Monday 27 June 2016

Vitoria Gasteiz & European Campaign - June Update

Hallo ~ Hola ~ Hello Everyone,

Wow what a month, where do I start, it's been huge!!



I Landed into Bilbao, Basque Country on the 1st of this month, a touch jet lagged & my body clock totally unsure of what time it was! I waited for my coach Mick to arrive, we checked out our new vehicle- a bright red VW Van (manual... No driving for me) got the map out, & on our way to our new home for the next few months- Vitoria Gasteiz! With only 10 honks from people & a few stalls I thought Mick did really well, & his slowly working back to scratch on the honk meter. Driving on the (not so right) right side of the road after 40 hours of travel isn't easy when you have 3 lane round about stop manoeuvre!  Needless to say we arrived safe & sound. 
The next few days was all about settling in, checking over my equipment & body before some light raining work & getting familiar with my new training base, the environment, facilities, rules, local manners, customs & way of life around here! From the start I have loved it! As a friend said before I left, "We will Know if your enjoying yourself by how many social media posts flow through!"
Well considering there have been a few double grams, an ever building Facey album of photos & long snap chat stories, it's safe to say I'm a happy girl here.


Finally I was able to see for myself this absolutely awesome European home here in Vitoria Gasteiz that the international/ Australian based Wollongong Wizards have been coming back to for years! The pool in "Mendi" has a indoor & outdoor 50 m pool split up into 25 m indoor with daily lane space available for us. It is glass walled & the glass top roof allows awesome multitasking to build my endless summer #triathletelife tan while working hard!!

The lake out at Landa is something from a postcard, or a scene from a movie, it provides perfect open water swimming & on top a brilliant 90 + minute cycle around depending on the loop you choose (I manage a slightly different loop every time) and a awesome soft surface run "track" with 1km markers all the way around the lake perimeter (50 +km) so you have endless spots to go for a long cruise or hit up some intervals!



The riding provides endless options depending what's in store for training; an aerobic spin, skills, Crit style riding, efforts, group pace line work, hills, big climbs,  motor pacing or a long ride through endless Basque Country! I was speaking with Wizard Tamsyn at a race & it's her 6th time back here & she still is riding on new routes each week! What an awesome training environment hey, never short of that external motivator / stimulus of new roads untraveled to explore!


And running, not to sound like a broken record but it's fabulous. We have the 30 km green loop that circles around the whole city of Vitoria Gasteiz with awesome running trails along the way but one of the best is the green park called  Salburua that starts just across the road from our accommodation, 1 min and your on your way for a 30,40,50, 60 min + run depending on what loops you Choose through the trees, parkland, around the lake & even antelope to spot!!

With the continued use of the Alter G right here in Vitoria, just a  5 min ride from home!! It's awesome!

On top of the excellent training environment I have been provided with VERY rewarding opportunities, working (training) with the Wollongong Wizards under head Wizard coach Jamie Turner, in conjunction with Mick & the HPT program here. An environment that leaves you always looking to push yourself! And allows you to find that next level you didn't realize you had solo, but found when lifted/ pushed by those athletes around you!



We are very lucky with the excellent facilities, staff & services available to us athletes, facilitated by triathlon Australia. With Physio, treatment & stretch & conditioning provided by the likes of Alex Price & Dean Sullivan. Dietitian, nutritional & recovery support from Greg Cox & massage facilities, all just a few steps from my room.

Before I run over my first 3 races here in Europe (on my European training block/ racing campaign leading in Cozumel World championship) I will fill you in on my favourite 3 things about having adjusted to the cultural way of life here:

1. A change from back home in Australia where my alarm went off at 4.30 am 6 days of the week for the first session of the day, to days where training sessions will kick off at 8 am at the earliest, but getting a few mornings every week where there is no alarm set! With it being summer here, the sun rises at around 6.30 and it doesn't get dark until around 10 pm. So it's not uncommon to go out for a 7 pm ride or run! Meaning there is more time in the day for training & ensuring adequate recovery between sessions! Not to mention I'm a big summer lover, the warm weather and endless day light is wonderful!



2. The culture here of "Cafe & Pintxos" Every cafe you will find a variety of small snack size meals, made fresh & delicious!! My personal favourites are a crunchy little bread roll with smoked salmon or the egg, potato, tuna & vege warm tortilla. These are part of a cheap deal with a "cafe con lechee" or coffee with milk ( and together are usually no more than 2-3 Euro). Ahhh nothing better on a stop mid long ride, after a tough run or morning swim set.



3. The proximity of everything within Europe (why the UK chose to leave the EU behind I don't know... And also won't comment further) but coming from Australia where a 1-2 hour flight will get you to Melbourne or the Gold Goast , and here 1 hour could get me to more countries than I can count on both hands! Everything is so close & makes it easy to travel away for races without being hugely taxed by travel. And all the while seeing parts of the world I would never have otherwise had the privilege to explore doing the job I love- swimming, cycling & running around the globe!  For example, I would less than an hours drive to get me to San Sebastián, Pamplona, the Pyrenees mountains or over the border into France. I couldn't even get from my home into the city of Sydney in that time!



My first race here was in Ingolstadt, Germany (1 hour from Munich) for my Bundesliga team Komet! A wonderful group of girls & supporting team of managers who I quickly formed friendships with that will last for years I'm sure. The Bundesliga is a German racing series of 4 events, with 16 teams starting each with 4 athletes. The events are over a sprint distance, ITU legal (so drafting is endorsed on the cycle leg) and each athlete races from themselves to take podium positions but also races in a points based system for the outright team podium each event. Ingolstadt was race 2, unfortunately blessed with heavy rain, not too worry I had a great first race over here in Europe, leading out the swim, taking a dominant roll on the cycle & running strong to take 5th position overall.





 Our team Komet took its first ever win that day, beating the very strong EJOT Buschhutten who had not been defeated in 3 years. Needless to say these pictures tell 1000 words. Winner Winner, alcohol free beer for dinner.




I was lucky enough to enjoy a day off following the race on Monday in Munich to do some sight seeing thanks to my German team manager Bernd Wollbrink. An excellent day wandering Munich & taking it all in exploring before my evening flight home for another very solid in the #athletelife office!





Putting in the hard work before heading off on Saturday morning for my next race at "home" in Basque Country at the beautiful seaside town of Lekeitio!


One of my favourite races to date for sure!! The sun came out to play & the water was absolutely sparkling crystal blue for the 750 m ocean swim.

Heading out on the bike through the crowded streets as the town & surrounding towns had come down to cheer & support the competitors. The ride started through the cobblestone streets before hitting the hills out of town, a few km in and we had reached the climb, a killer mountain climb that made up about 12 km of the course, 6 km out & back. Boy was it brilliant! Tough & awesome fun, especially coming back down! Fellow Aussie Charlotte McShane & myself got a breakaway lead & headed out on the run.

The run followed the coast up along the cliff edges & through the crowded cobble streets of town, with cheers galore & even a marching band on course! A super tough course but I was happy with how strong I finished on the run to take 3rd on the podium.




Mick, Brady & myself were lucky enough to enjoy a Team HPT weekend getaway post race, leaving Lekeitio for the town of Mandaca where we had booked 2 restored fisherman cottages on the water in picture perfect seaside town! Have a look at these pictures!! Just amazing & what a treat after a great race for Brady & myself, and of course the daily hard work of Mick to get us there!




I played your guide the following day & took us too the Breathtaking coastal chapel of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe! A bit more of a hike than my post race legs would have liked but worth every step, one of those sights you share pictures to your kids, another movie scene set I'm sure!


We rang the bell to the cottage before walking back along the coastal sea cliff bridge & headed back in the van to San Sebastián (well ..... I slept). Spending the afternoon absolutely lapping it up, with a waterside seafood lunch, a stroll along the beachfront promenade of the magical San Sebastián, a recovery ocean swim, hit up some pontoon water slides, cruising the streets & possibly a gelato to end what was an amazing weekend away!!



Another very solid week of work laid down & I was feeling it by the end of the week leading into my third European race on Sunday in the German Bundesliga Race 3 in Düsseldorf Germany.  Arriving with some time to settle pre race & take a light day of prep which did its job.


 The course consisted of a 750 m Swim in the River Rhein, a long run up the stairs, through town to transition before the technical & tricky 3 lap cycle course through down, crossing over the main town bridge each lap, being followed by 6 motorbikes as the event was being live Streamed on German TV and online so everyone back home could keep up with the racing live, very very cool!!


 I hope some guys back home got a glimpse, and that I didn't pull too many serious racing faces! I had a good swimming, getting out in with the lead 2 girl- Gillian Backhouse AUS & Marie Rabie RSA, we were joined by Jodie Stimpson GBR!

On the bike & my 2 team members Tamsyn Moana-Veale & Lena Meibner to make up our front pack. We pulled away from the chasers working hard & hitting the run with nothing to lose but lots of processes to execute on & experience to capitalize on, I went out strong & was very proud of my run to earn myself a 3rd place performance in a quality field!!




More non alcoholic beer to celebrate the German way & a beautiful bouquet the of flowers! Topped off by a second place for my Team Komet!!


Tamsyn & I weren't able to get home till Monday morning so deciding to make the most of our opportunity to see Düsseldorf post race we headed into town for the afternoon/ evening to be treated to an awesome atmosphere as Germany defeated Slovakia 3-0  in the first Finals round of the European Championship league soccer!

As I sit on the flight home to Spain now reflecting on the last month, I am thrilled with how I have fallen I love with the daily Summer training Base I have here in Vitoria Gasteiz & as I speak to all my loving friends & family back home, you can all seem to tell how happy i am here chasing the dream, putting in the hard work, reaching & then breaching my limits, all the while rewarded with what I have around me everyday.



So, if you've made it through this long update then bloody good work, that's a session in its self, coffee anyone? Haha

Next up for me I head to Holten in the Netherlands for the European Cup, with a very strong quality field of Elite women it will be a killer race, watch out!! And from there I head back to Amsterdam to travel onto Budapest, Hungary before making my way east to "Tizzy" Tiszaujvaros for the longest standing ITU World Cup series event!

I am pumped! I will take the last three races confidence along with the work I'm
putting in here at "home" to continue progressing, growing & learning as I become a better athlete each day!!



Until next Month,
Dunka ~ Muchas Gracias ~ Thankyou for all your support legends!!

 Em :)


Sunday 5 June 2016

MAYhem 2016 Update


HOLA!

I am writing last months MAYhem update from the cosy comfort of my new home here in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain. (Check out the link)
Exactly 17,538km away from "home home" back in Collaroy, Sydney, Australia....

This will be my longest time away from my family, friends, horses, ocean, coffee store & what we all appreciate coming "home" too. But i'll be super busy - head down, bum up- chasing the dream & living the athlete life, & before i say "home" one more time, i'll give you a little recap on last Months madness in the lead up!!




I brought it back to basics this month, and being treated to continual beautiful almost summer days made the long steady training sessions a joy! I had a week to take off training, (which i don't really like nor am I not good at) but i chose to take this after the Sydney 10 Road Championships, which hosted the NSW State Open 5km Road Champs, always the first weekend in May. I love the opportunity as a triathlete to step it up against the quick whippet runners and battle it out, this race was no exception! A slightly long 5.1km course, (yes every meter matters when its a 5000m race and tracked on your garmin haha) that was mostly flat & going to be pretty fast out at Sydney Olympic Park!




 On the start line mixed in with the boys & around 600 runners i knew i needed to stay cool & stick to a more conservative race start than the mad sprint which i could see coming from miles away! Off we headed & by about the 1km mark i had worked my way back up to the lead pack of men & lead female. I tucked in & got into a rhythm, & at the halfway turnaround i had surged into the lead  but could see 2nd was hot on my heels and 3rd not too far behind!! A hard deceitful uphill 2.6km to the finish and with about 1km to go i was passed my the eventual winner & second placing. I pushed hard & was pleased in perspective  with my time of- & the bronze.


Running within the Sydney Striders Team this season (and many to come), i was honored to later take out the Annual Triathlete of the Year award at the presentation Gala Dinner. An evening which timed perfectly with the opening of Vivid in Sydney & our evening which overlooked Darling Harbour for a perfect view of the fireworks!!



I actually (almost) enjoyed my next week off, with a busy 2 weeks ahead on my Critical Care Nursing degree Clinical Placement where I would be paired with an RN & working the full 2 week roster in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Royal North Shore Hospital. Being an area i eventually want to work in as a registered nurse i was thrilled with the placement & had a GREAT 2 weeks; learning tonnes, & getting a hands on perspective of exactly what lies ahead after Tri! I must say, nurses should get more credit (than they already deserve) - a busy training day can compare to how my tired my feet felt after running around all day/night on the ward!!


And well.... Because it's me, I headed straight from placement at he hospital after my last shift to Sydney Airport, off to Wagga Wagga for the weekend to see my little sister in her own new little country town!

Staying at a cute little B&B we were set for a girls weekend away, Meg, Mum & myself. Even Shannon Noll was in town... well played!! A picturesque country town in Autumn! I was lucky enough to get in a few great runs & see the town my way, including a climb up "The Rock" famous to many in the area, & certainly worth the 600m elevation climb if your passing by for its rewarding views of the Aussie dividing range and endless country side!


Great coffee, food & wine, plus even better company, & even a ride on my favoutite four legged boys- Meg's Apples & Bacardi. Ending the trip with one hard goodbye, as the next time I would see Meg would be in mid July in Hungary, on the other side of the world!



Home time & it was heads down, bum up & hard work of another kind! I had a glorious 3 uni assessments & 1 final exam to sit before I could pack up & jet off to Europe! Getting these done 5 weeks before anyone else was a punish & I'm sorry to my family that had to deal with my cranky, sleep deprived self, but boy does it feel great to have those done & out of the way! I unfortunately wont be able to continue my studies into semester 2 for 2016 while overseas, so USYD, and the Elite Athlete Program, i'll see you in March 2017, ready to finish this degree!!



May also saw the MASSIVE announcement of the Australian Olympic team for Triathlon #riobound
Check the link attached for the official Triathlon Australia announcement! A huge Congratulations to the 6 deserving & talented athletes selected to represent Australia & our strong history of Olympic triathlon success over in Rio on August 20th at Copacabana Beach!!
My thoughts certainly went & still go out to those equally talented athletes who didn't receive that dream phone call.

Before heading off I was lucky enough to be put into contact with a pretty incredible fellow called Jon Fong, only by the brilliant crew at Pace Athletic (Pace Manly store- seriously if your a triathlete, runner, everyday go-getter check them out for all your gear needs & Perfect shoe fit!!)
Jon is the professional triathlete, swimmer, Dad, army captain & founder of Morph Performance.
Empowering athletes through "morph"ing their sport, science & technology to transform their approach to all aspects of the unique matrix of the #athletelife!


I was able to work over; Fuel efficiency, body composition, lactate threshold & gait analysis in the international best standard facility with Jon's team of sports scientists. A super valuable experience, & i cant wait to get back into the lab, run some more, do some tests & also see the changes & progressions made over these next few months!




As the end of May approached as well as that big circled day in my diary- which meant Goodbyes- my days got (more) jam packed and crazier as i tried to squeeze EVERYTHING & more importantly EVERYONE i love into too little time!

A MASSIVE Thankyou to my brilliant family who are the reason i am able to chase my dream, all my "pretty much" family, my beautiful friends who keep me sane & understand my often crazy ways, to all my home coaches & squad's who make coming to "work" everyday rewarding, fun & enjoyable, & to all those quiet friendly mentors behind the scenes whose words of wisdom, encouragement, reinforcement and best wishes have made packing up my AMAZING life here at "home" a touch easier as i jet off to chase those dreams!!




Stay tuned it's a super exciting adventure ahead on the Adventures of a Triathlete as i start 5 months abroad!

I blame jet lag for all spelling mistakes...

Cuidate & Adios!

(Take care & goodbye... for now!)

Em xx