February 2016 Update ~ I’m off to Elite Worlds in Mexico!!

A big Hello! 

Settling into 2016 & ... Well what a month!!
Kicking off the month with 4 big events on my mind ~ Starting with the annual Triathlon Series Kurnell "World Champs" against the Wollongong Wizards Crew, next the Athletics NSW Open state 5000m champs, before heading to Devonport Tasmania for the Australian Elite & U/23 Olympic Championships, & finally probably the biggest one for my very close family~ my sister, Meg, moves away to Wagga Wagga to study Veterinary science, the start of a long 7 year journey & for me- I’m losing my sister, bedroom neighbour, confident & a best friend as she headed off to chase her own dreams!! 

Talk about a big month, & if that wasn't enough, my dad & younger brother Will were off in Papua New Guinea Surfing, Meg & I came down with an ear infection, forced out of the water for me, but for Meg it sent her into Hospital with a secondary systemic infection 3 days out from moving, & of course my youngest brother Ben couldn't handle not having any attention so into hospital he went the weekend of Devonport for acute Gastrointestinal issues- poor Mum or "Supa" mum as she's known.... Mother's Day isn't even nearly around the corner!! 

But back on the Triathlon track, February was a month of hard work, specific prep focus & athlete management to keep the body in top form over the start of a busy block of racing. Spending my weekdays down south with newly Full time coach Mick (super exciting!!!) & the “Senior” pro's of the High Performance Triathlon crew, training hard. 

Kurnell "World Cup" was an exciting race! With another chance to verse current Undefeated ITU World Champ Gwen Jorgensen over the sprint distance, it’s never an opportunity I take for granted. How many athletes get that competitive opportunity in there own background! Last year a little battle emerged as I pulled away on the bike to establish a lead over Gwen which meant she only caught me with about 200m to go on the run, a dream race! This year I pushed the swim again, coming out with Gwen, Amelie Kretz & Tamsyn Moana Veale. 

I pushed the pace on the bike the whole 20km to hold my lead but couldn't break away from Gwen & Amelie. Heading out onto the cross country style 5km run together it was absolutely awesome to fun stride for stride with the remarkable Gwen known for her killer run, but at about 1km she kicked it into next gear & I happily learnt again where that next level is, if your going to be beat, well at least it was against the best in the world hey! 

Finishing up in 3rd behind the USA & Canadian to be the 1st Aussie home. 

Sharing this one with my best mate Madi & Mum, that’s super special & something you don't take for granted these days travelling solo with races all over the globe! #athletelife. Post race it was straight back into training with more Gram Spam than usual from me with the awesome shots Mads took on race day.

That nasty inner ear infection struck me a few days out from State 5000m, the water baby was stuck out of the water- not happy. Luckily it healed up pretty well after some lost nights sleep- if you've never had an earache, they are horrible! 

 Leading into state 5000m I was hoping for a PB & something in the 16's as I felt my running was in good shape & I had been going well at training! On the night I didn't quite get there with a 17:02 official time. Non the less a solid race, holding it with the front pack until the last km, & finishing 4th across the line, & silver in the U/23 champs. Not bad for a triathlete against some slim running whippets! An easy qualifier for National Open Athletics Australian Champs in late March if I can fit it in coach.





Onto the last race for the month- Devonport Elite & U/23 Olympic Australian Championships & Continental Cup!! My first Olympic Race in a while! I was confident leading in with my form & the work I had behind me from training! This was the Automatic Selection Qualification Race for the 2016 U/23 Elite World Championship Team & I was looking to book my spot on that plane to Cozumel Mexico for Worlds in September! Anyone that has raced or watched the Devonport event before down in Tassie knows the famous North St brutal Hill of which we battle 8 times, it never gets an easier! But hey I hear the view is 10/10 as a spectator...

Feeling great pre race & focused! Loads of support from home which is always so reassuring when you know your friends & family have your back no matter what!

Hitting the swim hard to establish a lead out of the 18 degree chilly Tasmanian water, using this lead to hit the 40km cycle strong & make the girls catch me. 

I love the dynamics of racing & this time I was out front, making a tough solo ride with those 8 "ouch" reps up North Street! I really enjoy the bike course, yep it's hard, but it means you can't hide, you either ride well & it pays off or you drop & pop & suffer later!

With cheers & support on course the whole 40km with most of the town crowding up along the North Street hill, silently thinking "thank god that's not me sucker” (I don't blame you!!)

I hung on solo until the transition onto the run where I was caught by Barbara Riveros & Gillian Backhouse, I mean come on guys you could have at least let me lead into transition haha. 

Out onto the 10km run, chasing the always quick Barbara from Chile, with a leg speed to boot, who is also off to her third Olympics in Rio this August! I held onto Gillian and took a lead out on the first lap, before my pace dropped off & the front two started to pull away the remainder of the run, my legs were pretty shot after that solid solo ride but I was pleased with how I held my form together both physically & mentally. 

That last lap of the run where that U/23 Auto selection spot was close in sight was something I'll always remember. I don't think there was any chance of wiping the smile off my face! 

I was over the moon crossing that line! I had done it, booked my spot on the plane for worlds in Cozumel Mexico & can now turn my focus to this seasons big exciting races & preparation between now & then!

Lucky for me the win was captured brilliantly by the photo Ninja Delly! 

Champagne showers done just right on the podium. It was a brilliant day on the office! 

Triathlon Australia covered the race & my reaction afterwards well in this summary!

Consistent hard work, persistence through the hard times with real ambition & a love for what I do, it all played a part for me in that U/23 Australian National Championship Title. Along with the hard work of my coach Mick, team training environment & support staff of Symon, Andy & Michael from HPT & my amazing sponsors who make what I do so so much easier!! And of course all my AMAZING family & friends that put up with me, tough! I'll be on cloud 9 for a while I think!

February you were brilliant!
March- more racing abroad, travel, the AIS & Triathlon Australia National Talent Academy camp, & the start of uni for 2016 .... I hope March can play up to this!

I hope you enjoy the update!
Thanks for the continued support legends!!

Em. X

JANUARY 2016 UPDATE

A Big 2016 HELLO!!

I hope your new year is off to a great start, filled with plenty of new goals & dream chasing ahead! Can you believe its already the end of January… crazy!

For me 2016 is a year filled with new experiences in the world of triathlon. It will be my first time over to Europe for winter, chasing the International Elite racing season & following the summer weather. Basing myself with HPT  & my coach Mick Delamotte in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

A new & exciting challenge for the both of us & plenty of planning to be down between now & the end of May. (I also learnt this week that flights now go straight from Sydney-London- 23 hours… that’s nuts if you ask me!)

Racing wise the (ideal) plan is to continue progressing as an athlete, after all its only my second season as a professional ITU triathlete. This season I want to soak up all the elite level racing exposure I can get on the International stage! One big goal is to earn selection for the U/23 Elite Women’s squad for the ITU World Championships in Cozumel – Cancun Mexico, in September this year.

Funny enough I had a laugh with a friend over coffee a little while back, as World Champs is on around the same time as the famous U.S. Cancun Spring Break, & if you had of asked us 5 years ago back in high school, one of our bucket list destinations was exactly that- Go to Cancun Mexico for Spring Break. 5 years later & a complete 180 degree spin in outlook, mindset & drive! Living the #athletelife & I sure wouldn’t change a thing!!

2016 for me kicked off with an awesome few days up the NSW mid north coast at the holiday house with my family of 6. Living ‘round the twist’ in our beautiful Sugarloaf Lighthouse Cottage at Seal Rocks it was great to have a few days of down time with the family, mixing in some hard training on the trails & ocean swim. Training sets that are endlessly calling your name up there, as you’re joined by dolphins & sea turtles almost every time! Mixing it up & coming home refreshed ready to dig in!

Life is all about balance & January has certainly been all about that for me with my last clinical placement to finish my 2^nd year of 3 in a Bachelor of Nursing Advanced studies at the University of Sydney. 3 weeks in an acute mental health institute & I will be lucky to see the other side with my head screwed on right after my juggling act! Next year for Christmas I’m wishing for a few more hours in the day.

All that said I’m very excited to move into my 3^rd & final year of study after this!

Back on track to what you all want to read about- triathlon. My first Triathlon to kick off the year was Race 2 of The Triathlon Series, at Kurnell on the 17/1. Always a great event, friendly atmosphere & attracts some big international superstars, with the likes of Craig “Crowie” Alexander racing this one- an honour to share the presentations with him… although I don’t know why people didn’t want any pictures with me? Haha. A good tester to see where I’m at & it showed just that. A pleasing swim/ride combo on my relatively new AVANTI Chrono TT Bike (my 3^rd ever ride on it) put me up the road & leading coming in off the bike. 

Leading from Nat Van Coevorden into the last XC run course. A confidence boosting run on some fatigued legs meant for an awesome day in the office coming across the line 1^st, in what I hope will be one of many for this season!

On Australia Day in true #athletelife style I was up at the crack of dawn ready to race in my 4^th Australia Day Aquathon. An awesome event & great way to kick off your “Strayla” day- swimming & running around Wollongong in a green & gold Aussie Trisuit.

With the chance to come up against the best & some of the best international triathletes with the likes of Gwen Jorgensen (USA), Barbara Riveros (CHI), Amelie Kretz (CAN), & the rest of the fabulous Gong Wizards crew, you would be crazy to sleep in!! I wanted to hit the pace on the swim & really string out the field so I was pleased when I got off the line quick & found clear water from the gun. With Nat V C & Gwen not far behind as I excited the 2 lap swim ahead I new the race was on! And the race is certainly always on when you know Gwen, following an undefeated race season in 2015 & 2 time world champion, is chasing you down!

I was really pleased with my legs to “hang on” with the lead in the run until about 2km when Gwen passed, but unlike previous races I worked hard to not let her run away down the road too far! Tapping away, observing & learning on the go how the #1 champ steals the show!

I was happy to finish 4^th, as the 1^st Aussie home (AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE- OI OI OI) among a great field of athletes. With the top 5 as Gwen, Barbara, Amelie, myself & Charlotte McShane. Thanks to Activate Events for another successful event, I’m sure to be back again in 2017. 

Now the focus turns to Race 3 of The Triathlon Series, at Kurnell against the Gong Wizards group again, this time with a bike leg thrown in the middle! Leading into Athletics NSW Open state 5000m track championships the following weekend & Devonport Oceania Cup Event the next (the key World U/23 Championships team Auto selection race- that will be a big one!)

Bring it on!!

I hope you’re all ready to follow the ADVENTURES OF A TRIATHLETE, hopefully filled with some great results, lessons learnt, growth & progression, laughter & spelling mishaps!

Hello 2016 & Thankyou Legends for another year of support!

Em x

December 15 Update- the magical end to a year of hard work!!

Hey Gang,

My last update to finish for 2015!

Firstly Thankyou to all those people that have taken the time to read my blog over the course of this year, I really appreciate all your support, encouragement & kind words of praise!

Secondly a quick second to reflect on how lucky I am to walk away from my first Season as a Professional a triathlete with so many boxes ticked, goals accomplished, thousands of hard miles under the belt, some massive PB's, wins, podiums, national anthems sung & lessons learnt! With the surreal bonus this sport offers of traveling to such amazing places all over the globe & making many new lifelong friendships along the way!!

I finished the season with Hamilton Island triathlon festival and then the last Asian Cup of the year in Pariaman- West Sumatra Indonesia. As my coach Mick said perfectly "the higher you go in this sport the sweeter & less likely the wins, so take them & celebrate them while you can!"

I'm just thrilled to be able to finish my end of season race campaign with two from two performances/ victories!!

Racing & travelling for my first time (and definitely not my last) to Hamilton Island was amazing. It seriously is Paradise in terms of race locations, while still providing the goods with a tough ass course, which is what I love!!

For those that haven't been its a pretty small island so to make up the sprint course distance meant plenty of hills & we're talking decent hills, a beach/ ocean swim at the crystal blue waters of Catseye Beach, a very unique feature to the race where they actually closed the international airport of Hamilton Island to allow us athletes to ride on the runway, & of course a scenic 5km run loop with you guessed it... More hills but a beach run along the shores to finish! Pretty cool, & no I haven't been paid by Hamilton Island Tourism to recruit for next years race or your next holiday although I highly recommend haha.

Travelling with 3 of my best mates from our HPT training squad who also raced & close girl friend Tanya, who is always up for any adventure, we were bound for good post race fun!!

With the likes of Emma Jackson (2012 London Olympain) and Grace Musgrove it was going to be a hot race & I planned to race hard & have a good little battle for the win! For me on race day things played in my favour & I was able to lead from the gun. 

Establishing a key lead in the swim, while working hard on the bike to pull ahead further before hitting the run where to my surprise I made it three from three, having the fastest Female run split for the event too.  Crossing the line first on cloud 9, having just beat one of my idols in the sport watching Emma in London 2012 (just before I made the move over to triathlon). Plus with a backdrop like Hamilton Island it’s hard not to have a grin from ear to ear!! I was stoked with how my little game of "catch me if you can" had played out!

Soaking up the celebrations over the next few days of a little "holiday" on the island- Scuba diving for my early 21st present, swimming with my first Sea turtle (and managed a selfie with “Crush”)  a wind surfing lesson, 'SUP’ing, One tree hill sunset dinner & drinks, a run to Passage Peak, getting my ass handed to me at put put golf & a day trip to the Whitsundays Whitehaven Beach. Which I was lucky enough to win for us as a prize from the race & generous sponsors of the event, making it a brilliant #athletelife "day in the office" & payday!

It's safe to say we had an absolute ball & will be back racing again next year! Sorry to bring it up too Dad but it is your big 50 for the race date next year... Why not come celebrate... Hehe ….planting the seed early!

With a short turn around I had my feet back on the ground in Sydney for all of 12 hours before heading back to the Airport. This time the HPT U/23 "pro team" of Liam Rapley, Brady Goodyear & myself were headed to West Sumatra - Indonesia for the Pariaman Asian Continental Cup Race, the last for the season with many athletes vying for valuable 2016 Rio Olympic Qualification points.

With enough time to unpack, repack, sit down for Dad's birthday dinner, get a few hours sleep, hit up swim squad, run, go see my horse Cherokee for a pre flight ride on her 26th birthday & quickly grab a coffee on route for my 10 am check in cut off haha. Mum has always rated time management as one of my strong points!

Landing in Padang West Sumatra is was a 180 degree change from the Paradise of Hamilton Island but with each race brings the opportunity to embrace new cultures, cities, locations, foods & people, if you chose to view it through the right mindset!

We rolled with the punches & adapted as needed, quickly learning that this race would be one that needed patience & a translator app on the phone…

Race venue was on the beach at Pariaman, about 60km up the coast from any major cities of West Sumatra. The conditions were very hot & humidity was sitting around 75% with an easy bet of thunderstorms from about 4pm every afternoon. Riding the course familiarisation with a full police escort, a military guarded athlete lounge on race day & the biggest crowds I have ever seen lining the streets & beaches all along the course it was a race I wouldn't be forgetting any time soon (although I wouldn't mind forgetting the look of rice for a while as it was served 3 meals a day)

The race played out perfectly to my favour! Knowing I was up against some strong Former Olympians in the Japanese girls I knew I had to bring my A game. With a beach start & small shore wave I quickly used my history of surf life saving to my advantage to get out in front from the start & the race soon turned into another race of "catch me if you can!" Pushing myself on the bike to maintain my solo lead I had on the chasing pack of girls I was pulling away in front further each of the 4 bike loops & quietly revving up for what might be my second Continental Cup Victory. Coming off the bike I was rewarded with a comfortable lead, Although still pushing myself to run hard off the bike to clock a 17:20, taking the victory with no chance of moving off my Cloud 9 any time soon!!!

The chance to see the Aussie flag raised, hear the National anthem & stand on top of the dias is something I strive to get more of & will carry with me as motivation when I come back from my short break now into the new year!! Proud as punch of myself & the hardwork laid down this year not only in the long hours of training but with the support of my amazing coach Mick Delamotte, my incredible family who I owe these opportunities, expanding family of friends haha, supportive mates, my home squad environment ~ HPT, the AIS NTA Program, Triathlon Australia & unreal sponsors in Avanti cycles & the gang at AvantiPlus Narrabeen, Sydney University Elite Athlete Program, Catfish Designs Swim & Active wear (Absolutely loving my custom trisuit), ProAV solutions & Le Bent!!

So what now.... (Yes it's me I always have a lot to say but I'll wrap it up now... If you've read this far) I'll settle back home, take a small break which worked perfectly to enjoy my 21st Birthday Celebrations (the 2nd of December) before competing in the North Curl Curl Surf Club ‘Three Point Challenge’ Aquathon Enduro Event, with my best mate Madi Quinn for the Star Light Foundation (A worthwhile cause very close to both of us!!) Before 2 weeks clinical Placement for my nursing Degree at Westmead Children's Hospital, my favourite day of the year - CHRISTMAS, summer time fun/ adventures & settling back into the daily #athletelife ready for a BIG 2016!!!

Stay tuned....

Thanks for all the love & support legends!!

Em xx

October Update- NTA & Hong Kong Asian Cup Race

Hi Guys,

Sorry it's been a while. It has been a busy winter for me, head down bum up working towards some big goals!  Some ticked off and a few hopefully around the corner over the next 6-12 months.

One big box ticked was my acceptance last month into the AIS & Triathlon Australia - National Talent Academy (NTA). Something i worked hard to achieve through automatic selection criteria, which involved fulfilling numerous criteria based around: strong swim, bike & run ability, endurance ability, skill sets, mental strength, family and home environment, coach-able & potential to produce "performances" in the near but distant future.

I highlight "Performances" as these are  classified as Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and ITU World Triathlon Series Podium Positions & Gold Medals, not bad hey. For me that is the ultimate dream down the long path of highs & lows along the way of this adventure.

Ultimately selection comes down to meeting the National performance standards for your age over a 1km swim & 5km run. For me, turning 21 this year these meant meeting a 12:26 swim & 16:52 run time, or in other words 93% of the current World best (100%) standards for Elite Women.
I was over the moon to tick this box & couldn't have done it without the help, guidance and hard work of my home coach Mick Delamotte and my squad coached under Mick, HPT- High Performance Tri. Along with the constant love & backing of my family, friends & sponsors; HPT, University of Sydney SURF Elite Athlete Program, Avantiplus Narrabeen, Catfish Designs, & Le Bent.

This doesn't impact too much for me day to day, but means I will have the support 7 access to top support networks, coaches, facilities, services, and other NTA athletes provided to me by the NTA program & its key sponsors, something i look forward to being a part of into 2016.

http://www.triathlon.org.au/elite/the_national_talent_academy_programme.htm



Last month I also traveled over to Hong Kong with 2 other professional athletes and close friends from HPT. We traveled over to race in the Hong Kong Asian Continental Cup Event.
http://www.triathlon.org/events/event/2015_hong_kong_astc_sprint_triathlon_asian_cup

Having raced here last year i was looking forward to travelling back for another shot, made easier with the hospitable and amazing long time family friends who live over in Hong Kong and were king enough to give me a room for the week, home cooked vego meals, and some cheering support on race day- priceless when away from home racing!

Hong Kong was hot & humid, but arriving with plenty of time to settle in we were lucky enough to get to see some of the top sights HK has to offer!!!

But a few days out i unfortunately caught a nasty bug & came down with  flu like symptoms & a lower chest infection, never ideal, especially going into a race where the competition was going to be hot!! Pushing on with a job to do and nothing more i could do than, rest, sleep, hydrate & eat well i did my best to perform on the day & overall I'm very happy with how i raced & the outcome. Walking away with 4th among competitive World Triathlon Series (WTS) athletes and recent World Cup winners.

http://www.triathlon.org/results/result/2015_hong_kong_astc_sprint_triathlon_asian_cup/272010

The swim pace was there from the start, feeling the most average i felt all day in the water I got knocked about a little more than I'm used to & enjoyed this exposure to a field of stronger swimmers, sharpening up my skills and reminding me that Good is the enemy to Great!! Coming out of the water in second with a look behind to see we would potentially have a solid front pack for the ride. The pace remained on the bike & some of the less experienced/ weaker riders soon dropped off on the hilly & reasonably technical course.

Rolling turns with the usual hustle & bustle for those not taking their fair turn & by the time i knew it we were off the bike and onto the run.

 Feeling confident easing into it i took the lead & started to pull away from our pack of us 4 runners left!

 At this point you always get a little boost, it came & faded the back end of the run & my bug i was carrying along became noticeable as i faded back in the field. With a close finish of 30 seconds separating 1st to 4th (for a Conti Cup). I was pleased and happy to finish in 4th. taking away many development lessons and skills to go away and work on before the next one. Plus some handy World Ranking Points to move me up the ladder and the prize money never goes astray!!

Up next, its back home to recover and kick this nasty bug ( a night flight at the back of the plane never helps) before getting ready to go again the end of this month in the Hamilton Island Triathlon & my last Continental Cup for the year - Pariaman in Indonesia for another Asian Cup.

Thanks again for all the support & congratulatory messages over the last month. Bring on an exciting November!! (did i mention i'm turning 21.... Woohoo!!)

X Em.