Scody Aussie Long Course Champs

Unfortunately I had to watch this one from the sidelines. I had to take it easy after Geelong and get over the chest infection once and for all.
I am a good spectator, I don't itch to be out there. If I was itching to be out there- I would be! I had lots of friends and TriSpecific training partners out there racing, and it was great to see some really well deserved PRs.
Congrats to Leon Griffin, who absolutely smashed it, and Nicole Ward the new Aussie champs.
Nicole was very close to Abi Bayley from the UK going into the last lap of the run. Kristian and I counted the time gap for her, and he gave her one of his trademark yells that turns everyones heads! "YOU CAN DO THIS NICOLE, IT'S YOURS, ONLY A MINUTE AND A HALF, COME ON" with heartfelt passion and enthusiasm. I'm used to being on the receiving end of such a yell and it welled tears in my eyes. I knew what she must have been feeling...I could see the concentration on her face...when you are giving it everything...and you get that extra burst of adrenalin when you hear someone yell like that...
It's hard to explain, but very exciting, and I found myself thinking "I can't wait to race again..."

Charlotte

Art of Tri- Thank you!

I've just received some awesome t's and hoodies from Art of Tri.
They make organic cotton casual wear, that's super soft, with cool looking triathlon designs.
Check them out at Art of Tri
Thanks Toby.

Charlotte

Mental training

This was sent to me by a friend.

"Testing the capacity for survival doesn't necessarily require being placed in harsh surroundings. All of us, whether living at an extreme or protected by an advanced society, are surrounded by emotional and mental, if not physical, obstacles. We spend most of our lives on the near side of these barriers, even as we long to surmount them. We take the easy way out, arguing, often with much validity, that to do so is safer or more practical. If, however, we gather the will to cross over the obstacle, to confront the emotion or solve the problem, we gain strength from it. Telling the truth, making the sacrifice, doing the job though there won't be any recognition for it - these are mental exercises that strengthen will as much as physical exercise strengthens muscle. Such efforts actually form nerve connections in the brain that make it easier to overcome an obstacle the next time. Moreover, if we persist in the face of adversity, we often get a 'second wind', much as an endurance runner when he refuses to quit. The unexpected energy can carry us much farther than we ever thought possible and allow us to triumph over seemingly unsurmountable odds."

Kamler, Kenneth, 2004, Surviving the Extremes, St Martins Press, New York , p 279

Charlotte

Geelong 70.3

I finished in 10th place in 4.42.
I can't say that I am disappointed. There is a direct cause and effect relationship.
Not in race shape= not great result.
I came back from camp with a chest infection and am on antibiotics. I am fit and strong, but with no top end at the moment. When the gun went I was left behind.

A week ago I wanted to pull out of the race, but instead decided to use it as a training day. I am pleased that I was able to put my ego to one side and just have the best day that I could. It's a very hard thing to do. It is a shame that this is the only 70.3 in Australia, and so I did want to do well, and had been really looking forward to racing. It's tough lining up against a World Class field knowing you are going to get a whooping!

In my five years in triathlon, this was my first time racing in Victoria.
It was a great location, we had fantastic weather and a huge amount of spectators. I love courses that are a lot of laps, and thats just what it was. The swim was flat as a pancake, the bike course could be fast but the wind really picked up, and the run was up and down and kept you interested.
The day was fun and I look forward to returning there next year- in better form.

Onwards and upwards from here. Time to get healthy, and back on track for IM Australia. I love our doctor- he suggested I spend the week working on "changeovers" :) Actually he is the best doctor I have ever had. He is so positive and enthusiastic he is a pleasure to go visit.

Charlotte

Falls Creek

I've just returned from the Victorian Alps, Falls Creek, where I was on a Challenge Corp Camp. It was a great week in a perfect training location.
It has altitude, great roads, 30km climbs, running trails and an outdoor pool just down the road...and I was there with some awesome training partners.
In true Challenge Corp style we did some epic days to remember.

The third day will be one I will never forget.
We rode from Falls Creek across Towonga Gap, through Harrietville, up Mt Hotham, through dinner plain, Omeo, then...the fun part!
Everyone bar 5 of us got in the van. The remainder of the ride, about 40kms, was expected to be another climb. It turned out to the the most fun part of the day; a super smooth road, on the side of the mountain, with beautiful sweeping bends that were an absolute pleasure to ride.

However, that's where our luck ran out...
The van that was meant to meet us was nowhere to be seen. So we kept moving forward. The beautiful road surface had become the climb we were expecting, but on a dirt track. On road bikes it was pretty ridiculous, on my TT bike it was absolutely ludicrous!

We were running out of daylight, in the middle of woop woop, riding at a max of 8km/h on the flats, 4km/hr on the uphill sections, we had 37ks of track ahead of us...by our calculations we were in trouble! Thanks to Brenton's clever thinking we let some air out of our tires to increase traction.

Smolly (Mark Smolonogov), whose 22nd birthday it was, went from positive exuberant youth to absolute dismay. He came up with quote of the camp;
His dad had asked him what he wanted for his birthday? He was going to tell him " a series of psychiatric treatments after this insane camp".

After a couple of hours at moving at the painfully slow pace, and having to walk for sections, we started rationing our food and thinking of plans of survival. The van eventually came, and I have never been so happy to see someone. After setting out at 6am, we returned to the lodge at 7.30pm.

A truly epic day. One that built a lasting camaraderie. We stuck together and looked out for each other, and I feel fortunate to have such great people to train with. Smolly gave me a big hug and said it was a birthday he will never forget:)

The camp was a great start to the year, and built a solid foundation of strength endurance. Thank you John and Kristian for organising it so well, and our camp sponsors; hypo2, Compex, High5 and Clarence St Cyclery.

We did some long days, so now its time for some speed!

Charlotte

No guts no glory!

I really admire Kris Gemmel for going for it and then Bevan Docherty for not giving up.
It makes me want to race!