established a 30 meter gap on a pack of women. I was riding very aggressively and unfortunately, too aggressive for the conditions. Hamburg is very technical, but also has lots of paint on the crosswalks and paint with the combination of wet roads can lead to crashes!!!!! On the third turn of the race, I felt my wheel slide out and I was down before I knew it. I hoped right back up to my bike and then realized that my chain was off, so I then had get off and put my chain back on. At this point, many other riders were flying by and a race official was holding me against the gate so that I was not starting up in the middle of a pack and interfering with other athletes. Finally, I was able to get back on my bike and start chasing down the pack once the official felt it was safe for me to begin. I got on my bike and gritted my teeth and spent the next 2-3 laps working hard to catch back up. I found it is easier to push yourself trying to chase a pack rather than trying to stay away from a pack. It seems having a target ahead definitely helps to motivate you to drive forward. Once I caught up with the pack, I was able to relax and breathe a sigh of relief. When I first joined the group, I did not realize that there was a group of three off the front. With a couple laps to go, I tried to push the pace and close the gap, but it was a bit too late.

I did not have a great second transition, as I could not get into good position before getting off the bike; therefore, I exited off the bike in the back of the pack. Our group had a 90+ second deficit over Emma Moffet, Daniella Ryf, and Lisa Norden. I started off the run with legs a bit cold, but feeling good. I focused on moving up towards to front. After about 1500meters or so, I was able to get to the front of the pack. Halfway through, Lauren Groves of Canada began to push the pace and separate the big group. I was able to stick with her until about 1500meters left to go in the run. I ended up finishing 6th overall, with the third fastest run split of the day. I was happy with my run performance as my leg strength continues to improve. It is a bit frustrating to know that I was feeling so strong on the bike and if I had been a bit more careful on the bike and not crashed I feel I would have been in the break-away. But at the same time, I really went for it and gained valuable experience. I am also very proud to get back on my bike and catch back up to the pack after the crash and glad to not have lost focus mentally.

This was my third race of the year for the WCS races and I have two races remaining in the series, Yokohoma, Japan on August 22nd and the finale in Gold Coast Australia on September 12th.am currently ranked sixth in the series and my goal is to end the year within the top 5 in the World Championship Rankings.

I had a great time in Hamburg taking in the beautiful buildings downtown, eating some German food (the pizza in Germany was awesome!) and also getting to meet up with some friends of mine I met on vacation eight years ago in Mexico! Tim and Simone were on their honeymoon in Playa del Carmen, Mexico back in the summer of 2001 and my Dad, sister and I were vacationing at the same time and have stayed in touch ever since. They have traveled up to Hamburg to watch me race every year and since we first met back in 2001, their family has grown. They now have two adorable girls (Lena, 5, and Sophia, 3).

Currently, I am on the plane headed back to the US. I upgraded to business class, which is a very nice treat!! I am taking a couple of days of light training to let my body recover from all the racing (this was my fourth race in six weeks---something I never could have dreamed of completing last year, but now my leg is feeling so much better post surgery). I am also excited to spend next week in St. Louis. I will be visiting family, attending my 10 year high school reunion as well as going to my niece’s baptism (I will be her godmother).

I will not be racing for another four weeks, so I am going to take advantage of some time to get in another quality training block before my next block of racing in Japan, Chicago and Australia.
Summer is flying by….already August. The kids/teachers will be back in school before you know it. Enjoy the remainder of summer!