Natalie Van Coevorden- Australian Triathlete

A different start to 2015                         There are far better things ahead of us, than any we leave behind. Normally I would be writing to you about my season overview or me sitting 1600m above sea level in the clouds in Falls Creek. But this year has been different from the start.  Post surgery was about rebuilding me as a better and stronger athlete and now 8 months post, I can say we have been pretty successful at that. In saying that though, we haven’t finished yet. It has given me time too mentally and physically refresh, being in my home environment and focus solely on myself; what I needed to do, to get better. Putting all three disciplines together, meant working on each individually to build up strength and confidence to get back and do my first triathlon after 7 months. And you know what, it felt awful! I have done three triathlons since then and thankfully, it has felt better everyt...

Burragorang lookout Without a doubt, it’s a very deceivingly hilly ride out but the best tailwind and downhill back. The lookout is about 45km from home and on a perfect day, you get a view like this. When I took this picture, I left home when it was 0 degrees outside and I don’t think it was much warmer by the time I got up there. It’s a perfect ride to soak up the country roads and not have to worry about cars or traffic lights and you are bound to get a good view everytime. Aquafit Being only 5 minutes from my house, I am so lucky to be supported by such a great facility. New renovated, it has all the equipment I need for my strength and conditioning part of training and plenty of gym mats to lay on when I am tired.   I don’t know if everyone gets scared when I jump in the pool, but I tend to have a whole inside pool to myself most days. One of my favourite sessions in the pool at the moment is 4 x 100m threshold on the 1.20 cycle and with 2 x 50m faster on the ...

My rollercoaster ride definitely started with a big dip when I first jumped on at the start of this year.  There was nothing I could do but just hold on and go for the ride. Yes, it was frustrating. Yes, it was scary. But I had to start from the bottom to start my painfully slow journey up and I decided that I might as well enjoy the view on the way. I wake up every morning thinking about where in the world I could be right now, but for now my home in Campbelltown is where my ride begins. I am not a fan of winter. My feet are ice blocks in summer as it is. I had to dig to the bottom of my drawers to find my thermals, leg warmers and winter jackets. Balmy 4 degree mornings aren’t as inviting as they sound. I now have had a chance to really explore the roads around my home going along the back roads of Camden and Cobbity. I often get quite distracted looking at big country homes and sussing out my dream house. I have already put my name on a few for future r...

Yes it has already been two months! Over the past few weeks some of the no’s in my training  have turned into yes's as I turned a wee corner in the recovery process. After my surgery I needed a change of scenery. Trust me -  I love home and everything that comes with it but being able to start the month in NZ and finish in Queensland was awesome. Spending time outside my usual environment has helped me a lot with recovery. Christchurch was awesome with its relaxed lifestyle but was quite a bit fresher than where I finished the month in Port Douglas. I decided before I left, if I crocodile was chasing me, I would fulfil my urge to bolt after 3 months of no running. Happily it did it not happen! By the looks of things, I have come back a few shades darker so there is no need for fake tan just yet ;) For a while everyday felt like Groundhog Day. It now feels awesome to be back training and getting i...

Week 1   Probably the best week of sleep I have had in my life. I soaked up 12 hour sleeps every day and with ease could have slept for longer except I was starving! I learnt a lot about how I could move, how I could get up my stairs and how to work these other 2 legs given to me. I always had an urge to swing on them as if they were play toys or just run amuck on them. Probably not the smartest idea. Big thank you to Mum who became my nurse; changing my ice pack and bringing me painkillers at all hours. A pretty scary moment for me or anyone was when my mind told my leg to lift and nothing happened. It was like nothing was connected. It was a week of a lot of ups and downs, trying to find ways to fill in my time and take my mind away from triathlon. To my surprise it actually went pretty quick. Baking, reading, movies and a little random I did a latch hook pillow. Week 2 I got the all clear to walk without crutches and my 4 stitches were removed. Just because my st...

From what I thought was a tight hip before Devonport, unfortunately X-rays, ultrasounds and MRI showed up much more thereafter. Yesterday I had a hip arthroscopy. Simply this means, I went into surgery to repair and remove a tear in the labrum of my hip (the cartilage).They also did a femur osteotomy where they shaved down bone that was impinging on the tear. It blows my mind away that it was amazingly done with only 3 small holes and only 4 stitches.   As you all can imagine, It's been a pretty big few weeks emotionally and mentally and tell you what, I am tired. I was lucky to have my own room with a big TV and internet that I could play around with. Although last night post surgery, all I wanted to do was sleep and eat. I had fasted for 24 hours so I was pretty stoked to see Mum brought me Easter eggs as I was starving! The painkillers worked there magic and the pulsing machine on my legs made it easy to sleep. When I first got told surgery was a possible outc...

You are probably all wondering, what is a pleasant activity? As some say triathlon is our life and we become so immersed into training and racing, it is nice to get away and switch off from thoughts/feelings related to this. Activities that make me feel a sense of enjoyment, relaxation and optimize recovery are important to have in our day to day life. These can be from baking, sleeping, sitting at a coffee shop or catching up on trashy tv. But one of my favourite activities is going home on weekends to see my family and friends. Like they say "home is where the heart is". As soon as I pull up in the driveway, my dog is most likely the first one to greet me with a wagging tail and a bath full of dog saliva. Not sure why I had a shower before I left. She acts like I haven’t seen her in years and I know she has missed me. She is a pretty ideal sleeping companion when the floor feels more comfortable than the couch. Although my house is no where near the beach...