I wish there were do-over’s in triathlons, the reality is there isn’t. All I can do is learn from my mistakes. I prepped for the 2013 season opener in Auckland better than last year’s World Championship, when I placed 2nd. However, I got to the race and made a mistake. I was cold to begin with, and I did a swim warm up, thinking if I changed suits I would be fine and warm back up. This wasn’t the case. I ended up shaking/very tense for the half hour I was standing, waiting for the race to start. I knew others were cold too, you could see it in their bodies. I didn’t think much of it, as I assumed as soon as I hit the water I would warm up. I dove in and gave it all I had in that moment and found myself moving backwards and not warming up. I shifted my focus to processes, however this didn’t seem to help as I exited the water nearly last. I got to my bike and could barely mount. I started pedaling and felt like I was riding a bike I’d never been on before. It was the strangest feeling. At one point in the race, I thought I was going the wrong direction on the course – a bit delusional, perhaps? I ended up pulling out of the race: I didn’t come to Auckland to participate. I came to race. Many girls struggled in Auckland, and many performed great. It was an interesting start to the season.
I’m excited about my training and I can’t wait for San Diego. I love racing in my home country, especially because there are not many opportunities to do so on the WTS circuit.
Thank you for all of the support. I’m still learning and striving for consistency.