Jenna takes 2nd at USA Pro Nationals; preps for Chicago Triathlon on 8/30
from Garmin Blog Garmin-sponsored triathlete Jenna Shoemaker shares her training and racing experiences with the Garmin Edge 705 and Forerunner 405.
This past weekend, I competed in the 2009 USA Pro Nationals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was my last ITU event for the year and another chance to showcase all of my hard work over the last nine months. It has already been an incredible season for me, so I was simply excited to cap off the year with another solid race.
I had a good start, choosing to swim closest to shore because the current in the river was really strong. However, I missed the "train" and struggled over the last 700 meters. Exiting the water I was 2:30 down over the leader and knew I had a lot of work to do. I put my head down and by the end of the first lap of the bike (1 of 6) I had ridden through three of the four women ahead of me and was making huge strides at shutting down the gap to the leader. But, with little help from the other girls I was riding with, I eventually made the decision to focus on hydrating and eating and to wait on the fast closing chase group behind us.
I spent the last 2.5 laps of the bike sitting in as we closed down the gap to the leader and all came into transition together. I had the fastest transition on the day and headed off on the run in the lead. I was overtaken about 1k into the run but tried to keep the gap from stretching out too far. In the end, I finished in a strong 2nd place as I didn't have quite enough to run down first when I put on a bit of a surge in the final 2k.
The second place finish is my fourth podium finish on the year and it also earned me the Twenty-12 Elite Series title. I am now ranked 44th on the ITU points list and 5th in the USA. All of my success this year can in large part be attributed to hard work and dedication, but having an amazing support network, including my "family" at Garmin, makes training and racing to my fullest potential so much easier and for that, I cannot thank them enough!
This weekend, I will head to Chicago for a bit of "non-drafting" fun. I am really excited to do something different and to break out my Felt AR Time Trial bike setup. It is the 5th race for me in 6 weeks, so it will be a good challenge to stay mentally and physically in the game. On top of racing, I will also have a chance to spend some time meeting people and answering questions at the Garmin booth (on Friday) at the race expo as well as at the Garmin Store (Sat 1-2 p.m.) in downtown Chicago. I hope you will stop by and say hello if you are in the city!
