So long Number 10!

The curse of the number 10 is history, but the string of 4th places at big events continues..... (well, apart from Hy-Vee....thankfully the poodle has been secured :)

I can't complain. In fact, I am thrilled with today's race, all things considered (Simon has given me permission to use this phrase in reference to my race... apparently I have misused it on other occasions....). After the way I felt leading up to Kitzbuhel and week afterwards, I honestly didn't know if I would be able to pull myself out of that hole and sharpen up in time for this race. I didn't doubt my fitness, but I know that finding the right balance between recovering, training and tapering between races can be tricky, and throwing the lingering fatigue into the mix didn't exactly help ease my mind. But, this is where Phil comes in... he is not one to show concern (EVER) and his confidence in my ability was just what I needed to believe that I could bounce back for this race. That, and his extremely-flexible "get-Lauren-to-feel-good-again" plan :) 

What I have to say I am happiest about is the fact that I was able to pull out this performance in adverse conditions. I feel as though over the years I have become known as a "heat-racer" and I wanted to change that today. The TORRENTIAL rain on the bike was not only terrifying but also quite chilly. It took me a bit of time to find my legs on the run, but once they got some warmth, I found a nice rhythm and did what I could to secure that 4th place. Of course a podium finish would have been nice but I'll take this result....all things considered :)

My World Championship Series rank is now 7th so I should have a decent start position for the Grand Final in Australia in September.

But first up is some REST! Mostly, it will be a mental break, but Phil is not letting me "train" until the end of next week, so a trip to Whistler with Adam will be just what I need. We've got a final big block of training coming up so I will be sure to thoroughly enjoy every minute of our mini-holiday. 

Tomorrow is the men's race (and maybe a little shopping). Can't wait!