It seems as though the past few weeks have brought about abundant growth in Team Cheri, with the addition of several pacers and coaching assistants who have joined forces with me in helping to solidify a training schedule as we ramp up for China.

Oz Sanchez is a friend and fellow athlete whose primary sport is handcycling. Prior to his injury, Oz was a Marine and worked in Special Forces. Oz lives in San Diego. When I decided to train at the Olympic Training Center (also in San Diego) for two weeks, I gave him a ring and begged for his services in drafting/pacing. Needless to say, it has been awesome. Here’s the visual: Oz, big burly man, on handcycle. Cheri, tiny wheelchair racer, going ballistic chasing after Oz on handcycle. An American flag nicely perched on the back of handcycle to increase our visibility in traffic. Surrounded by lush green mountains and valleys of the desert surrounding San Diego. Morning fog rolling over tops of hills and, as we push, the visual of the near-and-far mountains sliding over each other like tectonic plates. Oz is also good at giving verbal feedback during training sessions. Instead of the mundane “good job” or “nice effort,” I am rewarded after each interval with a staunch “NICE SHOW!” It’s so awesome.

I have also been joined by Toby Lemon and Daniel DeMartini, two collegiate runners who have recently graduated from Occidental college in L.A. Daniel lives in Palo Alto and has joined up with me to do pacing/timing/etc when I’m at home base. Toby is a USOC coaching fellow at the Olympic Training Center and has been doing the same down in San Diego. Quite the hook up, huh? Go Occi!

And, as always, my head coach, Mike Smartt, based in Oakland, consistently sending my rockin’ training plans and being an open ear to my rants and raves about how my body is feeling, how a particular workout went, what I feel we need to change to optimize my racing. He is always present, always calm, and always available for firm advice. This is good for a type-A athlete who sometimes needs that bit of stability.

As you can see, I am surrounded by Supertrainers. In this endeavor, as with all things in life, a woman is only as good as the people around her.