Refocus and reset!

It was an honor competing at my second U23 World Championships last month in Edmonton 

RTC girls pre-comping 

Rocking our speedy Nineteen Rogue wetsuits

The race did not go how I had prepared and my performance was sub-par. It was a long fight all the way to the finish line. I had a frustrating experience but none the less a good learning lesson and finished a respectable 16th place. 

Getting ready for race start

Carving those corners on my Devinci racing machine

Out onto the run

This photo captures exactly how I felt at the finish

 My racing for the weekend was not yet done! I had to refocus and set my emotions aside to race the debut U23/Junoir World Mixed Relay Event. We were in contention for a medal and I was going to have to put in a strong leg along with my team mates.

Trying to run like the wind and maintain our second place position 

Tagging off to Tyler our team anchor

Our team ended up battling for a podium spot and won Bronze. It was an exciting and invigorating event! I was unbelievably proud to stand on the podium with my team mates and represent the Canadian flag. A great way to end the weekend! 

The team with Simon Whitfield

Huge shout out to my sponsors the their support on my journey! Thank you for your help Devinci with Bits n Bikes, CEP, Nineteen HoneyMaxx, Altra and Titika. Also a mention to the Crimps and some of the crazy adventures we have embarked on, you guys have made me one tough cookie. 

Fun Filled Summer Racing

July has been a very busy and fun filled month. So many different feelings and results.

At the beginning of the month, I toed up to the line at the Toronto Pan American Cup. This was also a test event for the Pan American games for 2015. A smaller but strong field and I wanted to get myself in the mix. It was relaxing to have a race so close to my training environment, family and friends. I was lucky to stay with my Mum and neighbors the night before the race. Everything in this race went to plan. I was ecstatic to capture my first Pan American Cup win.

I think I win the award for the most cheesiest post race interview:

Incredible experience holding that banner of my head! 

Racing at Ontario Place 

Winning all the hard ware with team mates Alexander and Jason 

Awesome race for Johanna Gartman

A week later I was back at it. This time in Magog, QB for another Pan American Cup doubling as our National Championships. Unfortunately I had a crash in the first couple kilometers of the bike. I was still able to finish the race and ended up 8th. Not what I was hoping for but it's part of the sport and a good learning lesson. 

The three RTC amiga's racing together! 

I received good news after a disappointing race in Magog that re-fired my motivation. I have officially been selected to compete at the U23 Elite World Championships at the end of August in Edmonton... YAHOOOOOO!

I had one last race this past weekend in Ottawa before my preparation for Worlds. It is our Provincial Championships which I raced for the 5th year and I was happy to take home the win. 

Leading out of the water

Elite women's top three

Huge shout out to my sponsors:
- Nineteen wetsuits, keeping me speedy in swims
- CEP, recovering me for my training and racing
- HoneyMaxx- fueling my bottles with all natural ingredients
- Titika- looking trendy with my active wear 
- Altra- the comfiest footwear, especially the One Squared

One last training block into Worlds! 

Happy Days 

Dominika

Humid, Hilly, Huatulco

Last weekend was my seasonal World Cup debut. I raced Huatulco WC last year and the conditions of the course absolutely crushed me.  I have an appreciation for the difficulty on this course. I came back this year with a little more experience and much better preparation. I knew what to expect in terms of the course itself and the hot weather. For me this race was a process to race smart and stick to my plan that my Coach Craig Taylor had set out for me. The goal was stay cool as long as possible, position myself well, and stay hydrated/fueled. I made a few minor errors during the race but I did my best to commit to that plan from start to finish, and execute a smart race. This resulted in a solid and respectable 11th place finish. I am happy with the consistency I'm developing as a U23 triathlete. I still have a lot of work ahead of me but I am slowly climbing that ITU points ladder. I'm learning every race and excited for the Pan American Cup coming up on July 12th in Toronto.

A huge thanks to all my amazing sponsors. CEP for pre and post race recovery! HoneyMaxx for fueling my bottles! Altra, Nineteen Wetsuits and Titika! 

Happy Days
Dominika

Photos of the race:

Consistency is Confidence

Hi Everyone,

I'm checking in and saying hello :)

2014 was not the start I wanted to the year, but every athlete goes through ups and downs, it's part of the process. I broke my elbow at the end of August in Europe while riding in the Slovakian mountains. My wheel got caught while I was crossing train tracks. I landed on my elbow and fractured my radial head of my radial bone. Initially it was misdiagnosed and I trained on my broken elbow for 6 weeks and proceeded to race on it. Not a good idea at all, I delayed the healing process of a relatively simple healing fracture. So for the months of November, December, January and early into February, I was not allowed to swim or bike as it put excessive pressure on my elbow. Although it was a very frustrating period time in my life, my coach Craig Taylor help me put things into perspective and focus on some positive outputs of this healing process. We worked together on building a running base and focused on lots of technical work with my healthy arm in the water.

In January our Squad headed to Clermont, FL for a swim focused swim camp! HAH! Which I couldn't fully participate in because I was swimming with one arm. I kicked a heck of lot in the water at this camp. Kick set upon kick set. My legs definitely got a good thrashing. None the less, the camp was a really good bonding time with my team mates and coach. Exposure to some sun helped after the crazy cold weather we had in Canada.

Finally in February the Doctor gave me the thumbs up to ease back into full training. I still remember my first week in the water and how weird it felt to swim and how SLOW I was. Honestly, I didn't even care... I was happy to be healthy and training fully again. With one week of swimming under my belt I competed in an indoor triathlon in Hamilton hosted by C3 triathlon club. It was good to get back into the competitive spirit and I ended up coming 3rd overall. 

Running at the indoor tri

After, our squad headed to Augora Hills (near Malibu), California for a bike focused camp over reading week. During these 12 days I rode some of the most challenging climbs of my life and I had my team mates helping me push me up these climbs. It was at this camp where I started to find my groove and get back into a consistent training regime. All that technical work in the winter was starting pay off.

Climbing the absolute longest climb of doom....Deer Creek Rd! 

Upon return from California, I had a great training block leading into two 5k road races. I may have gone into the races a bit cooked and over trained. I was far from my goal times at these races but I wasn't too worried as I had put in some of the best training sessions of my life. I also started to appreciate the process that goes into training. Focusing on even splitting and technically sound training sessions rather than fast times.

Soon enough, I was heading to Barbados after the completion of my exams (One more semester to go before I graduate from Uni wohooo!) for the first race of my season. It was a small continental cup and a great race to dust off my cob webs. The race was solid for me, but, not what my training was indicative of. I think I went into the race a bit too hungry and I wanted to race so badly that I tightened up. Lesson of the race...relax and have fun! I came a respectable 4th. 

My awesome room mates in Barbados, shout out to Alexander Hinton who won the race!

After the race it was back to Guelph and straight into one of the biggest and most consistent training blocks of my life. I was swimming technically sound. My wattage on the bike was getting stronger and my running was coming along nicely. I was feeling consistent and happy. These great training blocks were fueling my confidence. After finishing off this wicked training block our squad headed to Dallas, TX to compete at the Pan American Championships. 

The lead bike pack in Dallas

This race showed glimpses of what I am capable of. It was the first time I was in control of my whole race. I had a simple plan and I executed it from start to finish. I was proud of myself. I ended up accomplishing my goal of a top 10 with a 9th place finish. I still have a lot of work ahead of me but it was a step in the right direction. 

Many thanks to my sponsors CEP Canada, Altra, Nineteen, and HoneyMaxx

Now I have short turnover to rest and get prepared for Huatulco, MX for my seasonal World Cup debut. 

Happy days!

Dominika

Fun new partnerships!

I am excited to announce my partnership this season with CEP Compression and Altra Footwear. Thanks for the support! Looking to forward to elevating my racing and recovery thanks to CEP and Altra.

HoneyMaxx

I am excited to announce my new partnership with HoneyMaxx this season. HoneyMaxx is a an all natural, honey based sports drink. 

I was very fortunate to try this product last summer and I instantly grew to like it. Unlike typical sports drinks that sit heavy in my stomach, HoneyMaxx was light and fueled me in my training and racing. 

Honey is natural source of energy and an ideal ingredient for athletes. The all natural ingredients in HoneyMaxx help me race and train to my potential. I thoroughly enjoy using HoneyMaxx products. 

For more information on this great new product here is link to the HoneyMaxx website.