Natalie Van Coevorden- Australian Triathlete

Thank you, Danke, Gracias, Merci- I still don’t think I knew what country I was in or what country I was from. Hamburg is spectacular with beautiful buildings, the best shopping (window shopping unfortunately), an awesome place to run around the lake and thanks to the organises for mapping out the 45km training ride loop. The country side of Hamburg was something different to the inner city life and was perfect for pre and post race spin. I actually got really tired with no traffic lights to let me take a breather ;)   After Palamos World Cup the weekend before, the week leading into Hamburg was all about soaking up abit of R and R or “mad chilling” as I like to put it. After racing Hamburg last year, I knew what was coming for me- fast swim, faster bike and an even faster run. I made vital mistakes last year that I didn’t want to make again. Speaking to Jamie I knew I needed good positioning from the front end of the race to get more near the front at the end. A late...

As we are driving away from the sea breeze of the Mediterranean sea, Palamos invited us for the first ever world cup in the coastal town. A little different from what I was expecting, the course was quite demanding especially with the heat. The place was beautiful but pre race I was definitely making the most of the air conditioning in our rooms. Although Palamos does offer ultimate people watching. My first ITU race back since Madrid when I had to pull out with my ribs, I needed to prove more to myself that this month of training has got me back in the game. With all things, training provides its ups and downs- the confidence boosters, the "oh that was okay" and the "well that was rubbish wasn’t it?". Always keeps you on your toes for a race with a high quality of field. An earlier start to race morning to beat the heat, I felt pretty relaxed or I tried to put a chilled face, nerves are always around. Now that I look back at race start, I had so much choice...

I am sure as you read the heading, The Sound of Music’s lyrics "My favourite things" started playing in your head. I am sorry if it is now stuck in your head the whole day. Mine don’t include "Raindrops on roses and Whiskers on Kittens, Bright Copper Kettle and Warm Woolen Mittens" but June in Vitoria has made me realise my favourite things over here. We are well and truly settled in now and I couldn’t ask for a better environment to be in. So what does Vitoria have to offer? Favourite food-Menu del dia To end a hard week, on a Sunday, our training squad gets together once a month and we create our own menu del dia. Everyone is on a different food item, that we bring and share. Sometimes I can’t believe how we can eat it all but everyone always puts there masterchef hats on and make delicious dishes. It’s perfect for a Sunday as a food coma makes it easy to lie down and catch up on some sleep after having such a big lunch. I am in my element and enjoy t...