Very happy to win my first Txapela of the year!

Eskerrik Asko for the huge amount of support on the course!

It was a two lap swim and with fairly choppy water it was hard to tell where exactly I was throughout the 1500m. I was happy with how my form felt though and I came out of the water onto the beach just at the back of the main group.

Devonport has always been a difficult race for me as it tends to play to the strengths of the faster swimmers, and this year was no different. With the lack of intensity in my prep, I struggled to really get going in the crucial first lap of the ride and before I knew it there was a group of 3 athletes ahead of me with a clear lead.

I started the run off quite conservatively with the aim to finish off with a strong last 5km. I did just that and crossed the line in 5^th.

I definitely found the race very tough, but it was a good wake up for the body. It was nice to be back racing again and it helped me find that extra bit of motivation that I think only racing can do.

Next up is Mooloolaba World Cup in just under 2 weeks.

Training here is very different to Falls Creek where I’ve spent most of this summer to date. The majority of our cycle and run sessions begin and end at North Beach, a buzzing hub of activity in “the Gong.” Said sessions often conclude with a coffee sit at Diggies café or a splash in the ocean. Through the week we swim at the beautiful URAC sports centre and come Friday morning we take part in the infamous Open Water ocean swims back at North Beach.

The past couple of weeks have been quite busy (and it may be possible that I still haven’t completely unpacked yet..) attempting to get organized and fully into the swing of it again. I have however had the opportunity to have a few hit outs at local events. I once again competed in the Australia Day Aquathon with the rest of the ‘Wizards’. I also raced at the Triathlon NSW Sprint in Kurnell this past weekend. It’s not often that I get to race with 600+ people on course simultaneously, definitely a change of format for me! It was a great event and a lot of cobwebs were blown.

I’ll be staying put in the ‘Gong’ until Oceania Championship in Devonport in 3 weeks. I imagine there will be plenty of splashes in the ocean & coffee sits before then… I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thanks

Charlotte

Christmas went as usual… A lot of food,a lot of people & a lot of fun. We have a large family so it’s always busy with lots going on. My 83 year old Gran even travelled over from Scotland this year, which made it even nicer.

Boxing Day was much the same – we headed down to our beach house in Lake Tyers, East Gippsland and spent the day with all of the family.

On New Years Eve, my boyfriend Brendan Sexton and I spent the night at a friends ‘sporting’ themed fancy dress party in Melbourne . (See attached pic) You can guess for yourselves as to what we went as…  J

But the most exciting part was in the last few days before I went back to routine. My beautiful big sister Stephanie got married!! It was the most perfect day. I was thrilled to join my other two gorgeous sisters as Steph’s bridesmaid.  It was the perfect day and I love that her husband Ryan is officially part of our family.

And aside from keeping busy with my family, I spent the rest of my time swimming, riding and running around the many beautiful trails & lakes that East Gippsland has to offer.

A couple of days later I was back to reality in camp at Falls Creek for another 3 week block of training. Our training group has grown quite significantly since last camp, with the addition of some Canadians, Americans, a Hungarian and a Chilean. I’ve already learnt so much from everyone around me, and it has been nothing but a positive environment!

I’m still focusing on building up my aerobic base, but look forward to gradually adding some faster paced work in over the next month. I’m starting to get quite excited to race again!

We are here in Falls Creek for a few more days before heading back to Wollongong.

Thanks for your support!

Has it sunk in yet?

I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked that in the last couple of months. And I still don’t have an answer.

I’m not sure what exactly I’m meant to feel. Winning in London was SO cool. It was a massive relief to finally have a race completely go to plan and it was an awesome feeling to have my family there watching. But a few days after the race I was back training as normal and, apart from having an extra spring in my step, not much had changed.

I hadn’t ever won a major event before, and I guess I always thought I’d feel like a different person if I ever did… But truth is, nothing changed. I was still quite critical of some aspects of my race, and my immediate focus was on what I could do to improve next year. It wasn’t until my end of season break that I could sit back and appreciate the improvements I had made in 2013, and I think that’s important as an athlete. To continue improvement you need to be highly critical but if you don’t take time to reflect on the positive, there never really is any positive.

So that’s what I did. In November, I had 3 weeks where I practically did zero exercise. I spent time with my family (including my beautiful 1 year old niece, Isla), caught up with friends and basically just enjoyed life. As an athlete, you’re somewhat restricted in what you can do for about 11 months of the year, so I make sure I make the absolute most of it when I can… and anyone who knows me can see quite obviously I did just that.

It all passes very quickly and I’m now back in Falls Creek in the Victorian mountains preparing for 2014.  I like this time of year. I’m unfit, everything hurts and I’m reminded of my mortality every session. When you’re fit and ready to race, running hard is easy…. At the moment, just running easy is hard. Each stroke in the pool feels abnormal. It’s not fun but it’s refreshing. There’s no pressure, no times to hold and I don’t get frustrated when I’m not capable of holding a certain pace. Each day I get fitter, leaner and stronger – it’s always positive. Big pains mean big gains.

And that’s how I’ll spend the next few weeks along with the rest of my training group. I’ll have a short break at home over Christmas & New Year, then will be back to Falls Creek early January (and hopefully slightly closer to feeling immortal)

My first race of the season, and after having a bad swim I managed to turn it around and finished 4^th, but took out the Oceania Elite Sprint Champion title as the first Oceania athlete home! J

Mooloolaba ITU World Cup, March –

I just missed the front group in Mooloolaba, which really messed up the rest of the race. I rode and ran well, but it wasn’t enough to get back in the race. I ended up 7^th in a really strong field, and there were plenty of positives to take.

Auckland ITU World Series, April –

My first World Series race of the year – and I finally managed to have a great swim! I exited the water in the top 5, rode strong and ended up finishing in 9^th. A good start to the series

Yokohama ITU World Series, April–

After having such a good swim in Auckland, I was really disappointed to have a bad swim here. Fortunately, we managed to work well enough together to catch the front group in the last lap of the ride. I didn’t have the best day in the run, but finished in 10^th which I can’t be too disappointed about.

Madrid ITU World Series, May –

My first European race of the year, Madrid was one of the toughest races I’ve ever done. A couple of mistakes couple cost me quite a few places, however I finished up 18^th  in a really strong field which certainly wasn’t a disaster.

Hamburg ITU World Series, June –

Hamburg was definitely the low point of my year. I had a solid training block in the lead up and I had really put a lot of focus in performing here. I had an awful race start to finish, and to say I was disappointed is an understatement. That’s just the way sport is sometimes.

Tiszaujvaros World Cup, August –

With the disappointment of Hamburg behind me, I was firing going in to Tiszy. I comfortably won my heat, and had actually managed to get myself in to a breakaway from the swim. In the final, I just missed the breakaway and found myself chasing the rest of the race to finish in 12^th. Another disappointment, but I had a great run which certainly installed some confidence.

Stockholm ITU World Series, August –

Stockholm has one of the toughest bike courses on the circuit – which certainly suits my strengths. I led out the chase group in the swim, and managed to work my way up to the front group by the end of the ride. The tough ride took its toll on me though, and I ran a lot slower than I would have liked. I finished 13^th – and I left feeling like I still had a lot more to give.

London ITU World U23 Triathlon Championships, September –

This was the focus of the whole year. I went in to London with one goal – to win. I still can’t believe it actually happened – and I don’t think it will ever sink it. I had made every mistake under the sun throughout the year, and I finally managed to learn from them and put together as perfect a race as I could. I’ll never forget that feeling when I crossed the line.

Tongyeong ITU World Cup, October –

I finished off my season in South Korea on my way home to Australia. I certainly felt it hard to back up after London, and I ended up in 8^th.

I’m very excited to be heading home having achieved my goal this year. I also managed to finish up 20^th in the ITU World Triathlon Series, which after having missed a few races, I couldn’t be happier with. I look forward to heading in to the 2014 season as the current U23 World Champion and can’t wait to build on what I did this year.

Thank you to my family, my coach Jamie Turner, Triathlon Australia and my sponsors for all the support.

Thanks

Charlotte