The Whirlwind that is 2014

I cannot believe that my last post was back in January...where does the time go? I am very happy to report that 2014 has been going really well so far, and I don't have much to complain about. Life is good!

My last race was the ITU Bridgetown Pan American Cup in Barbados at the end of April, and all things considered, I had a good race. I had some serious trouble navigating the currents in the ocean swim, so I ended up time trialing myself back into the race solo, and rode myself into tied for 6th place at the dismount line off the bike. That probably hurt my legs a bit, and the heat definitely played a factor as well...I didn't really have that extra gear on the run. I lost a few spots in the run, but ended up finishing in 9th place which was a solid result. It was definitely a good place to build from.

Coming up to a month later, I am getting ready to race in Dallas on Saturday at the ITU PATCO Pan American Championships. This will be my first Olympic distance race of the season! It looks like a stellar field, with many Olympians in the mix, and amazing representation of the Pan American Countries. Dallas is remarkably hot at this time of year, so I'm hoping that my heat exposure in Barbados will help me this weekend;)

I also had the amazing opportunity to start working with the very talented photographer, Aric Guite, and did my 1st studio photo shoot with him this past Saturday. The whole experience was great, and the crew did an amazing job of making me feel comfortable and not overly self-conscious about anything. I can't wait to shoot outdoors and underwater with him again in the near future....here are a few proofs, that have yet to be touched up yet from the weekend...let me know what you think:)

There are many more exciting things and potential opportunities in the wood work, and I will report on them if they actually pan out and come into fruition...I will however, be sure to start writing race reports, so my first one of the season will be after this weekend's race...so, please stay tuned and always, thank you for reading:)