Auckland and San Diego WCS

Since leaving my training base in Canberra I have done a fair bit of travelling with the first stop being Auckland. This was supposed to be my first World Champs Series race and I was really excited and looking forward to the challenge.

However it wasn’t meant to be, because as soon as I stepped off the plane in Auckland I started to feel unwell, and then it went downhill from there. I was feverish, nauseas and couldn’t keep anything down, I had picked up some sort of gastric bug at the worst possible time. Having not kept any food down for 3 days we had to make the decision to withdraw. I was so frustrated and watching all the girls race was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, but at the same time was really happy for all my training pals racing especially Annie Haug on the win. So fair to say I was pretty pleased to leave Auckland, I had seen enough of the four walls in my bedroom.

The next stop was Sedona, USA for a short bit of training to try and put myself together again in time for San Diego.

I had a huge pick me up as my husband flew out to meet me, having not seen him for three and a half months as he is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan has been tough. However we have both big ambitions and support each other with what we want to achieve.

I managed to fit in a few good sessions before leaving Sedona and so felt confident that I was ready to race and had prepared the best I could.

So next stop San Diego, round 2 of the WCS and finally I was able to make my debut. I felt very proud to put on the GB kit and be given the opportunity to race against the best world. I have been working very hard on the technical aspects of my swimming over the winter and the main goal of the race was to see where I was and hopefully be in a pack. So instead of being annoyed that people were pulling my feet and I was being hit around the head I was actually delighted as it meant I wasn’t last, and I popped out within the big pack.

Onto the bike and although it was not my finest hour being a bit race rusty in the bunch, but the main positive was I exited T2 within the mix of everyone.

The run was always going to be painful, and was probably more of a mental challenge knowing that I wasn’t in my usual run form. I spent most of the winter struggling with a calf injury and have had really limited run training. However at this stage of the year we were really not concerned with how I ran as this hasn’t been the focus. I have come back from running injuries very well before and so several months of good running and I know this will be back on form. In a way it has probably been a blessing in disguise as its given me valuable time to work on the swim. That’s the beauty of triathlon sport there is always something you can work on.

So overall I am leaving San Diego a happy lady, lots to work on but now have a great stepping stone to build on for the rest of the season. Im back in Sedona putting in a good few weeks ahead of the next ITU WCS In Yokohama.

We finished the trip off with a cheeky little visit to the cheesecake factory, thought would be rude not too!

Go hard or go home

So hands up who has used this quote before? Me, that’s for sure. I think from being a junior I have had the 'work hard' mantra instilled into my brain. Being able to hurt and dig deep is pretty important as there are many races where your body can be screaming at you stop but finding that bit extra can be vital. Yet there is also a time and a place to go hard, as I am now realising after the past few months in Canberra.

I coach many athletes and the interesting thing is I am actually very sensible and don't employ the same go hard or go home approach, but when it comes to my own training the sensible parrot can often disappear for a vacation. I think the main problem is that I am so competitive, I love racing more than anything and it is a huge motivator for me in training. In fact the worst type of training session for me is a long steady 4hour ride, I would much rather be doing fast hard intervals.

This is where having Darren as a coach has been brilliant. I have had my world completely turned upside down as I have been forced to do things at a much slower rate than I am used to, both in and out of training. My parents in the past have described me as doing things at a million miles an hour, rushing here there and everywhere, that’s me to a T. So I have had to learn to relax and put my feet up more when I should be resting, and had some very frustrating sessions where I have barely been allowed to swim more than 1k as it has been stop, start, correct my stroke, or tied up against the wall in the pool. I may have given Darren a few grey hairs in this process as things didn’t click straight away, but we are getting there now and cant wait to see how much improvements have been made.

And then there is my running. I only really know one way when it comes to running which is to go hard, despite my grumbling we have really had to pull things back to work on some technical changes for my lower limbs to help make me more robust and in turn make me quicker in the years to come. We have also had to really prioritise the swim this winter as in order to becone of the best triathletes in the world you need to give yourself the best chance by being in the mix.

My time here has passed ridiculously quick, I have been looked after by a fantastic family, 2 doctors who have 2 children; Duncan who is a triathlete and Kaitlin is a rower. I couldn’t have asked for a better home-stay, they have made me feel extremely welcome and I have even been able to adopt their family dog strider for a short while, which has helped as a temporary replacement for my pup back home!

Other eventful news was my dad turning up in Australia without telling me! He just walked through the door whilst I was eating tea and my jaw hit the floor. It was a fantastic surprise and makes me feel very lucky to have such a supportive family, I cant wait to see Sam and the rest of the family soon.

And then I had a lovely little detour to Sydney to meet my good friends and sponsor Barrie Wells with his wife Heather and son, Matthew. We had a great time catching up over in Manly, and Sydney harbour.

So all in all it has been a great camp and I am super excited to be heading onto Auckland for round one of the 2013 World Champs series, and my first ever World Champs series race!! We have some specific goals to achieve here which may have to involve a little bit of 'go hard or go home,' but mostly I will have my sensible head on ;)

Stay tuned

Katie