State: NSW
Sporting Accomplishment: Enjoying becoming a triathlete later in life (46) from a non sporting background and being a non swimmer. Qualified for Kona Ironman World Championship 2016 & 2018 and 70.3 World Championships in Australia in 2016.
How did you get into your sport: An injury to ACL forced me to get in the gym, lose weight and I rediscovered from my childhood love of cycling & running and that just morphed into “well I may as well learn how to swim and give this triathlon thing a go”.
Hardest thing about your sport: This is a very personal “hardest” – Age – and adjusting expectations and training to adapt to going through menopause and the differences in female v’s male physiology – I never realized when younger just how much this period of life can and does affect women and also how age just bloody well slows us down (so frustrating!!!). My goal is to see a lot more women staying in sport and even taking up new sports well into their 40’s and 50’s and even 60’s.
What does your regular training week consist of: Currently as much mountain biking as I can fit in around work & coaching!!! Generally anywhere between 14-22 hours a week of training. Average 3 swims, 4-5 rides, 4-5 runs. I am a lot more generous on myself that I used to be and I try to make a lot of my training fun whilst still meeting the goals of the current training block.
How do you keep motivated: I think it’s good to have a forward plan of the big “A” type races or goals and then just fill in around those with what works to meet them. I have just returned from a 3-week family trip to New Zealand which incorporated racing and playing – it was totally awesome. Tarawera trail race, some Rotorua mountain biking, Challenge Wanaka and then we walked the Kepler Track. It wasn’t about results in the races, it was about having a super time playing and living in the outdoors. I want to be able to move and be active for the rest of my life and staying fit & healthy will allow that.
Goals – where to from here; Port Macquarie 70.3 and Port to Port mountain bike race in May. After that, I want to focus more on improving my mountain bike skills further and my 2021 goal at this stage is to race both Long Course Worlds and the Off-road Triathlon at ITU Multisport Worlds in Townsville in 2021.
Best piece of advice you have been given: Don’t overcomplicate it – Consistency is king and Easy means exactly that – EASY
Why do you use Hammer Nutrition – Its simple and has a product for all my racing & training needs. The gels taste GOOD!!!! Hammer has worked for me for years and continues to do so.
