This will be one of my last blog posts before my new webpage will be uploaded. We are finally close to the launch so my next post will be from there.
I am very happy with my race in St Croix, the whole trip was a great experience. I chose to have a home stay and that turned out to be such a great experience- we met lots of super nice people and I know for sure that I will return to the island at some point.
The build up to the race was pretty good, my swim and bike sessions went really well, so I knew I would be up there with the best guys. The last three running sessions before the race were the first in a long time without having any pain in my foot- how cool is that, after having trouble since early January? The only open question for the race was which pace I would be able to hold in the run- it turned out to be quite good considering the circumstances.
It was clear that I am was a 100% ready for the run but it didn’t bother me- my big goal is being ready in Hawaii and all the rest is on top of that. Training wise we aimed more towards Disney than St Croix, so I am even more satisfied with the outcome of my second important
race this year.
Let’s wait and see what we can expect in Orlando just 10 days from now.
I was leading the race from the gun- I love the beach start and I took the lead very early and never gave it back during the 1.3 mile swim. My point zero suit from Blue Seventy felt awesome (the first time I have ever worn a swimsuit for a race) and I took the swim prime- but I have to say that I was a bit upset that some athlete try to sprint me down on the last 20m while just sitting behind me letting me do all the work- you just don’t do that!
Anyways, I had a good T1 and lead out on the bike. We formed a group of 6 guys and took turns along the way. Before the race, everyone was talking about the “Beast” (a 1km climb with up to 21% elevation) but I found out that the ”Beast” has a lot of brothers and sisters on the island that made the bike course pretty hard and hillier than expected. Apart from the hills, the wind and the heat added some more spices for the athletes. I was very gald that had the chance to check out the bike course prior to the race...
Rhodsey did a good job on the bike and we came into T2 together. I ended up having the best bike split of the day again- thanks to the Liger!
After a quick T2, I ran out in front and led the race for quite a while, but I felt my legs were just not too well prepared for the long and tough run around the hilly golf course. I did my best but faded a bit towards the end of the first loop- so I had to let Tim O’Donnel , the Brasilian and Richy pass me.
Still finishing strong with an acceptable running time, I ended up in fourth place overall.
I really hope my plantar fascia problems are history now and I am finally able to put some running milage into my training.
My goal is to have a really good race in Disney 5/17 and then take some time off to recover again. I want to make sure that I don’t over-race and have enough energy left to put in the necessary work before Hawaii. Since I qualified for Clearwater World Championships 70.3, I will add this big event to my race calendar for 2009 as well- so it will be another long season. Either you love it or you hate it- and I LOVE IT!
With just two races, I fulfilled all my criteria for the FLTRI (Lux Tri federation) to qualify for ITU Championships, which I will race for Luxembourg in order to maintain my A level status.
So all seems to be going very well for me since the Olympics last year. I will enjoy the last month here in lovely Florida before Alicia and I will return to Luxembourg for a short while.
It’s a lot of traveling but that what I love to do, but of course I also miss being back home in Luxembourg with my friends. See you soon!
Check out my race pictures on flickr and let's get ready for another good race in a few days.
All the best out to you and watch for the launch of my new webpage! It’s gonna be awesome and just jammed packed with useful information!
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