Elements of Erin 337

June 3 update **Thanks to everyone who enquired about my bike.  It is now sold and going to a great new home** _________________ To make room in my garage for a my new road bike, it is time to let my Orbea Onix move to a new home. This is a fantastic bike for the new or experienced cyclist looking for a full carbon road bike at good price. Details: $1700 2010 Orbea Onix Road Bike Size 51 (I am 5'6") SRAM Force group set (shifters, brakes, crank, derailleur) Shimano wheels with Continental 4 Season Tires Brand new Fizik saddle  Brand new bar tape SL-K Seat zero offset seat post Arundel Sport bottle cages Shimano 105 pedals (included if you want them) Interested?  e-mail me at erin337@telus.net

We started our trip to Osoyoos, BC late on Friday evening.  Leaving Vancouver after 6pm on the Friday of a long weekend is not a recipe for success.  The traffic was terrible, it quickly started to rain then got dark.  After a knuckle biting drive we arrived in Osoyoos at midnight, unpacked in less than half an hour and went to bed.   The SAA  group had agreed to meet at 8:30am on Saturday for a ride into Oliver BC and back then up Richter Pass.  Many of the members are doing Challenge Penticton or The Desert Half Ironman and wanted to practice.  The morning stated out overcast and quickly turned into a torrential downpour as we grouped to start the ride.  Of course, we went out anyway.   View from Hwy 97 at the #6 Road Turn Ellen thrilled she drove from Merritt BC at 4am for this Kevin, still in good spirits but very cold a the school in Oliver BC Me, wet and kinda' smiling? Tammi, Leslie, Ellen and me w...

Osoyoos here we come!   After having raced three times this year, I am off for my first training weekend of the season.  Usually, I would be going up to Penticton and Osoyoos feeling less fit and knowing the riding will be challenging.  The riding will still be challenging this year but I feel really read to conquer Richter Pass and The Rollers of the Challenge Penticton course tomorrow.   Plans are to swim, bike and run include Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos and Cawston.  The weather is still on the cool side up there which should make for pleasant running and cycling but may be some chilly swimming. Looking forward to being out on the road with my family and tri club family. Happy Training!

And we were off... I confidently had positioned myself at the front of the swimmers in my wave (red caps women 40-44 AG).  Not near the front, AT the front of the group.  Unlike a lot of triathletes, the swim is the only part of the day were I can confidently head out knowing my ability.  I spend most of the bike and run being passed but at least I have the swim. The water was calm and cold.  Because I had been in the water twice, I knew what to expect.  I felt that it was cold but didn't effect me of during the race.  The flat water made fro easy sighting.  I took a line passing closely on the left side of each buoy.  There was no one to draft for most of the race and I quickly started passing athletes from the waves in front of me.  At no time was the swim crowded and I felt in control.  When I mad the last turn heading for the beach, the swim seemed long to me.  I was not tired but it felt like I had been out there a ...

Holy $%^$# that was a tough one...but so amazing. After my first trip to Sand Hollow and driving the bike course on Thursday, I was left feeling like St. George may well be my 1st DNF. I was very conscious of focusing on positive self talk but my nerves were getting the best of me. There were a number of logistics with this race that also had me needing to think and be focused. The swim start is out of town which requires either a shuttle ride or someone to drive you out to Sand Hollow race morning. The shuttles left between 4:30am - 5:30am and transition closed at 6:30am for the 6:55am race start. My swim wave started at 7:45am which meant getting there very early, regardless of shuttle or drive. In the end, Tim drove me out there for 5:00am and had to leave right away or he would be stuck out there until all the swimmers were out of the water and on their bikes. The other logistic concern is that T1 and T2 are in different places. This means packing a T1 bag and a a T2 ...

Just a quick update before we head out for my pre race dinner. Today we travelled from Las Vegas to St. George but this time we are here for 2 nights. In either karma or just good luck, we are in room 337 at the hotel. Check list all done: 1. pre race meeting 2. pre race swim/bike/run 3. bike and T1 transition bag, in transition 4. T2 bag in T2 transition It is warmer today and the wind was low. Hope it holds for tomorrow. Fuel and feet up now.

Today we ventured to St. George from Las Vegas. And back to Vegas for the night. In hindsight, I should have booked a room in St. George for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. After a breakfast at Starbucks, we headed to St. George. It is about 100 miles from Vegas and we arrived just after noon but you lose an hour going from Nevada to Utah. First stop was the expo for package pick up. It was surprisingly quiet and I moved through the process quickly. Just like a tourist attraction, you exit the sign in tent through the gift shop. I picked up a few things but was pretty reserved in my selection. I had quite a few positive comments on my Powered by Chocolate Milk jacket. Just outside the official expo area were a few more booths with items for sale. The ART and massage tables were available so I was able to have my shoulder massaged out without waiting. It helped a lot, the shoulder feels great. Then on to a light lunch of a salad and 1/2 a lamb burger at George...

And we are off! After my last minute packing and a 2000m swim with The SAA this morning, we packed up the vehicle and headed for Bellingham International Airport (BLI). Nothing of note to report when crossing the border. Nexus still rocks. Alaska Airlines is my airline of choice and they have not disappointed me when travelling with my bike. They have a very reasonable fee of $50 for bikes and I have even been lucky enough to only pay $20 more than once. On the flight to Las Vegas (LAS) I read over the race package schedule of events and race details. The initial plan was to drive to St. George, UT on Friday. I wanted to swim in Sandy Hollow Reservoir, drive the bike course, ride my bike before checking it in, pick up my race package, and attend the pre race meeting. Factoring in the 2 hour drive from Las Vegas to St.George and a 1 hour time difference (lose an hour), I started to realize that this might not all be possible in one day. The new plan is to drive to St. Geo...