When I first decided to race triathlons professionally back in 2001, I decided that I wanted to try to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Trials. At the time, I knew that qualifying would be a challenge even if everything went perfectly for me. However, I had no idea how challenging it would turn out to be, as I ended up missing all of the 2002 season with an injury. When I finally was able to start racing again in the early part of 2003, I was not sure if it would even be possible for me to make up for the time I had missed and earn enough points to be ranked in the top 125 in the world (which is what I needed to do to be able to compete in our Olympic Trials race). I just decided to give it my best shot. Fortunately, I raced well enough in 2003 and the early part of 2004 to achieve my goal.

I went into our first Olympic Trials race in Honolulu on April 18 (results) just excited to be there. I truly felt like I had already won just by making it to the starting line. Even though my training had been going well the past month, I really did not have any expectations. I just tried to soak up the experience of competing in an Olympic Trials race with the best Americans as well as some of the best international triathletes.

We started the race at 12:30pm with a pontoon (dive in) start. We actually started the race two times as the first time someone false started and we were called back to the pontoon. I had no problem with this except that my first start (the one that did not count) was way better than the second one. For some reason, I landed awkwardly on the second go around and ended up knocking my goggles to the side of my face. I had to take a moment to fix them before trying to get in with a good swim pack. Needless to say, I missed the pack that I wanted to be in and ended up fighting to stay up with a group that eventually became the third swim group. To be honest, I felt pretty bad on the swim. We had a two loop swim and I just had a difficult time getting into a good rhythm. I kept expecting to feel better as the swim progressed, but instead I felt worse. Even my breathing felt labored.

I was extremely relieved to finish the swim and head out on the bike. However, I was also a bit concerned because I was not feeling very good and the thought actually occurred to me that I might have a hard time finishing the race. I decided to just think positive and stay in the race. After all, I did not want to drop out of the Olympic Trials! I also knew from previous races that anything can happen and since it was still so early in the race, I had nothing to lose by trying. I quickly got into a bike group with five other girls. We then caught up to two more girls who joined our pack. I pretty much rode with that group of girls the entire race.

The bike course was a challenging course. It consisted of five loops with one long gradual hill and then one major hill. The really tough hill was between 300 and 400 meters long and by the top it got up to a 21% grade. I was pleased because I felt really strong every time I got to the steep hill. I think the hills that I had done in practice leading up to the race really prepared me for the hill in Hawaii. I did struggle some with the wind. We had to deal with 20-30mph wind gusts during the race!

Fortunately, I continued to feel better and better on each loop of the bike course. By the time, I came in for the run transition, I was feeling really strong. I transitioned to the run with my bike group and was pleased to feel good right from the beginning of the run. As I started the three loop run course, it did not take me long to realize that I had a chance to make the World Championship team. As the leaders were coming back on the other side of the street, I could see that there was one more spot left. However, I needed to finish ahead of the other Americans in my group as well as any other Americans in the groups behind me.

Earning the last World team spot turned into a real challenge as a really good American triathlete named Jessi Stensland and I ran side by side for 5 1/2 miles of the 6.2 mile run. With two miles left in the run, I tried to put in some surges in hopes that I could pull away, but Jessi stayed right there. I could tell she was running extremely well. I was starting to get tired, but I tried to think about how good I had felt in my running workouts leading up to the race. I continued to push and was finally able to pull away in the final half mile of the race. Since Jessi pushed me all the way to the end, I ended up having one of my best runs ever in a triathlon. It also reminded me of how much fun racing can be! Jessi helped push me to a level that I had yet to reach in triathlon and I am extremely grateful to her for that.

Overall, my Olympic Trials race in Hawaii, was an extremely positive experience for me. The race served as an important reminder to never give up because anything can happen in a race. If I had stopped when I was feeling so bad at the end of the swim, I would never have known that I would later feel much better and eventually end up qualifying for the World Championship team. It was so exciting for me to finish as the 5th American and 8th overall!

I am now really looking forward to representing the United States at the World Triathlon Championships in Madeira, Portugal on May 9.