Sneaky SG?!

A couple of weeks ago, a good friend made the comment, "You know, sometimes you can be a very sneaky sausage". While I can neither confirm nor deny that I am a sausage (if I am, by the way, I hope that I am a spicy chorizo), I shamefacedly will admit to my occasional sneakiness. This buddy was speaking about the news of some huge changes in my life that I had "forgotten" to share with her and that had instead reached her via gossip. I hadn't intended to be devious, but rather keep developments to myself until I knew that I was definitely going to follow through with my plans. This probably also helps to explain my absence from the blogosphere!

Since the likelihood is about .01% that I will now change my plans, I suppose that I can publicly divulge my "secrets". Considering the wildfire speed with which gossip spreads through the triathlon community, however, this is old news for most... A couple of weeks ago, I packed up my belongings, bid adieu to my friends in Colorado and trekked across the U.S. with my dad, reversing the trip that we had made together almost five years ago when I moved out to Boulder as a tri newbie. After dropping my exhausted pops off in NY, I continued on to Hanover, New Hampshire. My shipping pod joined me soon after and I deposited my belongings with Adam & Tricia and with super-agent/ buddy Mike. While most people may not understand why I would move from Colorado to New Hampshire, I am really happy about my decision. I've missed the Northeast and my family greatly (we will all be on the same coast!) and feel at home in the Upper Valley. It will also make more sense when I've divulged the second part of "Sarah's Top Secret Plan".

Part #2: In addition to moving, I'll be starting up with coach Darren Smith and his squad of athletes in just a few days (Illustrious Coach Smith & the Mysterious Squad of International Superathletes- Potential comic book?). Joining the group is no small commitment, requiring that I live in Australia until May and in Switzerland this summer, but I genuinely feel that this is the type of change that I need in order to perform at my best. This is also the part of the plan that I was most scared about sharing, as I felt that I might somehow jinx myself. He has assured me that he won't change his mind at this point and this is fortunate, considering that I'll be touching down in Oz on the 31st of this month. Heaven forbid that he looks at my post-season poundage (oh, cookies...) and send me back. If that happens, I may be absent from my blog for months. Just a fair warning.

So am I sneaky for not sharing this information with the world? Perhaps, but that wasn't my intention! I always have operated with the thought that if greatly anticipated plans fall through they are disappointing if held privately. If these plans are prematurely shared publicly, however, the repercussions can be so much greater. At this point, however, there will be no turning back!

I'm off to Victoria tomorrow for a very, very special wedding and on to Canberra from there. The next time that I blog, it will be from a new place and possibly in a new year! I welcome the change, even if I'm not forthright about it!

Best,

Sarah "Sneaky Sausage" Groff

Sayonara, Colorado

More on this to follow, but a new stage of my life has started, as I
recently relocated from Colorado Springs to NH. I'm back to being an
East Coast girl!

One week later...

For the past week, I've been motivated to do the following things, possibly in excess: eat my roommate's cookies, sleep, give myself the coffee jitters, hang out with my crew of elementary school kids, pack my belongings (more on that later...) and hike. What I haven't been motivated to do is anything triathlon related- an impulse that is probably pretty healthy, given the long, draining season that I've just wrapped up. Now that I've recharged the batteries a bit, I'm ready to tackle my final race report of the year.

After a good training block in Clermont, I headed over to Clearwater to meet Team Groff (Mom, Dad, Lauren, Clay, Adam, Mike, Beckett and Cooper, the dog) for the 70.3 World Championships. In the lead-up to the race, I was able to spend some time with my family and my sponsors and to scope out the course. Going into the race, I was feeling fairly confident about my fitness, as I had just come off my best training block of the year, but nervous about tackling an unfamiliar distance. Bobby and I did our best in preparing me for the race in the time that we had, but I had a pretty daunting task in trying to play "catch-up" for my lack of bike fitness going into the training block.

The conditions were pretty perfect for the race- sunny, calm and warm. Due to the chop, the race organizers had changed the swim venue to more protected waters and changed the start times, having the women begin 8 minutes before the men. I was a bit disappointed by the change in swim course, as a rougher swim benefits me and it would have been easier to break away. I lead out of the water with a line of women behind me (the swim exit was next to a pirate ship. Argh!). I have to admit that I was pretty overwhelmed by the WTC transition and floundered a bit with the concept of gear bags, people trying to peel my wetsuit off of me and trying to take my bike from me in T2!

Heading out onto the bike, I found myself exactly where I had hoped, settling into a comfortable pace in a group of women. When the tight pack of 30-40 men went by, however, the tone of my race changed drastically, however. Instead of letting the men pass, as I had assumed, the other girls tucked into the men's group and were out of sight before I could process what had happened. Needless to say, the officials didn't enforce drafting rules as strictly as I would have hoped. For the remainder of the bike, I had to put my head down and ride solo, managing my effort and trying not to get too worked up.

By the time that I entered T2, I was more emotionally and physically exhausted than I had anticipated. I was still hopeful that I could put together a strong 13.1 miles and settled into a steady pace. Going into the race, we planned to build through the run, gradually increasing pace each 5k. At the 5k mark, I realized that the plan wasn't exactly going to match up with the race as it was unfolding! I pushed through the run in a pretty ugly fashion, having to take a walk break with 5k to go. Ouch! While I was disappointed to have run 5-6 minutes slower than I had trained to run, I am proud that I gave the race everything that I had. When I crossed the line, I was completely spent, having given every ounce of energy to finish in 7th place. Julie Dibens, the super-cyclist (and really nice chick), dominated the women's race. She has set the bar really high for next year!

While I may have wanted to finish off the season in a slightly stronger fashion, I had a really great experience in Clearwater with my family, friends and sponsors. I was also overjoyed for the victory for my good friend, Michael Raelert, who ran away from the men's field, posting an incredible 1:09 half-marathon. We had spent the previous 4 weeks together in Clermont and I was able to see how incredibly hard he had trained in the lead-up to the race. It was gratifying to see his hard work pay off and feel that I may have had a very small part in his win, having forced healthy dinners on him!

Thanks to my family and friends for supporting me in Clearwater! The experience was far more fun, having shared it with you. I look forward to returning next year (a top-10 qualifies me for 2010), armed with this year's experience. At the very least, I won't panic when the volunteers try to take my bike from me in T2 next year!

Okay, back to the cookies, coffee and naps...

Giving Thanks

Earlier this week, I had the kids make a Thanksgiving poster. Instead of the typical hand-shaped turkey, they traced their hands and wrote one thing that they are grateful for on each finger. If you couldn't guess, mine is the big one on the bottom left. Yes, I have massive paws.

Lessons about triathlon from a Phillies fan

When I was a kid growing up in Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, I played Little League baseball for a few years. I was a pretty mediocre baseball player, more interested in practicing my pirouettes in the outfield than in catching fly balls and in perfecting the art of the grass whistle than in learning to hit. While I had a great time, my career as a baseball player was short-lived and undistinguished, to say the least.

Although I am a pretty bad baseball player, however, I am a pretty good fan of the sport to this day. Through the years, my interest in watching post-season baseball has increased, especially when the Philadelphia Phillies are playing well. For the second year in a row, the Phillies have clinched the National League title and earned their way to the World Series. Although the Phillies ultimately lost to the Yankees, my least favorite team in baseball, I really enjoyed watching their post-season play. Maybe it is because I'm in the midst of a hard training block in the lead up to next weekend's 70.3 World Championships, but watching the Phillies actually reinforced some lessons about triathlon...

1) Even old guys can bring it. While 38 year old Pedro Martinez may lack some of the speed and power that he once had, he used his experience and skill to do a pretty solid job on the mound (okay, they kept him in a bit long, but still...). In triathlon, athletes can still kick some serious booty into their late 30s. At 27, I'm just middle aged as a pro!

2) It takes a team. It doesn't matter how many home runs Utley hits. If the pitching is off, you don't stand a chance and vice versa. From Charlie Manuel to the under appreciated Carlos Ruiz, the Phillies were a pretty solid unit. Likewise, it takes a team to produce a successful triathlete. From a great coach to support staff to family and friends, nobody can make it to the top entirely on their own.

3) It is always more fun in the company of others. I enjoyed watching the Series by myself (for some reason, my German roommate wasn't interested), but I would have had more fun watching with other Phillies fans. Or Yankee fans with a sense of humor. Likewise, I've realized how much I miss training with other people this season. I am getting a bit tired of conversing with myself on long rides.

4) Some people will just never understand your interest. The aforementioned roommate just didn't grasp why I was excited about each hit or disappointed by each run scored against us. No matter how much you explain it, not everyone will understand why you care about baseball, triathlon, pinochle, scrapbooking or whatever else you love.

5) Sometimes it just isn't pretty. Baseball involves frequent "adjustments" and spitting- not terribly flattering ways to be caught on camera. Racing in triathlons frequently leads to photos of anguished expressions, snot and sweat covered faces and some horrendous running forms. I like to say that the day that I have a great run photo from a race is the day that I retire.

6) Pace, pace, build, race. I admit that I am a bit of a fair weather fan. I start to get interested in the Phillies when we are doing well and a have a chance at winning our division. Even then, I don't watch games until the post-season. The way that I see it, I only have so much emotional energy to expend as a fan. I would risk serious mid-season burn out if I were emotionally invested in every in-season game. In triathlon, you are best off starting the season strong and trying to build throughout the year. Every year, there are athletes that have amazing early season results and fizzle out by July. I prefer the simmer method, personally!

7) MVP to LVP. Cole Hamels was the MVP in 2008. 2009 was an "off" season, shall we say. In sport, you can have good plays followed by bad ones, great games (or races) followed by disappointing ones and amazing seasons followed by a mediocre one. There will always be ebbs and flows, but you have to keep looking ahead to the future without being held back by your past, good or bad.

8) Facial hair is awesome. Chan Ho Park was rocking a pretty killer beard. If I were a guy, I'd race with facial hair like that. Kinda like Fair Al-Sultan, but cleaner-looking. Okay, that had nothing to do with triathlon.

On the road again

Since leaving for the WCS Finale in Australia on September 4th, I think that I've been home in Colorado Springs for a grand total of 6 days. After a couple of weeks in NH, a weekend in TX, and a couple of days in Colorado Springs, I jetted off to Florida for my final training camp of the year. In order to prepare for the 70.3 World Championships next month, I decided to head down to my old stomping grounds of Clermont, Florida for some warm weather training. I'm in good company down here, as I've run across a motley crew of triathletes, both domestic (inc. Sara McLarty, Jarrod Shoemaker, Nic Tautiva) and international (Michael Raelert, Stuart Hayes and Marko Albert, among others). Some of us are avoiding the cold weather back home (snow in CO!) and others just realize what a great area Clermont is for training. Minus the snakes and alligators, of course...

While the place where I am staying is a bit rough, it is perfect for the task at hand. As long as I have a basic kitchen, a clean bed and a shower (in addition to great roads and training facilities), I am happy as a clam. It also helps knowing that my fabulous sister and her family are just up the road in Gainesville. Living out of a suitcase may have its downsides, but I feel fortunate that I am able to just pick up and head anywhere with minimal fuss. It is a good thing that I don't mind the nomadic lifestyle, as my 2010 season will be partly defined by prolonged globetrotting. That, however, is a subject for another post.

Happy training!

Sarah

Why I like Dallas

In Dallas for the US Open, where I finished 4th (again!) in a competitive field under tough conditions. I will come back year after year, partly because of the race, but mostly due to the Texas State Fair, which is held the same week as the race. How can you not love "Tex" the big cowboy or every fried food you can imagine?!

A long overdue race report

In my last post, I promised that I would write a post-WCS finale race report ASAP. I lied, so please accept my most sincere apology. Truthfully, I suppose that I have been a bit reluctant to write about my race, as the experience was somewhat mixed.

My goal was to finish top-15 in the race and I accomplished that with a 13th place, a result that landed me in 17th place in the series. The windy conditions worked in my favor, as the choppy water helped break up the field on the swim. 7 of us headed out onto the bike together, working well enough to gain a 45 second lead on the chasing athletes going into transition 2. After the bike, however, I was pretty flat, however, and my race became more of a struggle to hang onto a top-15 placement on the run.

While I am by no means unhappy with my results, I do find myself a bit unsatisfied with my ITU season. I went into the season with high expectations, but realized after the first WCS race that my preparation, especially on the bike (leading to lackluster runs), was insufficient. While I had hoped that I would be able to fix the shortcomings in my training as the season progressed, I was only able to address a couple of the oversights in my program and not all. Thankfully, this is 2009 and I still have time before 2012 to turn myself into a finely tuned triathlon machine!

Overall, I had a great experience in Australia. One of the best parts of the race was that I was able to spend some time with my Uncle Richard, who volunteered at the various races in the lead-up to the women's event. I was also fortunate to have additional family member fans at the race, as my cousin Mike made the trip up from Adelaide with Cass and their insanely cute kids, Cosmo and Argyle (I still get a kick out of the fact that there are red-headed Groffs with Aussie accents!). My family is incredibly supportive of my career- I am really lucky. It was also a pleasure to get to know some of our talented Junior and U23 racers better throughout the course of the week, as well as meet some of Team USA, our athletes who competed in the ITU Age Group World Championships. I look forward to seeing all of these folks compete again in the World Champs next year in Budapest.

Currently, I am in New Hampshire at Adam and Tricia's house (remember what I said about my supportive family?) getting ready for the last two races for the year: the US Open in Dallas and th 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater. I've been putting in some good saddle time with Mugatu, my TT bike, and have been enjoying New England in the fall. More to follow...

Report from Goldie

Back when I booked my flight to the Gold Coast for the World Championships Finale, I decided to come a week out from the race in order to adjust to the time change and weather. After I did so, I half dreaded my decision, envisioning a week where I have too much time on my hands and end up watching bad Australian TV, eating out at overpriced restaurants in Surfers Paradise and getting stir crazy while waiting for Sunday’s race. Fortunately (but unfortunately, if you were hoping for regular blog updates), I have found myself surprisingly busy.

In addition to the normal activities that shape my day (training, massage, chiro, meetings, grocery chopping and cooking- we have a kitchenette!), I have been occupied with the ITU Athlete’s Committee. Jarrod Shoemaker and I are the PATCO regional representatives and were thrown into a contentious debate soon after joining the Committee. In a nutshell, a resolution was proposed that could permit a National Federation to exert control over their athletes’ uniform logos. Needless to say, this was a divisive resolution pitting athletes and athlete-supportive NFs against pro-resolution NFs. In response, our committee fought hard, involving the athletes to encourage the members of Congress, which met on Thursday, to table the vote and to form an ad hoc committee to further discuss this matter. Fortunately, we won! Let’s hope that the ad hoc committee will recognize that athletes need to be able to keep control over their uniforms to maximize our income-earning potential through sponsors.

I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race, the last stop on the WCS circuit for the year. In lieu of a World Championships, the ITU decided to have a World Championships Series, so while this is the World Champs for the Age Groupers, U23s and Juniors, this is just the “Finale” for the elites. That being said, with every athlete present, minus an injured Emma Snowsill, this is the most competitive field that has convened all year. I find myself wishing that I were a bit fitter, faster, stronger etc., but I have to remind myself that this is just another race and yet another step in a long, multi-year process. The race will be tough, but FUN! And the best part is that I get to share the experience with some Groffs (Uncle Richard and Mike, Cass, Argyle and Cosmo- aka the Aussie Groffs).

Race update will follow ASAP (or within a week or two, in Sarah time :-) along with some great pics, I hope!

Ultimate Dodgeball. Never heard of it? That's because the game, a
product of Mr. Marcus' (the Tutt club director) evil genius mind, has
yet to sweep the nation. The rules are simple: it is every man/ woman/
child out for him/herself. You try to peg as many people as can you
with balls. Once you are hit, you sit down. If the person who hit you,
however, is tagged, you may stand up and resume play. The game is
pretty brilliant: it is fair (ie equal opportunity for play) and the
kids can run around for hours because it is almost impossible to have
just one player standing. The photo doesn't do the game justice, as it
makes the gym seem massive (it isn't) and devoid of kids (an
inaccurate representation of the afterschool madhouse that is the Boys
and Girls Club). If I hadn't strained my shoulder the last time that
we played regular dodgeball (sad but true), I might have joined in!
Instead, I just sit at the sidelines and am completely entertained.

A Quick Update

I see that it has been 25 days since my last posting. Yikes. Since I have about 50 emails waiting for responses in my inbox and I have only a 1 hour attention span/ week for all things computer related, here's just a quick update.

Since Hamburg/ last blog posting, I have done the following: started up with a new coach, was the lead cyclist for the run leg (and embarrassingly loud cheerer) at the Triathlon Youth National Championships, saw the transition from the summer program to the after school program at the Boys and Girls Club, jetted off to London for the WCS race, finished 10th with my best run of the year (need to improve my run tactics, however), toured London on a double decker, chilled with new & old friends on Lake George, went rafting, put my training on the back burner to be a good maid of honor, got my nails painted girly pink (swimming destroys manicures, fyi), saw my bff get married, danced the night away, returned to COS with the realization that I had packed on a couple of pounds and need to turn up the dial to 11 to get ready for the WCS finale on the Gold Coast, and am now packing for a whirlwind trip to the Windy City for a big training session (aka Chicago Triathlon) this weekend.

Whew. Forget the emails- they can wait another week. I need to catch some ZZZZs.

(Travel makes me cranky. I have pity on my seatmates.)

Hamburg- one week later

Now that I am back training hard in Colorado Springs, have caught up on my sleep, licked my wounds and felt sufficiently sorry for myself, I am prepared to gloss over the WCS race in Hamburg.

Here's how the race went: carnage on the swim (imagine this times 10), ended up 2nd pack out of the water (still figuring that one out), large pack with lots of scary corners, total downpour, rode 1/2 a technical lap on cobblestones with a flat to the wheel pit, rode alone for 2 more laps, disappointing run to finish (gulp) 26th. If my man ran away with my best friend in my truck with my dog, I'd have some serious fodder for a great tearjerker of a country song. As I have no truck, dog, or man, I'm just left with a bummer race story.

Here's the good stuff: I finished, awesome fans, some good camera time, two friends having GREAT races (Jarrod WON the men's race in pretty epic fashion, Lauren "Gigi" Groves tore up the run to finish 4th), an incredible birthday party for Brad "Sticksy" Kahlefeldt at the ice bar, nutella crepe with new buddy Hayley while watching the men's race. Obviously, I'd rather avoid the flat next time and start the run in the mix, but I tried to make the best of an inauspicious day.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I've used up my bad luck! With only 5 races left in the season, I have to make the most of each one.

Happy training,
Sarah

Hallo from Hamburg!

Greetings from Germany! I am currently sitting at a Starbucks (oh, globalization. *sigh*), trying to avoid both the rain and the smoking old lady and waiting for our post-race briefing ITU dinner. I'm hoping for vast quantities of sausage-y like meats and bier. Okay, maybe after the race would be better for a German gut bomb...

I am competing Saturday at the 5th stop on the ITU World Championships Series (my third, after Madrid and DC) and am pretty excited for a fun race. This is one of my favorite places to race, after having been here in 2007 for the World Championships. To be honest, the course is hardly ideal for me, as the bike is flat and technical. With 100s of thousands of spectators lining the downtown Hamburg course, the energy of the crowd is exceptional. If only there were more races like this one!

I am accompanied by a different companion on this trip, however, as my new Ceepo road bike, Mamba, was built up by the very capable hands of Mindy at CS West prior to my departure. Between her mechanical skills and the hard efforts of super agent Mike and my pals at Ceepo, I am decked out with one sweeeeet ride. Mugatu, the TT bike, is a bit jealous of the new addition to the family, but I'm sure he'll get used to Mamba. Besides, he'll get more love later in the season... Thanks for everything, guys. I can't wait to show her off this weekend!

Just call me Sisyphus

Going into yesterday’s Lifetime Fitness race in Minneapolis, I knew that my race would be challenging. I was racing tired, as Justin and I had decided to “train through” the race, keeping our volume and intensity high until Thursday before the race. I anticipated that I might feel a bit sluggish, but thought that I could still crank out a pretty good performance. What I hadn’t anticipated, however, was exactly how challenging it would be just to finish*.
After a strong first leg, leading out the swim in one of Minneapolis’ many lakes, I headed out onto the bike course behind Sarah Haskins, the eventual winner. Within the first few minutes of the race, however, I was busted with a inadvertent drafting penalty (moved back but not over far enough when Becky passed me) and had a two minute stand down, watching in stationary frustration as girls passed by. Soon after remounting my bike, I had the realization that something was seriously wrong with my bike. At first I thought that the squeaky resistance was the result of a brake pad rubbing against my wheel. After hopping off my bike to inspect, I realized that this wasn’t the problem and determined, in my very, mechanically disinclined way, that I had a problem with my bottom bracket. Either that or a tortured mouse was stuck somewhere in my bike and the course, despite looking seeming completely flat, was actually an Alpe d’Huez-like climb… After the race, I discovered that the tubular tire that I had replaced the day before was a bit too tall for the wheel well, rubbing against the carbon of my frame. I’m not sure how I missed that in my pre-race warmup. Maybe my alertness at 5am has something to be desired! I suppose that a temperature increase may have also altered the tire pressure, but I digress...
Needless to say, the bike leg of yesterday’s race was, without doubt, the squeakiest, more frustrating 40k ride of my life. It took a fairly Herculean effort to put my pre-race hopes on hold and look at the race as an opportunity to have a great workout. I channeled some of my frustrations into my run, hitting the first 5k hard. Once I caught the two girls ahead of me, moving me into 5th place, I found myself in a no-man’s land where I couldn’t see 4th place (minutes ahead of me) and settled into a strong pace for the remainder of the run. When I crossed the finish line, I was, above all, relieved that I had pushed through to finish and that it was over. While I’m sure that the race was “character building”, I feel as though I’ve had enough of those experiences of late. Frankly, I have enough character. I just wanted to really race! Luckily, there are more opportunities for that this season, the next being the Hamburg WCS race in two weeks.
Lifetime Fitness really did a tremendous job of putting on the race and I certainly look forward to returning next year. I had heard from other athletes how great this race is and the hype is certainly warranted. Hopefully I’ll be a bit more attentive with my gear, avoid drafting penalties and have a bit better luck next time around. While I enjoy a good challenge on race day, I normally prefer challenges brought on by hard courses and conditions and by fast fellow competitors than by my own bad luck/ inattentiveness!

*Warning: This blog entry may read like a litany of complaints. It pretty much is. If this will annoy you, read no further. It is my blog and I can whine if I want to, but nobody is forcing you to read :-)

Back in Colorado Springs

After a whirlwind tour of the Northeast (Cooperstown to DC for the ITU World Championship Series race to Aunt and Uncle's place in NJ to Des Moines for the Hy Vee World Cup), I'm back in Colorado Springs to get ready for tri season part 2. My two weeks back east were both exhausting and reinvigorating at the same time, providing some unexpected "down time" from training and a chance to catch up with family.

As for the racing in DC and HyVee, I ended up with a 9th place finish in DC against a world-caliber field and a DNF at Des Moines (yes, the Des Moines racing curse continues, 3 years counting!). I was pretty happy with my finish in DC, considering the strength of my competition. It was an amazing experience racing past some of the most iconic buildings in the world. We also had the honor of meeting and riding with Mayor Fenty, an accomplished triathlete, as well as meeting some young triathletes through the DC's Achieve program. As for my race in Des Moines, it is suffice to say that it just wasn't my day. Sometimes it happens, but hopefully next year I'll have an "on day" there! HyVee certainly didn't disappoint,as the quality of the event was the highest I've ever experienced with a triathlon. I certainly look forward to returning for years to come.

That's my update for now! More to come, I promise.

Quick Post-Madrid Update

Just a quick post, as I'm not sure how long my post-flight cankles and I can resist the siren song of my bed.  The best sleep that I've had since leaving Colorado last Tuesday was on my flight over- not a good sign (Spanish early morning tv is not recommended, by the way).   

 After a lot of travel, too many refined carbs and jamon serrano, too little sleep and a disappointing first ITU World Championship Series race of the year, I am excited to wake up tomorrow and resume hard training.  With only three weeks until the WCS race in Washington DC and four weeks until the Hy Vee World Cup, I have some serious work to do!  

First, however, I should mention my race in Madrid. I finished 9th in a field with the best athletes in Europe- a pretty solid achievement.  I was, however, disappointed with my race itself, as I had a fair swim, decent bike and sluggish run.  After putting in some great training in the past few weeks, I was surprised how flat and slow I felt on race day.  After examining why my race unfolded as it did and avoid whatever mistakes we might have made, Justin and I will try to put this race behind us and look forward to the season ahead.  Hopefully this was the worst that I will feel all season and have gotten my "bad race" out of the way!

Despite my race and lack of sleep, I had a great time in Madrid and really enjoyed the American squad (athletes and support staff) that was assembled.  I also love any opportunity to return to Spain- I just wish that I could spend more time there!  I've had pretty mixed experiences racing in Madrid, but I'll continue competing there until I have a fantastic race on the Casa de Campo course.  Since Madrid is a candidate city for the 2016 Olympics, maybe my best race will occur in that capital city in 7 years time.  One can always dream!

Speaking of dreaming, I'm off to finally get a good night of sleep!  

27 going on 8

I've recently puzzled over why I get along so well with kids. Considering my age and gender, could it possibly be due a misplaced maternal instinct?! Possible, but the more likely reason is that I am actually a kid trapped in the body of a 27 year old.

Here is my evidence:
-Wardrobe of a kindergartner (omnipresent ponytail, a predilection for graphic t-shirts, flip-flops), according to Lauren and Clay
-Love of arts & crafts. The messier, the better!
-Piggy bank on my dresser
-A overactive sweet tooth
-Mid-session temper tantrums (just ask my poor coach!)
-Overwhelming urges to splash in mud puddles (I do, but save it for the end of a run to avoid shoe slop)
-Occasional "fights" with Mark Fretta (another big kid), involving chucking objects at one another
-Indisputable need for naps, snacks and frequent exercise
-What I do for a "job" is what other people do for fun

On that note, I am off today to play in Madrid in the first WCS race. Unfortunately, the aforementioned Fretta is my travel partner. Hopefully we won't get thrown off the plane for juvenile antics!

The Case of the Cranky Pants

As Robby, my massage therapist in Colorado Springs, puts it, I have been frequently wearing my cranky pants of late. While there are many reasons for me to be in a slightly sour mood*, I've realized that I am slightly crankier on the weekends. Why the weekends? Well, the weekends, dear reader, are when triathlons take place. Triathlons that I am not competing in and am instead at home, feeling sorry for myself. I could have raced at PATCOs in Oklahoma City this past weekend (US swept men's and women's podium- woohoo!) or in the first WCS race in Teongyong a few weeks ago, but alas, I did not.

To be more specific, I feel like the kid who is sitting at the sidelines in gym class, watching everyone else play dodge ball and having a grand ole' time chucking rubber balls at one another. I'm not in the game, however, because I have a note from the school nurse, exempting me from play, or because nobody wanted me on their team (I wouldn't blame them for that- I have terrible hand-eye coordination). No, I am watching, not participating, by choice. I actually am choosing to sit at home with ants in my cranky pants, building up a bit more fitness and getting ready for the loooong season ahead. My next race, and first ITU race of the year, is the WCS race in Madrid in two weeks. While I am admittedly a bit nervous, I can't WAIT to be actually participating and not just supporting my racing friends from afar!

*Recent reasons may include, but are not limited to: overcast days, lack of nap and/or snack, a hermetic lifestyle that doesn't really suit me, an overly tight left IT band (fixed, thankfully!), too many lentils combined with hard running, the realization that I am a terrible basketball player and reading Jeffrey Sachs' brilliant, but depressing, Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet.

Salt dough

Salt dough: a bit messy, requires anti-ballistic vigilance, but very easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. Here's the basic recipe:

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

warm water

-Combine the flour and salt. Add warm water in small increments, mixing thoroughly all the while, until the dough is the consistency of Playdough. Make sure the dough is completely dry before attempting to paint. For drying purposes, it helps if the dough is rolled thin but larger objects can be dried in the oven at a low temperature)

Sping art class

Earlier this week, I had the kids draw and color flowers that I brought in to the club. I thought that it would be a great way to incorporate a spring theme into a basic drawing lesson, creating art from observation. I was a bit surprised how difficult this was for some of the kids. Hopefully we will improve on this skill as time progresses!

Exercising my Character in Des Moines

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Des Moines for Hy Vee's Exercising Your Character event. Hy Vee, the corporate sponsor for the ITU World Cup in Des Moines, makes a tremendous effort to promote the triathlon and to encourage a healthy lifestyle. The Exercising Your Character event is just one part of their ongoing community involvement.

As part of the event, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak with 4000 4th and 5th graders who were bussed in from the greater Des Moines area (some even coming from 2 hrs away!) to the Hy Vee hall. The set-up was pretty incredible, as a elevated stage was placed in the middle of the hall and enhanced by state-of-the-art audio and visual effects. There were even pyrotechnics following the National Anthem! The event itself consisted of a couple hours of non-stop action and activity with plenty of dancing, led by the Iowa Dance & Drill Team. I did plenty of dancing, don't worry! Our Emcee, Jim Hallihan, did a great job of keeping us on schedule. Interspersed with the music and dancing, ISU Coach Fennelly (Girls Basketball), triathlete Hunter Kemper, former Blake basketball standout Leonard Houston and I had about 10 minutes apiece to talk to the kids and answer a couple of questions. I took the opportunity to get the kids excited about triathlon and told them about my mixed experiences racing in Des Moines, emphasizing how those challenges were character building. I hope that at least a few got something positive out of my talk! We finished up the event with having lunch with the lucky winning school, Windsor Heights Elementary. They are a really great, high-energy group of kids and I enjoyed chatting with them about school.

While pretty exhausting (maybe it was all of that dancing!), I feel really fortunate to have been given the opportunity to be part of the Exercising Your Character event in Des Moines. I continue to be very impressed by the organization and community involvement of Hy Vee's events. It was also a relief to go to Des Moines and have a completely positive, non-racing experience in that city. Hopefully it bodes well for my next trip to Des Moines in June for the World Cup! At the very least, I hope that Hunter and I convinced a few of those kids to either participate in the tri and/ or to cheer for us!

2nd (again) at St. Anthony's

This past weekend. I headed down to St. Petersburg, FL to do the St Anthony's Triathlon, a race that I haven't done since 2005 when it was one of my very first pro races. It was also an opportunity to catch up with my parents, who came down for the weekend, my Gainesville-based sister Lauren, my brother-in-law Clay, his parents, Clayton and Linda, and my 8-month old nephew, Beckett (the star of the weekend). While racing is always fun, having family around always seems to make it that much more special. Thanks for cheering me on!

As for the race itself, the water conditions were so choppy that the race director had to cancel the swim leg for the amateur athletes. While I'm sure that there were many disappointed athletes, Philip definitely made the right decision. From the start, I was feeling really "flat" (certainly flatter than the water!) and realized that I might have to race a bit more conservatively than I might like. I let Jasmine Oenick dictate the pace of the swim and sat on her feet as we rounded the course. As we headed out on our bikes, I felt equally sluggish and made the decision to try to, as my coach says, "race smarter, not harder". Rather than push the pace from the start of the race, I sat back, hoping that I'd get my legs by the time we left T2. On the bike, we were met with windy conditions on the flat course. About halfway into the 40k ride, Bec Wassner, the eventual winner came storming by, and she was our new pace setter for the the remainder of the ride. By the time we entered T2, Sara McLarty had a 2 minute advantage on us after a blazing swim-bike combo. After the first 2 miles, Bec had a 20 sec advantage that I couldn't quite close. At least it didn't grow, I guess. Somehow I managed to catch Sara within 100m of the finish line to finish 2nd. I didn't think that I had a kick, but maybe I do! Although I didn't find that spark in my legs that I was hoping to find, I still managed to have a solid run (a good 90 sec faster than I had feared!). While I am a bit disappointed that I felt as flat as I did, coach assures me that, based on our training, it is no surprise that I wasn't as spunky as I might have liked to feel. Just as long as I find my groove by the end of the month, when I head to Madrid.

I am really looking forward to returning to St Petersburg next year. St Anthony's is an incredibly well run race and they treat the pros incredibly well, setting us up with great homestays and transporting us to and from the airport. Thanks, especially to my homestay, Lu and Norma!

Happy Earth Day/ Volunteer Week

Happy Belated Earth Day and happy Volunteer Week! I'm fortunate enough to have two sponsors, Athletes for a Fit Planet and In the Arena, who help me integrate two passions of mine, the environment and community service, into my career as a professional triathlete. Before I came affiliated with these organizations, I struggled with how I could pursue sport full-time and be a contributing member of society at the same time. Now I can spread the green gospel in the triathlon world and try to make a positive impact on some kids when I'm not training!

This week we painted some terra cotta pots and planted some tomato seeds. Here's Lenai helping out...

I'm off to St. Anthony's Triathlon this weekend in St. Petersburg, FL. I've been looking forward to this race because I'll be able to see family and friends and get my first Olympic distance race of the year under my belt.

More pics of my kids...

Thanks to my photographer friend, Brooklin, I was given the heads up on a few cool apps for the iPhone. As if I needed an excuse to take more photos of my spunky Boys & Girls clubbers!

2nd at Oceanside 70.3

If someone had told me a few days ago that I would place second to my buddy and former World Champion Mirinda "Rinny" Carfrae at the Oceanside 70.3, I would probably have responded with a dramatic roll of the eyes. With no experience at the distance and using the competition as a "training race" to ascertain my fitness at this point in the season, I had some modest goals. I thought that a top-5 finish against such a strong field would be a best case scenario and that I'd be extremely lucky if I were to get a Clearwater slot through roll-down. I won't even acknowledge my imagined worst-case scenario, other than to state that my sister is not the only Groff with a flair for dramatic fiction!

The best part of the race? The experience was actually a lot of fun and a grin on my face most of the way. To be more exact, I had fun from mile 0, with a brief mid-bike period of boredom, until approximately mile 67, when the run turned into a death march worthy of a John Williams composition. Thankfully, the fun resumed the second that I crossed the finish line and could put my tender feet up and some real food in my stomach. While my 2XU Endurance Tri Suit had a great pocket in the back (a novel concept for short-course racers), I was unfortunately unable to bring anything more substantial than a couple of gels (sorry, Groves. The corndog wouldn't fit). The medical staff also did a great job of providing a lovely ice-filled kiddie pool and taking care of my blistered feet. Thanks, guys!

As for the race itself, here's the abridged version of how it unfolded: I lead the swim from the start, taking a small group with me. I paced the swim conservatively, knowing that an ITU effort would only produce lactic acid that I'd have to contend with for 4 more hours of racing. Once on the Ceepo bat bike, my strategy was simple: try to stay focused and use more experienced racers for pacing. Mary Beth Ellis, last year's silver medallist at the 70.3 World Champs, a strong cyclist and good friend, set the pace on the bike and Leanda Cave and I kept her within sight as we worked our way around Camp Pendleton. At around mile 30, Sam Warriner, a true BAMF for starting the race despite being stung by a stingray the day before, bridged up and made our group a foursome. I am incredibly grateful for the pace-setting of the other girls, as I know that I would have gone out too hard at the start! I was the third athlete out of T2 and soon caught Leanda and Sam. While part of me thought that I should once again defer to the pace-setting of these more experienced and accomplished athletes, I decided to make a break about a kilometer into the run. For the first 3/4 of the 13.1 mile run, I was surprised by how good I felt. With half a lap to go, however, I started to worry about whether or not I'd be able to finish the race. I knew that I was slowing down significantly, but I hoped that I wouldn't slow down to a shuffle. With less than a kilometer to go and the finish line in sight, Rinny came blazing by like a locomotive. At that point, however, I was more concerned about finishing than getting passed! I luckily held off Leanda, who was closing in quickly, to finish 2nd place. I was blown away by Matt Reed, who won the men's race in a dominating fashion with a smoking 1:11 run split. As both Matty and Rinny are good friends and all-around awesome people, I was really happy for both of them to be on top of the podium.

It is very tempting for athletes to dwell on what they could have done differently and I have certainly made a laundry list of things to improve upon. Don't worry- I'll spare my readers the details! I am buoyed, however, by the thought that I can iron out these rookie mistakes and maybe race better next time. That next time, however, will be in Clearwater at the 70.3 World Championships. Until then, I will be starting up some speed work and getting back to short-course racing!

While the actual race was pretty fun, I can't help but think that my experience was greatly improved by all of the support that I had in and leading up to the race. Representatives from two of my sponsors were there, 2XU and Ceepo, and I was fortunate enough to get some great help and care from the people behind the companies. While I truly believe in the quality and integrity of their products, I am incredibly lucky to work with such kind and caring people at 2XU and Ceepo, as well as at Saucony, Athletes for a Fit Planet, In the Arena and More Business Solutions. I have a great team behind me! Part of that team also includes my friends, some of whom were able to come to the race to cheer me on. A special thanks to Andy, for letting me crash at his place (sorry if I ate too many of your thin mints!). Thanks, guys! A final, huge "thank you" goes out to my coach, Justin Trolle. If this is my base, I can't wait to see how we build on it :-)

Mileage Club

While I haven't been able to go into the Chula Vista Boys and Girls Club and help as much as I might have liked, I have been fortunate enough to pop in a few time. Yesterday I helped out with the Mileage Club, a weekly fitness program that a couple of the staff members started with the kids. The concept is this: the kids run or walk laps around the perimeter of the gym and for each lap that they complete, they get a popsicle stick. At the end of the session, the kids count their sticks and report their total. For every 40 laps (equivalent to 5 miles) that they complete, they get a foot token for their key chain. The cumulative mileage is tracked with the objective of reaching a geographic goal (for example, Grandma's house or Disney Land). If the goal is reached, the kid earns a top-secret prize. Cool program, right? I would love to get this started at the club in my club in Colorado Springs!

A Groff Victory!

I would like to proudly announce that my nephew, Beckett, was recently the victor in the baby category of the March of Dimes fundraising run in Gainesville, FL. Admittedly, he was pushed in a stroller by my highly competitive sister and it wasn't technically a race. Nonetheless, Auntie Sbiggy is very proud of her little champion.

What I have in common with Jessica Simpson

What do I, Sarah Groff, have in common with Jessica Simpson, the blond bombshell singer? Am I dating a NFL player? Nope. Have I recently made a switch from pop to country? No again. Dubious talent? Possible, but I hope not. I certainly don't have the same, ahem, physical attributes as the star. What we do have in common, however, is that we both have found ourselves judged by strangers for our size. While I am lucky that I haven't been publicly scrutinized by tabloids (no paparazzi shots in Triathlete Magazine, as far as I'm aware), I have received quite a bit of unsolicited feedback. Over the past six months, I have twice been mistaken as a bobsledder (lovely girls, but have about 30 lbs more muscle than me), compared to a linebacker, told that I have a high BMI for a triathlete by a total stranger over dinner (visual calipers?) and given the backhanded compliment that, despite how much bigger I look than my competitors, I am actually kind of thin in person. Luckily, I have a good head on my shoulders and haven't let these comments negatively affect me. That being said, I fully acknowledge that it is high time for this "linebacker" to get a bit scrawnier.

Before I delve any further into this topic, I would like to say that I am of a very normal, healthy weight for an athlete and am actually pretty lean. My "problem" lies in the fact, however, that ITU racing is not conducted by weight class. If it were, I'd clean up! I frequently toe the line with girls 20+ pounds lighter than I am. While this might be an advantage in some situations (ie super cold, rainy World Championships in Vancouver last year), it probably is far more of a performance inhibitor. At the high end of the sport, women tend to be on the cusp of their power to weight ratio. If they were to lose additional weight, their swim and bike performance would greatly diminish and the likelihood of injury increases. I haven't ever reached a weight, however, where we were concerned that my strength and power might be diminished. Only by toeing this line, however, will I get a true sense of my potential as a runner.

While I am acutely aware of the fact that I need to trim quite a bit of muscle off my frame, I struggle with the actual process. I tend to eat healthfully, but include some tasty treats because, quite frankly, I love food. This strategy has been effective for weight maintenance, but I finally realize that I will have to sacrifice in order to drop weight. While I have made sacrifices in other areas of my life, I recognize that I am loathe to shift to a weight-loss diet, fearing that I'll be hungry and cranky for the rest of my career. I realize that this is an extreme view of the process, but I struggle with the sentiments all the same.

For some reason, professional athletes tend to veer away from talking about issues such as these. Some athletes are lucky enough to not battle with their size (obviously they don't eat like Groffs), but I'm sure that others do. By writing about the need to lose weight in such a public format, I recognize that I am potentially opening myself up to further scrutiny. Luckily, I am okay with that. Perhaps by being open about the process, however, I will hold myself more accountable to my goal. While Jessica Simpson has the luxury of "embracing her new figure", I recognize that I will struggle to reach a new figure, but that the result could help push my career to the next level. If not, I may be pushing for weight classes in the pro ranks :-)

Captain Clueless takes on a challenge

I am signed up for next weekend's California 70.3 in Oceanside and I am terrified. I am so nervous, in fact, that a couple of nights ago I was tossing and turning and only managed 3 measly hours of sleep. I feel like a jittery amateur triathlete again, with both excitement and fear of the unknown challenges that race day might present.

"Silly Sarah (/Sbiggy/ Saucy)", you are probably saying with a roll of the eyes. "Triathlon consists of swimming, biking and running. You know how to do that! It's your job, after all". True, true. Rational, logical Sarah agrees with you. Captain Clueless (aka 70.3 racing SG), however, fixates on the following:
1) I can barely focus for the duration of a non-drafting, Olympic distance bike (40k vs next weekend's 90k)
2) I have spent the past few days trying out the TT position and have to fight my deeply ingrained instinct to ride on the hoods
3) I am racing with girls WAAAAY more experienced in this distance and probably don't struggle about problems 1 & 2
4) Nutrition. I race Olympic distance with one bottle of very dilute drink and a gel. Somehow I don't think that'll cut it for a 4.5 hr race.
5) Ice cream headache-inducing cold water and sharks. 'Nuf said.
6) Pacing. I know that I shouldn't go as hard as I would if I were racing short course, but what pace am I supposed to go?!

Phew. What a relief to come clean about my 70.3 racing fears. Many professional athletes have a hard time publicly acknowledging that they are actually human, with human flaws, and not the stoic superheroes that they pretend to be. I evidently do not have that problem.

I realize that I am doing Oceanside as a training race, not as the start of a new career in long course (I love the fast pace of World Cups too much!) and that I need to just have fun with the race. I also know, however, that I just gave WTC a whopping $280 for race entry and that I need to finish in the top-8 to come out ahead (not including the moola that I've pumped into my Ceepo of late). While I doubt that it will be as terrible of an experience as my 2AM tossing and turning self might fear, I recognize that I will experience some highs and lows over the course of the 70.3 miles. Let's just hope that the highs outnumber the lows!

If you need a bike shop in San Diego...

When my new bike sponsor, Ceepo, shipped my new Viper time trial bike to me, I knew that I'd have to find a pretty special bike shop to fit me and set me up on my new rig. I asked fellow triathlete Jordan Rapp (a certified bike-fitter himself) for a recommendation on someone in the area and he sent me to J.T. Lyons at Moment Cycle Sport. After a 2 1/2 hour bike fit, where J.T. methodically and patiently honed in on my best time trial position for triathlon (thankfully not as smooshed and awkward as a cyclist on a TT bike. We have to run off the bike, after all!), he and his team at the shop carefully assembled my new steed. When the bike was finished, J.T. even dropped off the bike at the OTC, a good 40 minutes away from the shop, as I have no reliable means of transportation. Needless to say, that is some pretty incredible customer service!

A triathlete himself, J.T. also gave me some great pointers on Oceanside 70.3, where the bat bike and I will make our 2009 season debut (more on that later). I am confident that I couldn't have had a better team to help me out with my Ceepo Viper, even if I did occasionally get teased by J.T. about looking like a tri geek with my set up! If you ever find yourself in San Diego and in need of a great bike shop, please head to Moment Cycle Sport. I was pretty blown away by the level of attention to detail, depth of knowledge and kindness of J.T. Lyons and his staff there. Thanks, guys!

Chula Sports Camp!

I've been training hard for the past week at the OTC in Chula Vista and have been really enjoying my time here. I find that there is a greater sense of community among the athletes here than at the OTC in Colorado Springs. I think that this is because there is less personal space and we are a bit more isolated. In the Springs, the dorms are pretty spread out and segregated based on length of stay, with short-term campers pushed to the stark, shared-room barracks and the super-long term athletes in plush, spacious suites (I lived in the intermediary zone, a single room in renovated "barracks"). I also think that a far greater percentage of athletes live off campus in Colorado Springs than do here. Here, all of the rooms are the same: small, basic, four-person suites. I was a bit surprised to come here and find that I had a roommate, a college intern here for a semester. The rest of the campus is far more compact as well. From the dining hall to the sports medicine department, the smaller scale of the operations here allows for a greater sense of intimacy among athletes. With the removal of the omnipresent USOC and NGBs based in Colorado Springs, the result is that the OTC in Chula feels a summer camp without counselors, a feeling only enhanced by the sunny skies and neighboring Otay Lakes.

While here, I've been fortunate enough to meet a couple of fellow In the Arena athletes, Mike Hazle and Karl Erikson. These are the first ITA athletes that I've met since joining up with the volunteer organization last year (I went to Middlebury with Kate Whitcomb, but I haven't seen her since graduation). While we have had conference calls as members, it is entirely a different experience to meet another person face-to-face. Karl was also kind enough to give me a tour of the Boys and Girls Club where he volunteers. Half of the kids came running up to Karl to be picked up while I was there. To see tiny 8 year old kids mob a formidable thrower is quite an experience, to say the least. As Mike put it, "Karl is a teddy bear" and the children certainly respond well to him. I hope to join Karl as a volunteer at the Club, once I clear my background check. It is a BIG club with many, many kids, so I'm sure that an extra volunteer popping in on occasion will be appreciated!

RaisinHope

When I rolled down to breakfast at the Olympic Training Center's cafeteria in Chula Vista this morning, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with Saul Raisin, a professional cyclist now pursuing triathlon after a traumatic brain injury derailed his cycling career. Once I built up my bike, we headed out for a great 3 hour ride on rolling hills and followed up with a nice, easy 30 minute jog. Throughout the course of the ride, Saul gave me some great pointers on bike handling (not my strength!), as well as recounted some fantastic stories about his pro riding career in Europe and the story of his crash and subsequent recovery (deemed a "miracle" by his doctors).

In addition to training to complete the Hawaii Ironman, Saul is highly active with RaisinHope, his foundation for survivors and supporters of Traumatic Brain Injury, and with the Wounded Warrior Project. Considering Saul's story and taking into account his outgoing, talkative personality and boundless energy, I can't imagine a better advocate for the cause. The most remarkable and telling statement that Saul made was that if he could chose between his life the way it was one month before the accident and the way his life is now, he would pick the present, mainly because of the positive influence that he has made on the lives of others.

Saul is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive people that I have met through triathlon. When in the midst of training, we athletes have the tendency to insulate ourselves from the outside world. Saul and his involvement with victims of brain trauma serves an incredible reminder that when our energy is harnessed, we have the ability to do more than perform athletically at a high level. We also have the potential to have a positive impact on others.

Why I do what I do

Amory, from In the Arena, asked us to write a blog entry about achieving excellence or how to maximize one's potential. Ultimately, I think that it boils down to tapping into and exploiting one's motivating force. So why do I do this? Here's my slightly delirious with fatigue mind's free-verse answer:

I don't do triathlon for money or attention.
There is no fame that comes from triathlon (nor would I want it).
I don't do it because I think that it is what I am meant to do.
I'm sure that others are born for the sport, but that's not me.
I don't race to post a certain time or to beat a certain person.
Honestly, I don't even know if I race to win.
I put myself through this because I love the sport, but there is more to it.
If I just loved triathlon, I could do this as a hobby.
But, instead, I do triathlon as a fully-encompassing obsession.
So why?
I do this for me.
I train and race to test myself.
I pursue the sport to feel like I do right now, at the end of a hard training block,
Physically exhausted,
But also calm with the knowledge that, despite my doubts and fears,
I saw what I am made of,
And it made me smile.

Positivity, Sarah-style

When I woke up this morning, I was scowling, mad-at-the-world cranky. I'm tired, two weeks into a training block, and when I woke up, it was 12 degrees out (-11C). Furthermore, I would have to somehow muster the energy to get a bike and run workout in before 12, when I have swim practice. At this juncture, I had three options: ride inside on the Computrainer, feeling sorry for myself the entire time, ride outside and feel sorry for myself, or turn my foul mood around and make the best of my day. Since nobody likes a whiner (decidedly un-BAMFy), I resolved to make the most of the situation. Starting with breakfast, I mentally catalogued reasons to get into a more upbeat mood (I hear it already: "Oh Saucy, you are so American!").

Here are my reasons for being positive today:
-My spiced pumpkin pancakes with real maple syrup (so expensive out in CO that I might as well put gold flakes on my breakfast). I had to pull out the big guns, pre-ride.
-Raven's Nest coffee, times two
-My SRM's temperature function, proving that I'm not as soft as I previously feared (negative degrees Celcius at the start!)
-Coach JT's understanding of my love-hate relationship with numbers, specifying that I just do my hill repeats and not look at my watts
-Joe's box of cycling clothes that he has held onto for the past 15 years, providing me with ear warmers and lined vest
-My complete lack of wardrobe shame. Star-spangled Groff with pink leg warmers? Not a good look.
- Living within 30 seconds of Monument Valley trail
-Planning tomorrow's dinner (and, yes, I pulled out cookbooks in transition)
-No wolf-like dogs spotted (I'm in the middle of Sharp Teeth). I did see a black standard poodle, however, which made me think of Grovesy's obsession- always a reason to smile.
- Getting swim, bike and run workouts in before 1pm.
-The Flobots' "Handlebars"- my new, I-can-conquer-the-world song
-The realization that, while I willingly head out on my bike in freezing temperatures, I am a pretty lucky person to be able to do this for a living.

Happy training,
Sarah

Happy Valentine's Day

Many people dismiss Valentine's Day as being a creation of the card companies. If you are a kid (or quite a few adults), however, it is another opportunity to pump yourself full of sugar and run around like a tasmanian devil. And if you are me, you take advantage of the situation to mooch candy and a Cinderella pencil off the kids and to wind them up. They aren't coming home with me, after all...

A worthy mess

Even though I was disheartened that I couldn't find doilies in the art room this afternoon, the kids and I made some Valentine's Day cards. I didn't get the chance to make one myself, as I was too busy cutting out hearts for them and cleaning up endless paper scraps and glitter (glitter, while fun and sparkly, is a disaster waiting to happen). The most amusing part was how many boys were in the room, making big hearts for their "girlfriends". Since a few claim to be juggling more than one girlfriend, their hands were full with card-making!

Back to blog-land

The best part about jetting off to training camps is that you are able to completely absorb yourself in training to the exclusion of everything else. For three weeks in Maui, I was able to focus solely on swimming, biking and running (and eating and sleeping- the frequently unrecognized fourth and fifth sports that make up the triathlon) and actually checked my email daily. This singular focus that makes a training camp so wonderful, however, is also what makes a return from camp so difficult.

When I came back to Colorado Springs last week, I was inundated with tasks that I had pushed aside for at least three weeks (I'm an excellent procrastinator), the most engrossing entailing a move from the Olympic Training Center dorms to a house off-campus. Combine moving my stuff from Boulder, sorting through numerous boxes of clutter and setting up a house with utilities etc. with my training and re-acclimation to altitude and it should be pretty apparent why it has taken me a couple of weeks to return to the blogosphere. That being said, Lauren Groves/ Gunnison/ Gigi, knowing how much I normally avoid the computer, correctly predicted that the frequency of my blogging would drop off substantially upon leaving Maui, where everyone spent countless hours in the tubes (I still don't understand the appeal).

Anyway, I'm back in Colorado, busting out my cold weather clothes for training, and getting back into a regular routine, including hanging out with my kids at the Boys and Girls Club. I am happy to report that my skills at Connect Four have not diminished in my time away from the club. There is quite a few new members to the club, so I am presented with the daunting task of both remembering names and learning new ones- never a strength of mine.

As a side note, I've noticed that I have an overwhelming number of blankets and pillows. Our kitchen is also incredibly stocked with great cooking tools and utensils, especially considering the fact that we have no couch, kitchen table or chairs. Based on my possessions, sleeping and eating are extraordinarily high priority tasks for me (like I said before- they are the fourth and fifth sports in triathlon). Okay, back to packing. There will be more updates to come! Someday...

Sarah