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.
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
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