2013 is in the books and dreams do come true!

2013 was nothing short of pretty spectacular, and although I have already set my eyes on what once used to be just my wildest dreams, later long terms, and now short term goals, I have to take a moment to reflect on the DREAM 2013! I'll try to keep it short, but you may want to grab a cup of coffee, glass of wine or a doughnut or two! ;) 

January:

I jumped both feet into "racing", and attempted to defend my 2012 NorthEast Multisport Indoor Time Trial in NH. 

 It started off all smiles

 And quickly turned into very painful “fun” J. I did defend my title and 2013 was off to a great start! 

February:

 Superbowl Sunday 5 miler - the day I only heard two words for the entire 5 miles "Push It" Good benchmark for what was to come

Not even “Nemo” storm that cancelled my 2^nd Indoor Time Trial of the year could stop the USPS from delivering  the message of the year!

"Welcome to the United States of America! It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to permanent resident status in the United States!"

Huge weight was lifted of my shoulders! The waiting game was over, and I could finally travel anywhere hassle free!

March:

I went to E3 training camp in Tuscon, AZ, and climbed Mt. Lemmon! 

 How can you NOT smile? Mt. Lemmon is the most awesome climb EVER, and I am wearing short sleeves in March (bonus) !

 I wasted no time, and was able to combine a work trip to Austria and Sweden with a quick stop in the Czech Republic! I also got to spend my birthday with my family for the first time in 13 years! There was cake too, but I think I ate it before I even thought about taking any pictures! Duh! 

I then closed out the month off with my first ever 5K (19:57) and started the podium streak. Yeah I know it took me this long to run a 5K! 

April:

The work travel continued and this time I got to visit and get a few runs in by the famous Niagara Falls 

 I fell in love with sushi, but my wallet didn't! Just call me "bottomless pit"! 

May: 

The travel has finally died down, training has picked up, and so did the size of my snacks! What can I say - I LOVE to eat and fuel my body! #feedthemachine

I finally showed myself that I can run, and broke my goal of running sub 1:30 1/2 marathon. I am not sure if it was me or Jorge who was more excited to see 1:27:39 on the clock! He trotted along side of me because why not just jog next to your athletes on a brisk May Sunday morning, right ?

I had also crashed the BTT training weekend at Waterville Valley and got in some great miles with lots of climbing!

June:

Let the race season begin!

 I kicked of my racing season in style with my personal best on the unforgiving Quassy 70.3 course, posting the fastest amateur female bike split,winning my Age Group and coming in 2nd overall. 

2 weeks later, I got to do it all over again, this time racing in the Elite division of a local 70.3, and winning my very first overall title! I had the fastest overall female bike split again, but more importantly I also set a new 1/2 marathon PR running of the bike, and brought home a little $ :)

And because June wasn't busy enough, I spent few days up in the mountains of VT having tons of fun with the crew. I also learned it's never too late to start on the jet fuel a.k.a Coca Cola because it may just bring you back from the "dead". 

July: 

I ventured into short course racing, and although I wasn't exactly able to shake the 70.3 watts and run pace,  the effort was there, and I still ended up with the fastest female bike split. My run left me hungry for more, but I did win my AG, and because this was the Northeast Regional Championship, I now have a "Northeast Olympic AG Regional Champion" title to my name :)

My youngest and biggest fan (Gracie) came to cheer me on! Gracie grew up watching me swim and so she thinks anyone wearing a swim suit in a magazine is me! I am her cover girl and the best swimmer in the world! (Little does she know)

August: 

My first A race of the season was on the horizon. Train hard, recover harder! 

I met my new buddy Brock, and spend some quality time with him and his parents on their boat! Summers in New England rock!

First A race of the season, another fastest female bike split this time only getting outdone by the speedy pro Melissa Hauschildt, 70.3 PR and a slot for the 2014 Mt. Tremblant World Championships. 1st mission accomplished! 

September:  

Back to training and eating, and training and eating some more. Between work and training, September was gone in a blink of an eye. 

 My goal was just to continue to get fitter ... 

                                                       And this is certainly very accurate!  

October:

October started off with our annual sales meeting which is always quiet the production, but standing on my feet all day and night although not exactly the best prep for a 70.3 proved to not bother me.  I was already in Florida, and I figured what better way to end a busy week than race one more 70.3 and hopefully in the heat to get ready for Cozumel IM.

Rev3 Anderson turned out awesome, and was a huge confidence booster going into my last training block before IM Cozumel.  Although I didn't exactly have a stellar swim and bike, I was again able to post the fastest overall female bike split, and start the run as the overall women's leader. That meant a lead biker, which was one of the coolest experiences yet. I didn't want her to fall of her bike because I was going too slow, so I had no choice but to keep the pace up, and as a result was finally able to run that sub 1:30 1/2 marathon off the bike! Finally reaching one of the goals I worked so hard for surprisingly leaving me hungry for more! ;) Winning the overall women's title and becoming the USAT Long Course National Champion was just an icing on the cake.

November:

The weather turned a bit chilly, and since I was trying to get ready for a hot and flat race that Cozumel IM can be, I spent a lot of time on the trainer.

My Saturday's were spent on my Fireball sweating away, because why not just say goodbye to the fan, and try to acclimate to the heat. Let's just say that spending 5 hours on the trainer helps to build some serious mental toughness. I can't say  I may have shed a tear or two a few times because I was being a baby and just didn't want to do it anymore!

I was creating pools of sweat in my shoes so I even tried to use sweatbands on my ankles, but had no luck. At least I was styling, right? Riiiiight? ;)   

Laundry became almost a daily chore (This is the damage after 5 hours)

Fuel for 5 hours on the bike

December:

December couldn't come fast enough. THE race was finally here.

No details needed and you can read all about my race on this blog, but Cozumel was a blast, and it all just came together. It was no by no means perfect, but that's what keeps me coming back for more! This will always be my first overall IM win. :)

I even made it into the czech media a few times, and am very honored to make the list of "Best of Czech Triathletes"  on the international scene in 2013 by E Triatlon. 

http://www.etriatlon.cz/triatlon/37114_best_of_v_podani_ceskych_zavodniku.html

Being mentioned as part of such accomplished field of professional triathletes  who have competed and placed at the Olympics, World and European Championships and are winning races or race series at the pro level whether it be ITU, WTC, or Rev3 feels great and I am very honored!.

Having such an awesome season, and adding the USAT "Northeast Olympic AG Regional Champion" , USAT "Long Course National Champion" titles to my name, along with a couple of overall amateur wins all in the same season doesn't happen overnight. Hard work, dedication and the will to succeed are just a few ingredients that helped me to get to where I am today. No one believed in me more than my family/friends who put up with my crazy/hectic schedule, and of course the whole E3 Training Solutions crew and my coaches Jorge Martinez, and Karen Vasso.  Everyone mentioned above should really be standing on every podium with me and simple THANK YOU just isn’t enough. Thank you ALL! 

Topping 2013 won't be easy, but my dream season has shockingly left me hungry for more. There are no secrets in my world, and 2014 is the year that I plan on conquering the world! ;) Mt. Tremblant 70.3 World Championship and Kona … I am coming for you! :)