Interstate & International

Where to begin? I have been meaning to write an update for a while now and usually when I go quiet on my blog it means things arn't going so well but this time it's because I have been so busy! I think I have mentioned this before, but I don't know how I would remember what has been going on if I didn't have each day recorded in Training Peaks! In a nutshell, I spent most of March on the Gold Coast in Queensland, home for a couple of weeks and then I left the country to travel to my second home, Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country. Here are some of the highlights!

Friday March 9th - Sunday March 11th:

I raced my final Friday night Sutherland crit with a sneaky women's win in B-Grade! Instead of going back to Wollongong, I drove to Sydney to visit my parents for the weekend. I ran in the beautiful Centennial Park and spent some relaxing time by Sydney's beaches with my parents which is quite a rarity. On Sunday, I travelled to Lennox Head to meet the rest of my group for a training camp!

Saturday March 17th - Sunday March 18th:

After a week in Lennox Head, we drove interstate to the Gold Coast for a special Mixed Team Relay event at Runaway Bay organised by Triathlon Australia. Over the two days, I raced three very fast and furious races with my team (2 men and 2 women per team each completing a 300 swim + 10km bike + 1600m run), which was exhausting but exhilarating at the same time.

Monday March 19th - Friday April 6th:

The group split in two so I was with Charlotte McShane, Ashleigh Gentle and some of the boys staying on the Gold Coast while the girls prepare for the Commonwealth Games. This was a solid block of training for me and I enjoyed exploring a new city while falling in love with the heat and humidity! The day before I left, I was able to watch the triathlon at the games which is the first time I have been to a major games since watching Sydney 2000 Olympics when I was 8 years old!

Sunday April 8th:

St Kilda Oceania Championships. I don't believe this race reflected how I had been training which was disappointing but in saying this, it was a great opportunity for me to see what I really need to focus on in the coming months. Regardless, any racing is good racing for me at the moment!

Monday April 9th - Tuesday April 24th:

You know when you think you have everything under control before leaving the country for 4-5 months but the week or so before is still a mad rush trying to get things done? That sums up these two weeks back in Wollongong. Luckily my parents came to visit so I could take cooking dinner off my list of things to do!

Sunday April 29th:

Getarioko Triathlon, my first Basque triathlon of 2018. 15 degree water + 20km bike route that was 4km up a mountain + 6km descend then U-turn and come back! It was a bit of a struggle but the last 500m of the run through the old town streets was amazing and the atmosphere at these races is very hard to beat!

Sunday April 6th:

Gorliz Triathlon, my next attempt to win a Txapela. A part of the Basque culture is the champion is known as the Txapeldun and the prize for this is a beret like hat with hand woven embroidery to signify the sporting event. This week the water was 13.5 degrees but the sun was out which made for a much more enjoyable day. The race went considerably better than the previous weekend and I finally won my first Txapela!

Sorry for the long update and I next time I will not leave this so long! I am currently staying with my friend Esti in Vitoria-Gasteiz which I have really enjoyed and I will be back training with the group next Monday when they arrive in Europe! Thank you to everyone who has helped me in any way in the Gold Coast, in Vitoria-Gasteiz and back home.

This weekend I will be racing in Sabugal, Portugal for Team BH Oporto with a sprint distance on Saturday and a Mixed Team Relay on Sunday!