On January 2nd, I nervously arrived in Sydney, Australia. I shouldn’t have been nervous because I had Patrick by my side; however, I was out of shape after taking full advantage of the off-season. As we headed to Falls Creek, Australia, I had no idea what kind of shape my training partners would be in and I didn’t know what Jamie Turner had in store for us. After a few days, my nerves were eased. We were running easy (at a 5:30km pace) in the morning, having technique focused swims and a few rides down the mountain. There are a few new faces in the Jamie Turner/Wollongong Wizards group. Falls Creek is a perfect place to get to know everyone. We live together in a big ski cabin (we have two houses and each house holds 12 people). I love being able to go to the third floor (where the kitchen/living area is) to have family meals with the other Wizards. Four times a week we go down the mountain to Mount Beauty where we swim outside. My favorite part of Mount Beauty is the Butcher. They have the best meat – I (or, maybe Patrick) now know how to cook a rack of lamb to perfection. Patrick and I talk about and look forward to the Mount Beauty Butcher all year. When we walk in the door of the butcher, we never know what we will buy; but we always know we will have a warm welcome.
Getting back into shape wasn’t something to be nervous about, but it was a bit exhausting. I was sleeping nine to eleven hours a night and taking mini naps during the day as my body adapted. It felt great to get some solid base training in and to get back into a routine.
On January 24th we left Falls Creek and headed back to Wollongong where we will be based until Yokohama WTS (on May 19). From Yokohama, we will travel to our (third) home, in Vitoria (Basque region of Spain) where we will be until the WTS final in Edmonton (on September 2).
Last year, everything was new and I had to adapt to new training and living situations. This year, having familiarity and normalcy allows me to enjoy and maximize my training that much more.
This year, I plan to do an early season World Cup in Australia and then complete the WTS series. The schedule can be found at: www.triathlon.org I have a few goals this year. I want to Become stronger in the swim and on the bike; Focus on the processes of each discipline during each race with the end goal of winning the WTS Series Overall; Better adapt to change; and Have a stress-free, fun wedding after the WTS Final
Thank you for taking time to read my updates. I’m excited for this year and the road to Rio.
