“So many people along the way, whatever it is
you aspire to do, will tell you it can't be done. But all it takes is
imagination. You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There
will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with
confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits. “
These inspirational
words come courtesy of Michael Phelps and going into 2013 will help me to form
my goals and focus on the year ahead.
December
was spent at Falls Creek. We were lucky to have Bobby McGee, an American
running coach, to help us with drills and techniques that can be used in our
everyday training environment. Falls
Creek is a perfect opportunity to work on comments from Bobby and to concentrate
on what I need to do to improve performance. This year we did something
different with Bobby - a group mental skills session. Is it worth it? What are
you afraid of? Can you deal? How well can you execute? This got me thinking
about the things I do best as well as things I can improve on. 2013, a new
year, is an excellent opportunity to start fresh.
Falls has the
best vending machine catering for our essential needs. Time up there goes so
quick and before I knew it, we were packing up ready to go home. I don’t like
mentioning the weather but when its 40 degrees in Brisbane, it was funny to
think we would have a few inches of snow. It was my white Christmas that we
will never have here in Australia. To end our pretend Christmas and time at
Falls for 2012, we organized a family Christmas dinner with silly hats, Bon Bon
jokes, an overdose on ham and secret Santa presents. It was a nice way to end.
I would like to thank Berta for keeping me intact during our stay in Falls with massages to
complete my daily training.
Probably
not the best birthday present, but a seven hour drive home from Falls Creek was
in order. I was excited to get home and spend time with my family. I walked in
the door to this stunning cake and a few presents. I am finally out of my
terrible teens. I suppose I should be grateful I even got my 20th, as
the 21st of December was meant to be the end of the world but hey we
are all still alive yeah?
Christmas
was only a few days later and it felt like I was having my third Christmas
within a few days. Like an excited child, I was wide awake two hours before the
rest of my family, just waiting to hear movement upstairs. The rain didn’t dim
spirits and I had a wonderful day with my family. With all my new technology -
my kindle, new laptop and my Iphone 5, I had plenty of time to become a
technology genius and try and work out these 21st century gadgets(joking).
Thanks to HUUB for the new skinsuit, wetsuit and visors- the Australian post
courier felt like Santa. Christmas is always over quick but with my house
filled with a giant Christmas tree, Christmas decorations everywhere and
Christmas lights out the front, the festive season is more than just one day.
It is now
2013 and I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas with family and friends and
enjoyed their time off work to share in once in a life time memories. The
fireworks always finish the year with a bang and the Sydney ones put on a
show!! My brother has helped me put together a review for 2012, summing up what
the year brought with a short video via this link
So what’s in store for 2013? I don’t know but I
have 365 days to work it out : )
ITU season overall Driving home from our caving experience in December 2017 with my previous psychologist Jason Patchell, we spoke about what I wanted to achieve this year and how I was going to do it. One of the main things he asked me was what I wanted to set as an overall series goal for the WTS series. After placing 21 st last year, I said a top 15 would be a good progression forward. He looked at me said " what about a top 10? " I tossed it back and forward in my mind wandering if It was a possibility. We finished that conversation with why not make it a challenge and how I was going to get there with other key processes throughout the season. One of my key themes for the year was having confidence in the whole picture. Starting my WTS season with a podium in Abu Dhabi really set the tone for the year and was a big driving force for my confidence and my ability to compete against the best girls in the world. That race was...
October is a month I really look forward to with two consecutive weekends of hard racing at home in Australia! I was feeling good leading up to Nepean and Noosa. I had a month of consistent sessions and I could see improvement every week especially in my running speed. This time of year I can train when I want and you certainly appreciate the skill involved in coaching when you are under your own guidance. I put old fashioned pen to paper to detail my training weeks and then set about ticking off each session. The morning of the Nepean was absolutely freezing. I had gloves, tights and headwear on just to keep warm and I was still shaking. It was a wetsuit swim for the first time in the 6 years that I have competed and I was glad of the added protection. The women’s field was pretty small and I lead out with five of us exiting the water together. I was a little disappointed with the swim based on how well I have been swimming but the cold was definitely a factor. In the fi...
From one place to another, March seems a blur. I travelled home from Abu Dhabi still so happy that finally I could put together a race I have been capable of. Although the season is long with the Grand Final in September, it is pretty surreal sitting now in third place on the WTS rankings. Thanks to everyone that sent me kind messages of support and for following my journey thus far. I had a busier week than normal post Abu Dhabi with a few media commitments and getting organised to go away for a month of racing. A good case of jet lag gave me a roller coaster sleep pattern as my body couldn’t decide what time zone it liked better. I lined up the weekend after Abu Dhabi to race Mooloolaba World Cup. After racing it five times before, I knew what to expect. Big swell, humidity and a tough course, Mooloolaba is always a good test. I exited the water with the main contentions and knew that would put me in a good position for the rest of the race. The bike ...
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