Jen Amaral

This past year has been an interesting one. I started out with some early season run races, posting personal bests in the 5km, 10 mile and half marathon distances! After a winter and spring of great run training and racing, I started a new job in June and spent 5 weeks out-of-town for training. I finally started my triathlon season at the Muskoka Long Course race in Huntsville. I had a solid finish in Muskoka, followed by wins at two local Subaru Triathlon Series races: Niagara and Orillia. My final triathlon of the season was the Muskoka 70.3.

I love the challenging course out in Huntsville and was really looking forward to this race! In the weeks leading up to the race I had been focussing on getting my bike and run mileage up and was preparing for a great race. I had some challenges with the shifting on my Blue Triad in the days leading up to the race, however, the team at Blue Competition Cycles was amazing and were able to pinpoint the issue and take care of everything on very short notice. It turned out that I had just worn through the shifter cables and they needed to be replaced. Luckily for me I had some great support from Blue and from a good friend of mine who was able to change out the cables for me on very short notice!

I arrived up in Huntsville on Saturday morning and got all checked in at the hotel. I performed some last minute tune-ups on my bike and made sure everything was ready to go for Sunday morning! Race morning came quickly and before I knew I was lined up with the other pros on the start line. I had a good start and after the initial flailing of arms and kicking of legs, I settled into a steady pace. Before I knew it I found myself in the mix with a number of pro men. The rest of the swim went smoothly and I was the first woman to exit the water and run up the steep hill to the transition zone. I hopped onto my bike and settled into a good strong pace, gauging my speed and effort off of the power meter that I had borrowed from a friend of mine! Having a power meter on the bike kept me focussed, especially on the long, flat sections of the course. I was a little under-dressed for the bike and spent the last 90 minutes shivering and attempting to stay warm. As I was coming back along South Portage Road I was having trouble shifting gears because my hands were so cold and numb. As I approached transition I began to think about the run that was ahead of me. I was really looking forward to putting on my hot pink Nike Lunaracers and warming up my body temperature on the run. The first few kilometers of the run were great, I felt strong and quite relaxed. As I was running my way out to Hwy 60 I began to shiver again. My body was so cold I felt like I was running in the middle of winter. I tried to warm myself up as best I could, but I wasn’t having any success. I was cold and shivering and it felt like the energy was being sucked right out of me by the cold air. I tried to stay positive and happy throughout the run, but it was a big challenge! I maintained focus on the small things that were going to get me to the finish line. I have honestly never been so happy to run across a finish line. Unfortunately, I spent the next little while in the medical tent while the great medical team tried to raise my body temperature.

All in all, I was pleased with my last race of the season. I had a great swim and the strongest bike that I have had all year. I was disappointed in my run that day, but my runs had been strong all season so it really only makes me hungrier to put it all together in 2011!

This season wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support from my 2010 sponsors! To the team at Blue…thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to ride one of the best bikes out there! I am constantly impressed by my Triad’s speed and responsiveness! Thank you to the Nike team for keeping me injury free and outfitted with the greatest running gear! Thank you to The Proactive Athlete for keeping me injury free all season! And, last but not least, thank you to 2XU for putting me in the fastest wetsuit out there!

I’m looking forward to a great 2011, full of lots of new and exciting adventures! Stay tuned for 2011 details coming soon!