Saturday, June 23, 2012

Europe look out, here i come...

It has been ages since i last posted something.  Don't worry though i haven't been lying around filling my face with lollies. Well the second part is true maybe, but i have been doing it on the move!  Since competing in Challenge Wanaka i have been looking ahead to what other races i will compete in this year. I have been lucky enough to get 7 weeks off work to go overseas and compete in Challenge Roth and Challenge Copenhagen.  Thanks boss :) Would not of been possible with out the support.



After Wanaka i realised i really need to get more comfortable throwing myself in to race situations. There is no point putting the in hard yards in training sessions if on race day you cant pull it together. So March-May i entered a few things i normally wouldn't.  First up was the Otago Time Trial Cycling Champs where i won the womens title.  The next week i biked out to the Otago Sprint Triathlon Champs. The water was soo cold, but a nice still day. There ended up being no bike turn around marshal so most of us ended up biking more than we were meant to, but hey whats a race with out a bit of drama.  The females got a 6 minute head start and i took first across the line honors.  Next up i drove up to Queenstown for the day with a mate to race the Lake Hayes Sprint Triathlon. I use to always compete in this race but hadn't for a couple of years. I had a great time being back there and came 2nd to Central based triathlete Tanya Dromgool.  It was a gorgeous day and i didn't mind rewarding myself with a huge ice cream either.  Invercargill Sprint Triathlon came up next. The swim was in a pool doing big laps around the edge with all the lanes out. I had to try and stop laughing and swallowing water as the pool turned into a big whirl pool and i found it most amusing.  Nearly won first overall but a guy i train with passed me in the last couple of kms, dam it, no speed in the chunks!  Last month i headed down to Gore in the deep south to race a half marathon. I wasn't really expecting much with having a lot of miles in the legs and man was it freezing!!! But i got a PB by 6minutes so was super stoked. Since then just a few cycle races and putting in a lot of hours in the dark with the added bonus of rain and wind.  That's the thing with working full time and triathlon training. Winter training is mentally very tough as all your training during the week has to be done in the dark and its usually bitterly cold BUT it only makes you stronger and enjoy when you get in the sun even more.
Tomorrow morning i am off to Balclutha for another half marathon, and by sounds of the weather outside right now it could be a cold one, may even need the snow shoes.


Most importantly this time next week i will be on my way to Europe to get in some great summer training and have a jolly fun time racing.  I have been looking forward to this trip for a LONG time and cant wait to put the training in to action.

A huge thank you to all my sponsors for continuing to support me and helping me reach my goals and Keegan for giving me the motivation to stay on track with a program that accepts no excuses not to get the work done rain, hail or shine.

My 2XU Spray Jacket has got to be my favourite piece of training clothing at the moment. We have spent a LOT of time at the track together! :)