{"id":456,"date":"2014-09-25T13:55:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T17:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/?p=456"},"modified":"2015-06-08T15:53:26","modified_gmt":"2015-06-08T19:53:26","slug":"2014-rookie-pro-season-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikaelstaer.com\/clients\/cbeals\/dev\/2014\/09\/2014-rookie-pro-season-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"2014 Rookie Pro Season in Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

I really had no idea what this season would bring when I took my elite card last January. I had no real plans, I had never raced outside my home province of Ontario and I only had two half distance races under my belt. Needless to say, I was thrilled to crack the top 5 at all my races over my longest season yet. More importantly, countless changes over the past year have put me on a sustainable track towards achieving my potential.<\/p>\n

Here are three highlights, screw-ups, changes and surprises from my rookie pro season, plus some goals for 2015.<\/p>\n

3 Highlights<\/b><\/h2>\n

Pro debut<\/b>\u00a0– There were many question marks going into my first pro race at Texas 70.3 in April (Race Report<\/i><\/a>). Lining up with a stacked international field, I questioned whether or not I even belonged in the pro ranks. I recovered from a rough swim with a 2:04 ride and a 1:15 run to claim 5th in 3:50. Given how ragged I was in the preceding months, that performance still has me scratching my head. Things didn’t fall apart until the month after the race.<\/p>\n

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Digging the hole deeper at Texas 70.3.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First Ironman 70.3 podium<\/b>\u00a0– A close-fought race at Muskoka 70.3 (Race Report<\/a>)\u00a0in September saw me finish 2nd to\u00a0Richie Cunningham<\/a>\u00a0after leading off the bike. One year earlier, Muskoka was the race that sparked my interest in competing at the pro level.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Irina Souiki<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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