Training Update/Adventures with my Cervelos

I thought that I haven't posted anything in awhile and it was time for an update! I would say that the right side of my body is rocking every single swim, bike and run workout! However...my left side needs to step up its game a bit - I guess it would help if it didn't keep getting injured. You may be confused by this, but it appears that one side of my body seems to adapt better to training than the other...while the right side continues to get stronger and stronger the left side just gets injured and then injured again! I've had every muscle group on the left side injured...the toes (stress fracture), the hip, the adductor, the calf, the outer knee, the inner knee, below the knee, the hamstrings and now the glute! What the hell!?! Although I have a great Chiro and RMT I need to find the root cause of this problem if I am going to fix it. I shouldn't complain too much, because I have still been able to complete all my training sessions and I am improving. However, I want to approach my workouts with the attitude of "Go hard or go home" type of thing and not the current "OK...now I have to make sure I don't go to hard, because I might get more injured and not be able to do the next workout at all". Anyway, since my last post I have received my brand new bikes from my new sponsors, Cervelo Cycles and Enduro Sport (who built and set me up on my bikes). Now I am the proud owner of an S5 road bike - who I have named Tez and a P3 tri bike, who is named Veloce - both names mean "fast" in Hindi and Italian, respectively. The names are suitable as I have ridden both and they are truly the fastest bikes I have ever been on. Not only that - but you would think that they have invisible shock absorption on them as I barely feel any crack or hole in the pavement. The Shimano Di2 ultegra groupset that is on the S5 is extremely smooth and reliable (just make sure you remember to charge the battery!). I climbed over 2000m on it during my cycling trip in Collingwood and I have never enjoyed cycling more!

The P3 Tri bike was put to the test on my 10K TT with the Newmarket Eagles on May 8th. I had only ridden it outside once before and I was actually a bit scared that it was too fast for me! It was easy to get comfortable on though and after only 20K I was completely at ease and ready to race it. Since it was my first TT with this group I was 3rd in the line-up to start. They rank you slowest to fastest and each person leaves 30s apart. I was pretty nervous before the start, but I was there with my fellow WattsUp-ers (James and Coach Adam)and they helped encourage me. When it was time to go I pushed off, probably looked a bit like a rookie as I fumbled to get my shoe clipped in to its pedal. As soon as I was clipped in I was off...and wow was I ever!!! I can't believe I shot through the air as fast as I did. I knew that it was a hilly course and there was a bit of wind that day, but I barely felt any of that. Not only was I aero (thanks to Chris from Enduro Sport - www.endurosport.com - and Scott from Fitt1st - www.fitt1st.com), but the watts I was pushing felt easier than normal (maybe that was because my legs were fresh after a lying in the hammock in Mexico - but certainly all the Margharitas would have countered that!). I think it has something to do with the stiffness of the frame and the fact that it was such a great anchor from which my legs could push from. I finished the 10K in a time of 16:30, which placed me second female, only 11s behind a fellow Pro triathlete (and super-nice!) Paolina Allan. Special congrats to Adam and James who also rocked the TT and cheered me on as we passed each other on the out-and-back course. We did WattsUp proud with our matching kits!

My next adventure with my Cervelos was last weekend in Collingwood. It was mainly a cycling trip with some running adding in as well. The total distance was about 400km on the bikes (total elevation gain of over 2500m) and 23km of running in 2 and a half days. I drove up to Collingwood on Friday morning and checked-in to my motel room at the Relax Inn - it may not have looked like much, but the staff and service there were awesome and the room had everything I could need - microwave, fridge/freezer, a bathtub and an outlet for my magic bullet (aka smoothie maker). My first ride was a 100km base ride on the S5 - what an adventure! The route I chose was part of the C50 (50 mile centurion course) and it was beautiful... the roads were in pristine condition, the drivers were accommodating of cyclists and the hills were never ending, which was perfect! However, at one point during the ride I heard nails clicking on the pavement behind me...so I looked behind me and saw a dog running at me baring its teeth (at 30+ km/hr I should add)! If I had been on an other road bike I may not have got away. If you look at my garmin data the clearly obvious peak heart rate marks the moment where it was me versus dog. The highlight of my trip involved an epic 108km ride with Janet and Pete. Thanks to them I now have a way better understanding of proper group riding etiquette, what it means to climb in zone 2 and how to descend without gripping the brakes! I should also point out how strong a rider Janet is...she is part of a 4 person all female team set to compete in the Race Across the West in June. Her, along with her team including fellow WattsUp athletes: Paula, Heather and Karyn, will complete the grueling 860 mile road race from Oceanside, CA to Durango, CO. They have all been putting in crazy hours on the bike and I can't wait to see them smash the field at RAW! These ladies are a perfect example of how WattsUp has helped recreational riders find their competitive side and make them as fit as can be. Some other highlights included the visit from Rikki on Saturday, my new super comfy sugio bike shorts and zoot tri shorts from Enduro Sport, the butternut squash with goat cheese ravioli, Janet's apple cinnamon protein muffins, the Chocolate Explosion cake that I couldn't even finish, the waitress asking me if all the food I ordered was just for me, getting to the top of Scenic Caves road without dying, napping and the bubble baths! The end of the trip was marked by a 40km interval based ride followed by a 45' run. I was tired, but rocked the workout and completed the run injury free! All in all, what a success!

So now I am just 2 weeks away from my debut race as a Professional and I am scared to hell...mostly that I will get injured again and not be able to train properly or even do the race! Thank-you so much to my sponsors for their support and for getting me this far! I will be in touch.