Out of 'retirement'? Maybe...ask next week

Today we held the semi-finals for the first World Cup of the 2012 Olympic cycle... well sort of. In a semi-final, you compete in everything but riding. The top 36 athletes compete in the final two days later. Today we just swam and fenced. It turns out that the shooting score boxes are tied up at customs at the airport so we can't shoot. Since our new format is a combined shoot/run, we could not shoot or run today (we are scheduled for tomorrow).

I am not in good shape yet this season. After pretty much retiring after World Cup Final, I began reconsidering that decision over the winter. Over Christmas I had sinus surgery (which gave me MUCH better breathing out of my nose), but I also packed on a few pounds (okay, more than a few), courtesy of Cami's awesome pralines and divinity. After the New Year, I decided to get back in shape and start training again, committing to compete at least through this season to see how I like the new format. And quite frankly, I need to make sure that I still love training and competing--because that's what it takes to commit to another four years. And so far (only the past two months), I have really enjoyed getting back into the sport and am seriously considering committing to the 2012 Olympics.

But back to today. I swam a 2:08, six seconds slower than at the Olympics; but not bad for high altitude and only about eight weeks of training. My fencing put me right in the middle of the pack, and I go into tomorrow's run/shoot in 13th place. The top 18 make it into Saturday's final after tomorrow's run/shoot. I am about 20 seconds ahead of 19th place which would normally be a cake walk going into running. However, with the combined event, I have no idea where I stand.

Stay tuned for updates on the blog tomorrow and then (hopefully) in the final on Saturday!