It is great to
be back on the race circuit after my
"extended off season" due to injury. I
kicked off the 2009 season with the Hawaii
70.3 on the big island. This is one of my
favourite races and i always love the
opportunity to race on the Hawaii Ironman
course. I had a great swim and bike, but
was still lacking a little run fitness to
seal the deal, finishing second behind
Aussie superstar Belinda Granger. After
the race, I stayed in Kona for a week-long
training camp and got in some great training
on the Ironman course with Belinda, Luke
McKenzie and Amanda Balding. The training
in Kona was hot and windy and hard - the
perfect reminder of just how epic October is
going to be!
The Boise
Ironman 70.3 was next, two weeks later,
where I ended up 3rd behind two rising long
course stars. While I never like to lose,
it is great to see the amount of talent that
is coming through the ranks of our
sport. As in Hawaii, I swam and biked with
the leaders in cold, rainy conditions, but
didn't quite have my usual finishing kick on
the run. But I did run almost 10 minutes
quicker than two weeks earlier so that's
a good sign things are getting back
quickly! I figure with 5 more weeks till
Ironman Lake Placid, I should be right on
track for a great race there.
I'll be heading
down to Atlanta for the Aflac Irongirl
triathlon on the 28th of June - the sprint
race will be televised on NBC and features a
world class field of pros including,
Michellie, Mirinda, Kate and Pip. Should be
a great race!
Once again a
HUGE thank you to all my sponsors and fans
who have been so patient and supportive
during my recovery. It is fantastic to be
back racing and I couldn't have done it with
out all the encouragement and support.
See you at the
races!
Sam
