Black Beauty!!!!!!!!

HERE HE IS!!!!!

Most importantly this post is about a wonderful new addition to my life.  I am still sometimes mourning the loss of my last boyfriend because we had become so close in the 1.5 years we spent together logging miles and climbing tramway but it was time to move on.  My new boyfriend has a ton of fun updates that I would like to share with you guys because what is more exciting than a new boyfriend!!!!??! AAAAAHHHH!!!!

This baby is a 2014 Specialized Shiv Pro with Specialized carbon aero bars,  SRAM red (except for s works chain rings) and clx 60 Roval wheels.  Nightrider right? but you know what they say... once you go black..... 
All of my bikes I have owned had all had Shimano so I felt partial and didn't want to try SRAM. I felt like it worked so why switch it? SRAM red is a HUGE upgrade. OMG!! This bad boy shifts beautifully and so quietly sometimes I look down just to make sure. Another sweet upgrade is the SRAM Return to Center(R2C) shifters.  Not only do they look cleaner but I can shift up or down 3 or 4 gears at once without reaching my wrist around. I didnt even know this existed!! So cool.  I switched from 170 to a 165mm crank arm length with Stages power meter in order to open up my hips a bit more and also am using the new Sitero saddle which allows for more hip opening as well.  After spending the latter half of last year spun out on my bike I had to switch to a mid-compact (52/36) chain ring up front.  This got me really excited and made me feel like a powerful woman! Look out boys!!!! (ha!) The SWAT technology from Specialized is pretty sweet.  I have hydration inside the frame as well as an aero fuel cell(bike tupperware) which stores my tubes, co2, and  has an easy to reach open pocket on top for quick-access nutrition. I also upgraded aero helmets and will be using an S-works evade this year instead of the Giro helmets I had used the last 2 years. I am over the moon excited about my new BF! This bike has so many sweet upgrades and features I feel like I cant even share them all!!!
None of this would have been possible without the help of my human boyfriend Marco and all of the boys at High Desert Bicycles. They put it all together and made sure that everything was perfect.  Johnny Bargeron from the east side location got me fit perfectly on this bike and made sure I was completely comfortable.  This guy is a pro! He did a whole body analysis and checked my flexibility and limitations to make sure my fit was comfortable and powerful and also conducive to triathlon.  I tried liking a ski-bend aero bar for a while but Johnny made the switch for me back to a flatter s-bend style as well as got me situated on the Sitero which I was unsure of at first. 
OK. So obviously the bike portion is my favorite part of triathlon racing.  I really love pushing my limits on the bike.  Nothing like a soggy chamois and the burn in your legs while the wind blows through your helmet:) 

A few other fun things have happened including the Black Dog Tri winter camp in which I got to go to Tucson and hang with teammates and my coach Jaime. I had a blast climbing Mt. Lemmon and escaping the freezing cold weather here in Abq. I also survived running the Phoenix Rock and Roll Marathon where I ran a 1:30:36 which is a good off season time for me. 

Campers at the run clinic. Beautiful Tucson!

A camper crushing Mt. Lemmon!