And so it begins again...

Over a month ago, Darren and I decided that I would submit my name to race in the Mooloolaba ITU World Cup. Since we had only gotten a couple of weeks of training under my belt at that point, it was a bit of a gamble. At most, I would be entering the race with 6 weeks of training- less than ideal, given the fact that the race would be very competitive. With so many of the world’s top athletes using the race as a tune-up for the WCS in Sydney on April 10th and knowing that the course is among the hardest in the sport, I would have my work cut out for me.

Fortunately for me, I trust my coach and his decision-making skills. We managed to put together a solid block of training without incident (given the roller-coaster of a season that I had last year, that is saying something!) and we decided to go ahead with the race in Mooloolaba. The first race of the year is always tough, but you have to take the plunge eventually, even if you don’t feel ready! The race was tough- serious headwinds, fast and fit girls, choppy surf swim, driving rain and a super hilly course- and I felt as good as can be expected, given my lack of training (ie pretty terrible!). Somehow, I managed to find myself in the right place going into the run and held it together to finish a surprising 8th.

My training partners had pretty great races, with Barbara, Vendula and Lauren finishing 3rd, 5th and 9th respectively. A special acknowledgement has to be made of Lauren “Gunzy” Campbell’s race, as it represents her first World Cup back following an extremely difficult year of injury and rehab in 2010. Welcome back, GG! As a friend, I am delighted to have you healthy and back on the circuit. As a competitor, however, the prospect of you toeing the line makes me tremble like an over-caffeinated chihuahua in a hailstorm. Watch out in Sydney- my training partners will be ready to tear it up! As for me, I’m just grateful to be healthy, racing months sooner than I expected and looking forward to be ready with pistols blazin’ this summer!