August Update ~ on the move chasing the sun!!

Hey hey! 

August has been a crazily busy month on the  move. Around the world in 4 days & setting a new PB of 3 continents in just 96 hours!! 

 But let's start back towards the beginning with the World University Games Triathlon Championships held in Nyon Switzerland on the first Sunday of this month. I was very proud of my selection into the Triathlon Australia & Uniroo's squad to have the opportunity to put on the green & gold again & represent Australia and The University of Sydney too. 

I have been involved in the University of Sydney Sport & Fitness Elite Athlete Program since I left school and started my Bachelor of Nursing Degree in 2013. They have backed & supported me 100% & enabled me to continue studying through my triathlon commitments, despite some unique study patterns... With my degree almost completed it was an honour to go out & do USYD proud. 

Nyon, where the race was held, is about 15km out of Geneva, with 360 degree views of the Swiss & French Alps surrounding Lake Geneva where the town sits. It certainly made for a spectacular few days!! 

The event was extremely well organised & ran by FISU (International University Sports Federation) with over 26 different countries competing from across the globe & some deep fields in both the men & women's events. 

The Opening ceremony parade was something special, walking in with the Australian Flag & my teammates. Set on the Nyon town hill where Ancient Roman pillars stand, with a beautiful back drop over the lake & some cultural performances it was a great evening.

Ironically it was on the same day & about the same time as the Rio Olympians would be walking into the Opening ceremony to begin the games! Pretty cool, a little taste of what I'm chasing!!

The World University Games Championship Triathlon course was a true tough course! My kind of racing. It was a 3 lap 1500m lake swim with a long 400m steep uphill transition before 40km on the bike with one sharp climb each lap & some technical sections, and a 10km run to finish things off! 

Race day came & us Elite women had a 9.15am start. I went into the event ranked number 2 which was pretty awesome! The water of Lake Geneva was super choppy as the wind had come up & was blowing onshore. It was so bad that the Men who started later in the day were forced to wear a wetsuit due to the "dangerous conditions." 

Needless to say, us chicks are tough & kicked things off in the tough conditions, even swimming a long 1800m instead of 1500m due to the buoy moving off course in the wind. For me it was just like being back in the surf on a rough day, you beauty.

The chop ensured the field spread out pretty quick & hopping out of the water there was a clear gap between the top 7 of us & the rest of the field. The legs were stinging from the get go with a long stead hill climb run out of the water & to our bikes, & the pace was on to get away with a small group of us on the bike. This worked to plan with 4 of us getting away together off the front on the bike for the first 10km before we were joined by 3 more athletes to make up the front pack of 7 for the next 20km. We worked okay as a group with some athletes purposely choosing not to take their turn on the front for their own benefit later on in the run. Annoying for those of us working extra hard to try & stay away but hey, that's all part of the tactics & strategy of ITU draft legal racing & I do love it!! 

For me I wanted to put in a hard 40km bike leg to get off with tired legs & run, all great practice for the big dance later next month in Cozumel at the world champs over the same distance. So I was working hard on the front and powering up the climbs leading each lap which was pleasing. Unfortunately though with 5km to go on the last lap the motivated chasers behind caught us & we got off the bike with a pack of 20 women. 

It's easy to be frustrated with this as we could have stayed away had we of worked better together but as a glass half full person this meant in my head that I now had the opportunity for plenty of competition on the run! Many went out hard & faded but some went out hard & stuck & that's were they stayed till the finish line, a crucial point for me which may have cost me a few positions as I was a touch slow working my way into the run over the first km & never fully closed that gap to the leaders in front. Needless to say, the little battles were there & I was pleased to back end my last 3km, finishing strong & crossing the line in 7th position in what was a close finish for the title & minor placings of World University Games Triathlon Champion! Congratulations to all who raced & cheer's to the friendships made with like minded athletes & academics over the 5 days in Nyon.

Walking away proud of my race execution and outcome & confident with my processes that got me there. Looking forward to the next 5 weeks ahead to build on these into Cozumel!

With 2 days before my flight home to Vitoria-Gasteiz Basque Country (Spain) it meant I had time to explore, my favourite activity out of triathlon & in my second favourite country- SWITZERLAND!! The chance to see new sights & wonders of this world! 

So I set off the day after the race for a "recovery ride" into the Swiss alps, climbing up 2000m before crossing the border into France, pretty cool stuff! Descending back with insane views of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, and panoramic views over Lake Geneva. 

The following day I packed my bike up & headed to Geneva for the day, returning to some legend spots which we had exploded in 2014 as a family & finding new ones for myself. 

An evening flight back to Bilbao & drive back home to Vitoria Gasteiz for what would kick off many nostalgic "lasts." The last swim, ride, run, coffee & pinchos stop, cruise through the town center & night sleep in what had come to be my home! Finishing off the weeks training & packing my .... Overweight.... Bags ready to fly to my real home in Sydney (via Madrid & Dubai) with one Beautiful mum, family, friends, horse & dogs waiting to greet me! 

I'm very lucky to have had such a terrific European season debut & loved every minute of my experience racing, training, learning & growing as an Athlete & as a person with so many great opportunities, support staff, coaches & athletes! Along with meeting new friends & training partners & diving into the culture here! Vitoria-Gasteiz, my second home, i'll be back next year! The endless summers have just began!!!

* Time zone 1 - Central European time* .......

At the same time I was boarding my first of many flights over the next few days (44 hours of flight time total as a matter of fact ... And I'm still not crazy) the Wollongong Wizard training group athletes who were headed to Rio were boarding there's!! Racing on the 18th & 20th of August on Copacabana Beach in Rio. What an amazing experience to have been able to train & live with these guys in their lead up to the biggest ITU triathlon event in every 4 years! 

Arriving home early in the morning it was time to squeeze in as much as I could in my 4 days at home before I was back in the Sydney International Airport departures! I am so lucky to have the most amazing family & friends around me to support me on this dream chasing mission, Thankyou for the love & understanding & quick catch ups that I got!  I won't carry on except to say the first thing I did (after a hug & cry with my Supa mum & darling sister who flew home to say hello) was hop on my horse Cherokee for a bareback ride like no time had passed, a cup or two of the world best coffee Sydney has to offer, along with a dip in the Pacific Ocean & a home cooked roast dinner! 

* Time zone 2 - AEST * .........

96 hours at home over 5 months is nothing, and it flew by.

 Back on the plane & this time headed for the United States of America! My first time to the US! Another long haul flight, dodgey airplane food & delayed flights before landing into the perfect paradise that is Destin, Florida. 

* time zone 3 - Central American Time Zone *...........

Here to see my good friend J.P, a local legend who I was lucky enough to meet on her travels to Australia after befriending my best mate Madi in the US on the Beach lifeguarding. All water babies it was impossible that the 3 of us wouldn't hit it off as great mates, & after hearing all of Madi's awesome stories about Destin, well I had to stop by for a few days & see it for myself! 

That didn't mean no training as I was welcomed into the heat & humidity that I was after for my prep into Cozumel, having one of the tougher runs I've done after a crazy few days travel & in the heat of the day... Rookie error! With many sweaty rides, runs & swims over the next few days I was able to explore the coast heading towards both Panama City & Pensacola on my rides, and remembering to stick to the right hand side of roads and footpaths! 

Destin was like a dream, an absolute awesome town on the Gulf of Mexico, with some of the best stretches of beach I've ever seen! A brilliant day on Crab Island with the amazing Magee family, jet skiing & playing on inflatables (I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard for a solid hour of fun)

 Soaking up the Crystal blue water, white sand & the sunshine of Destin, Seaview & Panama City with Jourdan & the Magee's.

 Take a look at this pics above, words can't describe how amazing these beaches are! Taken up like part of the family here by the amazing group of people here!! I will be back! 

Time to pack the bike again after a fun few days training & catching up as I was heading east (yep on another 2 flights... My passport is almost full haha ) 

* Time zone 4- Eastern American Time Zone*...........

Happy to be able to settle in, this time to a totally new country, town & "home" in Orlando Florida for a tough 3 weeks ahead!! Training camp time, and lucky to have my Coach Mick here to facilitate! With the great National Training Center facilities right on our door step & plenty of clay trails for running & endless lake country to ride & explore... on and plenty of lakes if you fancy taking on the GATORS!! Along with the perfect conditions here to acclimatise to the pretty extreme heat & humidity that we will get on race day! With a daily temp sitting above 35 degrees & humidity around the 60-80%. Not to mention ocean temps of 28 degrees I hear in Cozumel, woah!

So ... Head down, bum up & pumped to knuckle down for the last few weeks of work before my first Elite Aussie team World champs and the big race- the ITU Grand Final World Championships. Set in the island paradise of Cozumel Mexico! 

Not bad hey? 

And yep that means a few more flights. This time from Orlando to Miami & onto Cancun, before a ferry over to the island.

Stay tuned!

 The athlete life hey!! Trust me, we work our butts off!

Thanks as always for the endless support on this journey!

Em X 

July update- Europe, Family, & the best race yet!

Hopppa!

( A new word I've grown to love here in VitoriaGasteiz Basque Country, its translation isn't clear but you happily yell it to other riders on the road as you pass & it means something along the lines of "Yewww" or "go go go"- a bit of fun)

So Yewww to July! It's been an awesome month & ive soaked up every second of it!

Here's a recap through my eyes (goggles, helmet & oakleys) ...

Order another coffee or please sit down, it's another long one, I hope I'm making my English teacher proud haha.

I started the month where many athletes spend large chunks of time, one guess?

The airport. On route to Amsterdam from Bilbao with training buddies Luke William & Grace Musgrove. We were heading to Holten, about a 2 hours drive from Amsterdam in the Dutch countryside & home to a long standing European Premium Cup, meaning it's worth double points & double prize money. Attracting some good names to the start list, that's Europe for you- depth of field & it means you need your A game every race to be rewarded.

Grace & I hired a car to road trip it out to Holten, the biggest struggle not being direction but the Tetris game that was packing a tiny European car with 2 bikes, one suitcase & one giant suitcase .... Whoops... Plus us!

Arriving in Holten with a day of rest pre race which is always nice...  and okay enough time to discover the famous Dutch StroopWaffles! Amazing!!

Race day came & it was a bit of a different race with a split transition meaning we changed swim to bike at one location, road 8km into town before doing 2 technical loops in town with one hill each lap (probably the biggest and only hill in the whole Ducth countryside). Transitioning in the heart of town before heading out for a 4 lap run though the cobbled & crowd lined streets. Holten puts on a show & it was a really great race. Rain on race day never phases me, it's not the nicest sure but rewards those with the skills on the bike, a big thunderstorm mid race meant we had wet roads & slippery corners to deal with which saw even the leaders (excellent riders) come down. A lesson for all I think.

I finished just off the podium leaders in a tight finish with a battle for 6th, 7th & 8th. I am really pleased with how my run is progressing this season & was proud of my Race execution to take 7th.

(Not saying it was perfect, far from it & like every races, key lessons were learnt & reiterated)

From here I got the train back to Amsterdam with a free day to explore that pretty spectacular city! For anyone who has had the privilege to roam the streets on bike or foot I'm sure you can agree, it's an experience everyone should tick off! Avoiding any coffee but taking a stop in to try a few cheeses- yum! The afternoon was spent with a Map in hand, a pen to circle all the key sights and a hired bike for the day. I was set & loved my day exploring, getting lost & stumbling upon some pretty awesome sights, streets, canals, museums, churches, cafes & views along the way!

Next stop- Eastern Europe & onto Hungary, I had a little less than a week until the next race in Tiszaujvaros, the longest standing World Cup with the first ever event held there in 1996 (it's 20th anniversary this year). Because Hungarian is a quite a hard language to speak (& I'm a sucker for foreign dialects) we refer to it as "Tizzy". And every triathlete not living under a rock has heard about the great stories that have come out of the famous Tizzy (and its Hungarian Camelot night club, but you certainly didn't hear that from me). I was lucky to have Mick there coaching a Junior & youth European Development camp, working with some great hard working kids. I was lucky enough to work with these guys & Mick as a mentor over my time in Tizzy, running though my pre race sets,  (being pushed by some speedy junior boys) my routine leading into a World Cup and a Chat with the guys about my story, challenges & lessons with a good Q & A. I'll always grab a chance to give back to something I love & was very appreciative of this opportunity, so thanks to Mick & the European Triathlon Union.

Tizzy lived up to its reputation, I got my town tour seeing the main spots- Hotel Phoenix, the "lake" (pond), the Tizzy Triathlon clubhouse, excellent outdoor 50m pool, town square (which hosts a loud & lively party every night of the race week!! I soon found Mumma Rosa's restaurant too ( There vegetarian calzone pizza is a must) & the park at the end of the street with an awesome 900m loop (just 100m off being perfect, come on Tizzy).

Tizzy was a unique format in that we raced back to back in a semi final & final format. Saturday hosted the semi final, where the top 14 girls would progress through to the final on Sunday. I was in semi final 1, starting at 3.30 pm and the first elite race of the day. The courses also differ between the semi & final, I LOVE the concept! Brought me back to my old surf life saving days for the iron man event, with heats, semis & finals and a different course each round.

Saturday was a big day, with my 3rd World Cup that afternoon I also had the brilliant arrival of my beautiful family! The 6 of us reunited after close to 7 weeks apart! Bear Hugs all round, I was so happy and now, now I was ready to race, absolutely pumped to execute this semi & earn my spot in the final!

The thing about the Tizzy lake is that like the town itself it's quite small, so for 750m we had a 3 lap, close looped swim with the first buoy only 102m away. For anyone that's had experience in a mass start, that first buoy can be congested when it's 300m away. So it was on from the go. I hit the swim & executed well on process to make it clear around the course & exit the water in front with a small group of 7 girls close together. We worked HARD & we worked well together on the 2 lap ride, essentially shutting the race down from there for an easier run to make it home with a spot in the final. I felt good & went out comfortable, sitting with former world champion Paula Findlay from Canada, the last lap, starting to think about the final I really brought it back & finished in 2nd.

Very proud of my race execution & thrilled to progress into Sunday's Final ranked 3rd!

 (A big goal of mine ticked off- starting in a World Cup series event ranked as a single digit. Today was a good day!!)

Jumping straight onto all aspects of recovery because i wasn't done there, I had a final to execute on tomorrow!! But I was able to stop and enjoy a great "post race" dinner with my family & coach. Content, and as my Supa Mum would hashtag #soakingupthe6ofus

Sunday- finals Day!

Pre race routine, shaking out the fatigue of yesterday! I was ready to roll for the real race! Having had a taste yesterday for the swim course & some of my competitors. While mum & dad enjoyed a Hungarian beer in the sun I lined up, chatting over some final processes to execute on with Mick.

Funny how things play out as the key points we discussed played out in the race!

Getting third pick on the start line, feeling nervously sick to the sound of the final heart beat start music it was off & racing! Thinking I had established clear water with the girls up front beside me, I was swamped when we hit the first can at about 101 m and quite literally went under & then to a stand still, not panicking I used my surf experience to regain composure & build my way back up to the leaders over the next 2 laps so that by the 3rd Lap I was back sitting in 2nd on the leaders feet, as coach Mick would say, tick.

Getting on the bike with a front pack of 7 girls, this time riding a 8 lap (2.5km) criterium style course, spectator friendly, tight, technical & loud as the crowds of up to 5000 boom in the spectator stands that line the street! We had a 22sec gap on the BIG group of chasers, we worked hard but weren't making any ground on the motivated chasers & they gradually closed the gap to get off the bike a mere 12 seconds behind us.

The run was on! Race winner Renee Tomlin was in a league of her own on the run, going off the front from the start with the rest of our pack settling in pushing the pace. The top chasers started to come through pretty quick and here was the real challenge to hang on & push harder, something I struggled with in my last 2  (and first 2) Wolrd Cup races.

The battles were there for me, and I am very proud of my run I executed on the day here, my best to date. The last lap was one I'll remember as I surged & went from "satisfied" sitting in 8th to finishing "thrilled" in 5th at my 3rd ever World Cup. A big lesson was learnt right there.

Safe to say I was over the moon! Very proud of myself, for my coach & the hard work we have put in over the last block & that today it was rewarded with a performance. Because as many athletes know, sometimes our efforts on race day don't reflect the hard work we have been putting in at training. Today was a day I will remember forever.

 I was surrounded by my family, with tears of joy from my beautiful mum, a giant proud bear hug off my dad, the screams of my sister Meg & chief hair braider, & the proud smiles & hugs off my bothers who got to see their first World Cup! I had done them proud!

Finishing my time in tizzy with the famous on stage dance off for the Top 20 athletes who get presented with medals & a MASSIVE town applause as you hop on stage in the centre square & for me it was quite literally a "hop" as I skipped/ danced & embarrassed myself like kangaroo across the stage all in good Fun. Soaking up some sister time with a night off & good dance to top of an awesome week in Tizzy.

That 4.30 am Monday morning transfer back to Budapest stung & to my joy dad had booked a 8 hour Bike tour of Budapest starting at 10am. Our very own Tour de France in the 30 + degree heat. Jokes aside, I LOVED Budapest. A fantastic city, so rich in History & breathtaking sights such as St Stephens Cathedral, The Buda Castle, Fisherman Bastillion, St Matthias Cathedral, Heroes Square, Hungarian Parliament & the thermal baths! We hired bikes for 2 days & toured museums, dipped in the thermal pools, ate where the locals ate & explored this marvellous city as a family, soaking up a few days off for me with the fam bam.

Next stop was Helsinki Finland, heading North. The family time continued as I was lucky enough to explore these new destinations. What better way than swimming, running & biking your way through a new city too!! Just ask my dad when he realised we had to bring my bike on our flights & transfers. Sorry not sorry. Haha. Back to training (having researched the local pools, loops & parks) but able to make the most of my time abroad- highlights were a Cycle tour through the city of Helsinki, a  day Trip to UNESCO world heritage island of Strasbourg just out of Helsinki and our cruise trip across the Baltic to Tallinn Estonia.

#soakingupthe6ofus - was trending this week!

Flying "home" to Spain where my own disrupted travel plan changes (always a joy at London Heathrow airport) meant I rebooked flights & spent 2 days in San Sebastián before I got on the bus back to Vitoria Gastiez & my family headed home back to Sydney. Joined by my extended family from London who we were lucky enough to share a house with right on the Waters edge in San Sebastián, a few steps and you were on Playa de la Concha & in the water! Seafood dinners, hilly (but rewarded with amazing views) runs & rides, island swims with my dad, pontoon slide fun with the boys & showing the family how well the Spanish do Pintxos or tapas... & gelato!

I arrived back to Vitoria Gasteiz after a few days longer abroad than expected but I was refreshed & ready to get back into the group training environment! Pushed by one another every session!! Unfortunately my body had other plans as I came down with the gastro super bug that had passed though our living complex. No one needs to be to told how awful gastro is, I nursed myself for 4 days & tried to sleep it off & keep some fluids down.

My timing was off as this all correlated with my last German Bundesliga race in Tubingen for the grand final & I was pretty devastated to not be able to perform for my TV Lemgo team Komet here, having to give my first DNF. But literally my body had nothing & the race was deep with some big names, usually a massive excitement for me to race with these girls but not today, I wanted bed. Our team had an awesome season though overall to finish 2nd on the rankings & I was lucky enough to hold onto 3rd in the individual ranks. I certainly hope to be back next year racing for team Komet in the Bundesliga, an awesome style of hard, fun racing, making friends along the way!

Listening to the body & cautious to give myself the rest I need to fully kick this bug in the butt & get my fuel & fluid back up to 100% meant I had a few frustrating days training as I was left behind to take it easy but patience works as I am finishing the week back to full work, feeling great & back to my usual self! Hopppa!!!

Lastly ( I promise), I was rewarded with an email this week to confirm my automatic nomination (from winning the Australian championships in Devonport) with selection by Triathlon Australia into the U/23 Triathlon World Championship Grand Final in Cozumel Mexico this September. I'm thrilled to officially be on my First Elite team for Triathlon Australia & can't thank Triathlon Australia, the NTA program, my coach, family, friends or brilliant sponsors enough for your continued support, help & guidance as I chase the dream!!

July, by the length of this update you were pretty jam packed with Awesomeness (is that even a word)

Bring on August, as I finish my block here in Vitoria Gasteiz with my final race in Europe, representing Australia & The University of Sydney at the World University Games Triathlon event in Nyon Switzerland, proving an impressive start list!!

Then it's time to pack, board my flights home & start my last training block over in the heat in Florida leading into the Elite U/23 World Championships in Cozumel Mexico! Along side Mick & my training group here who I will join over in the States for our lead in.

I guess there's nothing more to say than...

BRING IT ON!

As always, thanks for reading legends! I hope you enjoy the look inside my head!

Adios,

Em. X