I did my first Olympic distance race of the year over the weekend at the St. Anthony's Triathlon. St. Anthony's is the first big race of the year and drew a fantastic field of athletes. I was really excited to race against so many top girls and I had hoped for something higher than 13th. Someone asked me after the race, was that about what you expected?...um, NO! I come to races to win them or to be on the podium. However, sometimes in preparation or during the race itself things don't pan out exactly as hoped or planned. As a professional, you have to be totally ok with that. It's disappointing and frustrating but a good way to assess weaknesses, gain motivation and get ready for the next race.
I'm not sure what happened in the swim but I came out of the water well behind the pack. Missing that pack (this was a non-drafting draft race! see photo above by Paul Phillips), I was forced to chase as hard as I could to catch up. I ended up riding with Rinny (until she dropped me near the end) and Kelly W. Pretty good company. I was excited to get off the bike and run a 10k with the two fastest runners in the sport. I dream about that on the treadmill all the time! Unfortunately, I just didn't feel great running and could only manage a 37:04 10k. It took a lot more than that to break into the top 10.
Despite not going very fast, I really enjoyed the race and nothing hurt. I'm always grateful for that. Plus I had so many people cheering me (or for Bec - but I accept those cheers too!) and loved being out there. Thank you to all the fans and to my sponsors for the support. Also many thanks to the Camps, our homestay family for hosting us for the 4th year. Congratulations to Sarah Haskins for crushing the field and to the rest of the girls who raced.
Next up is Rev3 Knoxville on Sunday.
-Laurel