Saturday 25 February 2012


The Boys have now been back at school for 2 weeks and into the swing of early mornings again! Must admit, it was a bit tricky for the first few days and they did find it difficult to string a sentence together, but think we're there now! Sam is now in Year 10 and Will in Year 9. This week Will went on a 3 day surf camp to Lorne and had an awesome time but was exhausted when he got home! Next week he is going to swim with seals - not quite what's on the English school curriculum!!

Jack has started his new SEDA course (Sports Education and Development in Australia) and is specialising in football. It's a 2 year diploma in Sports Management and Coaching so he gets to play football virtually every day - right up his street! He has also been doing quite a lot of reffing.

Sam has started training with his new football team "Bentleigh Greens". They seem a far more professional set-up than the team he was playing for last year (Brighton) and he likens it to Eastleigh Academy who he played for in the UK, so that is good.

Chris was in Sydney for the week and had quite a stressful time. His operation seems to have been successful - he now goes out for 3 hour bike rides including hill-climbs and has cycled into work a couple of times.

I have been making some blinds this week and am doing some interior decorating for Natalie next week. Had a Tri this morning - conditions were hot (33 degrees) and windy (30km/h) so not the best. Am taking part in the PRW Corporate Triathlon next Sunday since someone dropped out of the PwC team and Chris kindly offered my services! There are over 6,000 competitors - the largest Triathlon to take place in Victoria! Let's hope the weather conditions are better than today :)

Saturday 4 February 2012

Olympic Distance Triathlon!

This morning I completed my first Olympic Distance Triathlon in 3.20 hrs! This is composed of a 1.5km open water swim, followed by a 40km bike ride and then a 10km run to finish up.

I didn't enter till yesterday because I was in two minds whether to do it or not. The forecast was 30kph winds coming in which would make the swim difficult. But I went ahead and spent the rest of the evening wondering what I had done!

Didn't sleep a wink all night, so got up at 4.45am and headed off at 5.25am, arriving nice and early in the pitch black but with plenty of choice of parking spaces!

My age group went off at 7.23am. The water was flat which was fab, till you had 1,100 competitors in there and then it roughed up somewhat! Certainly didn't enjoy it but managed to get around.

Then we had the longest ever transition from the beach running to the bike compound, it was ridiculous! The bike and run legs I was really pleased with. The 40km ride was along Beach Road, my normal training ground, so it was nice because I knew the course so well. I thought the run was going to be a killer but I actually enjoyed it and felt good, over-taking quite a few men who were giving up and walking!

I reached the finishing posts with the biggest smile on my face :)

Weather wise, it's been a strange old day. When we started the swim it was 28 degrees, by the time I finished it was 33. An hour or two later, the winds they forecast arrived, the temperature has dropped to 17 degrees and we are now in the middle of a tropical storm and had a power cut for 4 hours!

Poor Jack has been reffing all day so will be absolutely soaked when I get him in a minute. In an hour they have indoor footie and then we are off out for dinner to celebrate Chris's birthday and my first ever Olympic Tri :)