Happy Holidays !

Christmas Time

I am sitting here in my room, trying to do anything but study for my exams. I wish it could all be over very soon. I have been counting down the exams. 1 down and 4 to go!

The past few weeks have been great with training and school and I feel as though everything is falling into place.

I finished November, being chosen as an alternate for Guelph's CIS team, which was a pleasant surprise. My weekend in Sherbrooke was awesome. I learned a lot about Cross Country and how important it is to have a supportive team. It was a great experience being a part of the team and the victory of both our women's and men team. Watching everyone race has lit a little fire in me and I can't wait to come back in future years to race for the Gryphon's. Dave is great coach who had built a team with so much passion, drive, and hard work, it definitely has rubbed off onto me. I am really glad I became part of the running family of Guelph. Some of the friendships I have made will last a life time.

Here are some pictures of the race and banquet:

I also took a block of down time and came back to training feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. I am in my third solid week of training with the squad and I love it. I have had more time trials in the past couple weeks than in year. Finally, I used a power meter for the first time in my life. That little computer comes in handy and really allows me to train as a smart athlete. Minus my five minute time trail, where I went out so hard I almost died. You never know until you try! Lesson learned! Speaking of lessons ahah never run by yourself in trails you barely know.... otherwise a 30 min run can easily turn into an hour. I am learning new things everyday, Craig's training program is exciting and everyday for me has been an adventure. I look forward to each day with challenges and fun times.

Christmas is around the corner I only have 10 more days here in Guelph and then I am off to Europe with the fam jam for a couple of weeks. It's going to be a extravagant holiday.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas filled with laughter, love, and lots of eating ! See you in the new year!

Fun Stuff!

I realized I haven't posted anything in a while and thought it would be a great opportunity to write a small update.

I have been at school for almost two months now and I have settled in nicely and adapted to the new routine nicely.

Running for the Gryphons has been an honor and I have gotten to travel to some really cool places. At the beginning of October we travelled to Pennsylvania for the Paul Short cross country meet and that was an awesome trip. It took a while to get across the border for me with my Australian passport, who knew I had to pay a whole six dollars to get a green card! The course was very muddy and parts of it were practically underwater. It had rained a lot before the race and there were times I thought the mud would take me on a slippery ride.
Another cool trip recently was to Eugene, Oregon for the Bill Dellinger cross country Invitational. This was my favourite trip and it was an amazing experience. I got see the University of Oregon and all it's sports facilities. I got to run a 6km race on Pre's Trails and I met a lot of nice down to earth people.
This past weekend was Brock Invitational and a short 3km race. I haven't raced that distance since grade 9. As soon as that gun went off it was a sprint from start to finish! The race was over before it even began. I really enjoyed this one, I was able to used my speed without dying!

The cross season is slowly wrapping up with OUAs and CIS approaching in the next couple weeks. It will be fun to be part of the team and cheer all Gryphs to hopefully win some more titles

I am looking forward to getting back into triathlon training and building some technique and experience for the new season.

Western Invitational!

Some Pictures of the race on the weekend :)

University Life and Interesting Life Lessons

With the summer over and fall quickly approaching, I thought it would be a good time to update my blog.
This past month has been a busy one! Moving to my new home Guelph and becoming a student at the University of Guelph. The weeks just seem to be flying. I must say though, that I am really enjoying it here and have settled in nicely.
I am currently swimming a couple times a week with the RTC and it has been awesome, I will start my full program with them in a couple months. I am aslo proud to say that I am officially a Guelph Gryphon Cross Country Runner and I had my debut race today at Western Invitational. And what an experience that was. It will definitely be a day that I never forget.
A lot of lessons learned from today's race:
Lesson 1: High school cross country races and University Cross country races are two completely different things!
Lesson 2: Even if you feel good! Don't be an idiot and run in second place for the first 2km of the race. Keep it a bit conservative!
Lesson 3: If you feel people are starting out the race slow! Its for a reason.... they all speed up as the race progresses!
Lesson 4: Have balls! but play it smart.

Basically today I started out way to fast and died! I ended up coming in 19th place which is still decent, but, golly jeepers these ladies can run fast! I definitely was put into my place. The one thing I can commend myself for, was being fearless! I Definitely made some rookie mistakes, but, since high school I have always just hopped onto the line and ran hard from start to finish. I can see that in University this is not the case, there are a lot of tactics and strategies used. I kind of felt little embarrassed today, however, it showed me I have a lot to learn in the world of sports! Oh well lesson learned and definitely won't make it again!

I am looking forward to trial number 2 at Lehigh Invitational in Pennsylvania next weekend, with some new race strategies in my back pocket :)

Finish with a Bang!

This past weekend was my National Championships and final race of Junior series. The race was held in Kelowna, BC and it was the most beautiful and organized venue I have raced at. The couple weeks leading up to the race were on and off, but I am glad I was able to pull it together for the race. Conditions on race day were perfect. The sun was shining and absolutely no wind. Finally my swimming was a consistent one, and I came out of the water where I wanted to be. Kudos to Hilary Willie who absolutely crushed the swim and bike. Once she overcomes her injury she is going to be a force to be reckoned with! I had a little pack on the bike with two girls (Ellen Pennock and Amelie Kretz) and we rode really well for two laps, until we were caught by another little pack of three! I made sure I was in front coming into T2 and I ran for my life. I had an awesome race and finished 2nd! My best ever placing at a Junior race. It was a great race for me and a huge confident booster! Once again I couldn't wipe that smile off my face and I was so happy to finish my season with bang!

Unfortunately my triathlon season has come to an end. This summer has really flown by and I am looking forward to some downtime and just relaxing! I am still in Kelowna taking a couple days to explore with my family. Today we hiked Knox Hill, which was an awesome experience! Hopefully this won't be my last visit to Kelowna!

Here are some pics of the day:

Fun Weekend!

This past weekend was a great one with back-to-back races! On Saturday it was our Provincial Championships in Ottawa. We had beautiful weather with some great racing. I finished 2nd overall and 2nd Junior. I really enjoyed racing the course in Ottawa it was well organized. I am glad that I am finally able to put it all together and have fun racing against talented girls. Congrats to my teammates Joanna Brown, Jade Gregory, Matt Vierula, and Tristan Woodfine getting great results. Also congratulations to Angela and Dorelle who I will soon join at the RTC in Guelph.

Here are some photos of the day:

On Sunday I was in Kingston racing the "K-Town World Championships" as Alexander would say! It was a relaxing day and a really fun race. I have to mention that it had the best post-race food! Everything from Lasagna, cous-cous, roasted potato wedges, to mini desert squares! Another really organized race that I enjoyed.

Next up is Kelowna in three weeks. I am looking forward to getting in some good training here in Ottawa, and I will be on my way to the final race of the season.

Smiles all the way!

Back home from Magog and I still can't wipe the smile off my face. I am so happy that finally I was able to put it together. After a couple of solid but not great races, this one was a surprise. My first podium finish at a Jr. Series race and I couldn't be happier. It was a great confidence booster and I am excited to race Nationals in Kelowna.
I also have to mention Paula Findlay and her heroic finish in London. I watched her race live on the computer and I was biting my nails the whole run. She is an inspiration and I hope one day to accomplish the things she has. She is going to represent Canada very well in the sport. I can't wait to see her race again!

Tough Day at the Office

I am home from Saskatoon and what a tough race day it was. My swimming lately has been an inconsistent part of my races. Sometimes I am right where I want to be and other times I am way back. This second Jr. Race at Sask. was one of the way back there swims. I got out of the water about a 15 seconds back from second pack and I wasn't able to catch them on the bike. Unfortunately I soloed practically the whole race and both lead pack and chase pack gained time on me. I still managed to average 35km/h on my own. If this was a non-drafting race then this result would be solid. Oh well! This race was a great experience and it definitely showed me what areas I need to work on. I am back at it, training with my team and learning those much needed skills. Like sprinting on a bike! I have a solid week of training and then off to Quebec for the next race!

Hello 2010 Season

It has been a while since I posted my last blog, but with high school done and out of the way I am sure I will find more time to post.
I will provide you with a recap from the beginning of this season.
-In April I was fortunate enough to be selected to race in Monterrey, Mexico for the Youth Olympic Games Qualifier. This was probably the best race of my Junior career and I finished 5th. I missed out on qualifying to the YOG, however, all in all it was a great experience and my first international experience. Congratulations to Christine Ridenour for getting the spot and good luck in Singapore.
-In May I was back in Mexico but this time in Ixtapa for PATCO. After flying in the night before the race and almost drowning in 3 meter waves, the race was changed to a duathlon. I had a solid race and finished 17th.
-Finally! The most recent race was in Coteau-Du-Lac which was a Junior Series race. I placed 8th at this one and again it was not one of my best races, but I finished with alot of things to work on. Lots of room for improvement. Especially in the technical area of triathlon.
I have been in Ottawa for the past couple of days training with my team the Bytown Storm. I have had a blast training with everyone and it a lot easier to do workouts with my teammates.
The next Jr. Series race in Saskatchewan this weekend and I am looking forward to racing and gaining more experience.