Thursday, 09 September 2010
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First World Cup of 2010
Last weekend, I made the easy trip down to Monterrey, Mexico for my first world cup of the season.  It was the first time a world cup had been held here, and the course promised to make it interesting.  I was a little more nervous than usual as my health and nutrition had not been the best the two weeks prior thanks to something I picked up in Lima, but I had been feeling better the few days before the race. The swim was a single lap in a narrow, shallow, curvy canal for tour boats (like the Riverwalk in San Antonio).  The unusual format seemed to scramble the usual order in the swim, benefiting some and hurting others.  Unfortunately, I was in the latter group -- by 400 meters, I was already on the back end of the second pack.   As the swim continued, the second pack split, and the back end became the third pack.  By the we got out, we were already over a minute behind the leaders. 

The course was flat but technical, putting my Suplicy and my handling skills to the test.  Fortunately, our group of 12 was moving fairly well, and didn't lose too much time to the two groups ahead.  Once out on the run, I felt a little sluggish at the start (from sprinting out of all those corners!) but was able to settle into a nice rhythm with two other girls (one Mexican, one American) by 2.5Km.  Although we each surged a couple of times, no one could get away the others, and the three of us were still together 500m from the finish.  Once the sprint started, I was able to get to the line before the other two, finishing 23rd overall, and 3rd out of those in my bike pack. 

Although this wasn't the highest placing I've had at a world cup, this finish earned me more points than I've ever been able to get at a WC, plus it puts me on the World Championship Series Rankings for the first time.  Additionally, it shows that my run and bike are going in the right direction -- I just need get in the right pack off the swim and I'll be in position for a top-10 .  A great swim is exactly what I'm looking forward to this weekend at my next World Cup in Ishigaki, Japan.
 
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