Stockholm's Successful Struggles

Well since I last wrote yet another race has come and gone,

And before I know it Edmonton will be here where I’ll be hoping to show my brawn.

I arrived in Stockholm after the fourth and final flight,

Arriving pretty late on Wednesday night.

I’d never been to this city before and it was a lovely place to be,

Even getting lost on the bike pre-race didn’t bother me.

I had a few concerns leading up to the race,

Mainly not knowing how to deal with cobblestones if rain was taking place.

 

At the same time I felt more confident than I had in WTS’ past,

Which I think came from learning from the ones that I’d done last.

Warming up for the race things got a bit rushed,

Typically I do a swim warm up, but this time the water was not touched.

I ran out of time and my run prime took precedence,

But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me a little hesitant.

 

However, when the swim began all turned out fine,

The chop made it challenging to keep a straight line.

With my ROKA wetsuit I hooked on the front pack when they came by,

Groff, Hall and I coming out behind Routier for the 2^nd out of water tie.

The transition was on a hill,

And I came out thinking it was something I wanted to kill.

But that mean little bugger showed me it’s stuff,

And after doing it 8 more times at the end of the race I’d had enough.

 

Going onto the bike there was no rain,

But I can certainly assure you there was a lot of pain.

My first three laps were ok, but I consistently found myself at the back,

And then after that I found myself 10 meters off the pack.

 

Luckily I stayed and didn’t lose too much ground,

But this was not an effective way to conserve energy that much I found.

As soon as I caught up to the group I’d pop right back off,

And the strength at which the front pack was working was nothing to scoff.

 

Getting off the bike and transitioning up the hill was a meer crawl,

It definitely felt like I was about to hit my wall.

And in a way I kind of did, my run really wasn’t very great,

But because the front pack worked so well my placing is something I certainly can't hate.

Sarah Groff and Lindsey Jerdonek celebrating awesome finishes!

I finished up 7^th with my best WTS finish yet!

And was I happy? Yes you bet!

I don’t find this to be my best race by far,

But I held strong and still managed to raise the bar.

I’m excited because it means I have so much more,

Coeur’s heart and courage came in handy during this race for sure.

Not to mention fellow American Sarah Groff won,

And my dear friend Lindsey Jerdonek was 5^th when she was done!

That means we had three Americans in the top 7,

And don't forget USA's Ben Kanute he was 11!

So what a great weekend and experience this has been!

Though there are definitely improvements that need to be made; I’m calling it a win.

So now I’m in transit,

To complete the Canada sandwich,

And as long as the Icelandic volcano doesn’t blow,

I’ll be in Edmonton tonight to begin the Grand Final show!

Most pictures brought to you by Victor Carapelho, our wonderful masseuse and apparently photographer :)