Well this will be my first blogpost in just about a year. Any return readers can see that I have a new site! So now that the transition from one site to the other is complete, I will hopefully be blogging more frequently.
This past year was pretty great for me overall. I have had quite a few ups and downs, but I have learned a lot, and felt like it was a success. The year started off great, with a win at the Tritonman Triathlon (the Triathlon Squad crashed the party and had the quality of the race skyrocket!), a podium in Sarasota and a couple of decent showings in World Cups Down Under. My run showed some progress in the off season, and I felt like I showed at least some of that in the early season. Then school happened. I was lucky enough to have a pretty easy first half of spring semester, which helped translate into some pretty good results at the beginning of my season. However, that all changed once graduation started to get closer. I worked very hard to graduate in three years so that I could focus more on triathlon, and I needed to focus late spring to ensure that happened. This resulted in quite a few sub par performances over the beginning of the summer. Some of the beginning races, like Dallas, just had to do with my lack of fitness from enjoying my graduation week. But as the summer went on, and I continued to compete at a level I thought was way below what my workouts were indicating, I think it became more of a mental issue. The race that really turned it around for me was the WTS race in Stockholm. It just ended up being a great day for me, and I had a ton of fun racing in conditions most people were dread (cold and wet). That momentum helped carry me into a strong showing at the U23 World Championship, and the Super Sprint Grand Prix in Vegas. I had a bit of time to recover from those races, and then I went into a month where I raced just about every weekend. I tried my hand as a domestique, somehow fought my way to the finish line in Cozumel after feeling sick, and then ended the season with a podium in Tongyeong.
So there you have my attempt at summarizing the season. Looking back on it, I really feel like I learned to handle difficult situations well. While I would have liked to have had good performances in the middle of the season, especially the Chicago WTS, I do not think I would change anything. I have come out of my off season ready for a solid block of training. I feel like I am more motivated to reach my goals now than ever.
To reach these goals, I have decided to spend the winter months preparing in Santa Fe, NM with USA Olympian, Ryan Bolten. He and my coach Adam Zucco have been working very closely together to get me into good running form over the years, and I am really excited to work closely with Ryan. So far Santa Fe has been great. I have pretty much found all of the essentials: good trails, roads, coffee, and food. Now it’s just about putting in the miles and letting the hard work speak for itself. I look forward to the next year and putting myself in the best position to qualify for Rio.
As always, I have to thank my sponsors! TrainingBible Coaching, Trek, TYR, and USAT are a few that have really made being a full time Pro Triathlete a reality for me. The NYAC, Geneva Running Outfitters, PowerBar, and Fuel4mance have also made major contributions to my journey. Don’t forget to check out my sponsorship page, and be sure to look around at my new site!