This week I will be traveling back across the Pacific once again, but this time to Seoul, South Korea. Less than three weeks ago I raced the first World Championship Series Race of the year in Sydney, Australia and finished in 8th place. Sydney was an amazing city and I would have loved to stay an extra few days and vacation; however, this is not exactly in the training plan at the start of the season. I quickly returned to the U.S. and suffered for a few days from jet lag and travel.  But, once I felt recovered, I was anxious to get back into some quality training in preparation for Seoul.

On April 25th, I raced in the St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida. The goal of this race was to be able to incorporate a tough workout into my training block—and there is no better way to get in an intense quality workout than jumping into a race!  Florida felt much like Sydney, warm and humid. Needless to say, I didn’t have to pack any cold weather gear.

Speaking of packing…I will have to prepare much differently for Seoul. Cool and possibly wet conditions are likely for Korea and I will make sure to bring my arm warmers, rain jacket and tights. I will definitely need my TYR Hurricane Wetsuit, as I have a feeling the water is going to be cold. I think one of the unique characteristics of triathletes is our ability to adapt to adversity. I can’t imagine too many other sports force athletes travel several weeks apart to different continents and race in quite drastically different conditions. I love a challenge and look forward to getting out on the start line and putting forth 100 percent of my effort, both physically and mentally. 

Be sure to tune into triathlonlive.tv on May 8 to catch all the racing action from Seoul as it happens. The women’s event kicks off at 10am local time with the men to follow at 1pm.