Draft Legal Challenge (Sprint distance)- Clermont, FL

My first race of the season was a success in many ways. To begin, I had a lot of fun, had a great homestay experience, and reunited with fun people! As far as the race goes, I enjoyed myself here as well. The swim was in a lake that was the color of tea(red/orange looking), which was...interesting. The lake was also shallow for quite a ways out so this meant I had to really work on the high knee running and dolphin dives to get myself speed to get in with the swim pack. I felt like I had a decent start on race morning, my dolphin dives were timed well, and I came out of the swim in the middle of the pack. I had a successful run up to the transition area where I was able to catch the main chase pack on the bike. There was about a group of 15 girls in this pack, which seemed tight for such a short course! This was quite the experience as bike handling skills really came into play! I felt really strong on the bike and was able to hang with the pack the entire way. As I transitioned to the run, I could tell I was up against some amazing contenders as they really reved up the pace! While I didn't have the strongest run amongst the competitors, I am very happy as I set a new PR for my own 5K time by over a minute! My race experience gave me confidence that my training is right on track. I was also encouraged to have had a second draft legal experience that allowed me to "test the waters" with an early season race where I could really be aggressive and get in the competitive mode. I look forward to my next race in Miami in April!