Leanda Cave - 2008 season wrap up

I am currently enjoying my time out in Cairns, Australia after a year that saw some great results, good results, and ones I would rather forget. Its really nice to chill out and see my parents for the first time in a couple of years. They have been my biggest fan well before I took the road of being a professional triathlete.
Finally I ended this long season and not too badly either. A win in IM Arizona would have been nice, and up to the 20mile point of the run I was leading. But with not doing any marathon run training since prior to Kona, it was just survival by that point. I did try a different tactic going into this race where I kind of paced myself rather conservatively in the swim and bike in order to feel fresher for the run. In the past, I have been very aggressive in the swim and on the bike, and the running legs were wasted. This time, im not sure it felt a whole lot better. I definately could find a better run rythm, but the soreness is still a big issue. Recovery was alot better, but that may just have been the pizza and fries!

Cairns is great if you like it real hot (32-36 dC) and humid (90-100%). But I have to say, im not enjoying it all that much right now. Mostly because I have a cold............yes, another one. Alot was going on in the USA before heading over here. We decided to move to Tucson in Arizon right between the 70.3 World Champs in Clearwater and the IM in Arizona. That gave us 2 weeks! It wasnt too bad as we only had one truck full of stuff (which I drove in convoy). But it is crazy how much more stuff you end up having in the end.

So we are now residing in Starr Pass and we totally love it. Cactus. Mountains. Desert. Heat! Unfortunately we wont be back until February. In the meantime, once I have had a good break from training, I will be preparing for my first race of the 2009 season. At this stage, that will be the Geelong Ironman 70.3 in the middle of February. Im thinking about IM Malaysia at the end of Februray, but that is as far as that plan is right now. So Merry Christmas to everyone out there reading my update and all the best for your 2009 season. Thanks also to all my sponsors who have been there to support me through the good and the bad in 2008. Cant wait to kick some serious arse next year.