There's no place like....

Palm Beach - first day of Xmas holidays :)

Being home on the Gold Coast for Christmas has been so good this year. Unlike last year (where it rained, none stop, for the entire 8 days of my break) the weather has been pretty good - plenty of sun, lots of heat, LOTS of humidity and enough token showers to squeeze in the afternoon sleep.

Unlike last year too, this break has been more like a training holiday. My brain is definitely having an extended siesta but my body is getting belted more and more as the weeks go by. Training on the Gold Coast over the past 10 days has been fantastic (yes I have definitely whinged about the heat - but seriously, it is bloody hot) because it has presented a whole bunch of new mental and physical challenges that I don't have training in Melbourne:

• I may have mentioned the heat. It is very hot here, and very hot very early in the day. Leaving for a ride at 6:45am one morning, I learned my lesson about 20min in that it was going to be a long 3.5hrs in the saddle. Rides must start no later than 5:30am otherwise you're in for unnecessary pain.
• Some days, the humidity makes it feel like you are riding or running in a sauna and it makes breathing and regulating HR tough. While Melbourne gets hot, it doesn't get this humidity and training in this climate is hard work if you don't get things right (like hydration, nutrition, rest and recovery). I have embraced the Slurpee and Compressport calf and quad guards this holiday and both have been essential to train and recover.
• Headwind & crosswind. Now I know in Melbourne, the headwind on Beach Road is a bitch. On a bad day there, I honestly thought it couldn't get much worse. Wrong. The Gold Coast, with its high rises and coastal location, contorts itself into some kind of wind vortex where - regardless of what the weather bureau tells you, regardless of what direction you ride - you seem to battle a head wind for 75% of your ride and most probably some nasty cross winds. If you're really lucky, you may get some surprise wind gusts of 50km/hr just to keep you on your toes. 
• Road quality. I have learned we are so, SO lucky in Melbourne to have the roads we do. The Gold Coast councils seem to think that cyclists can make do with the offcuts of the road, the bits with pot holes/gaping separations/sewer covers/decorative bricks/leftover Indy bolts and we should all be really grateful. Oh, and 1 cycling lane for 2 directions of cyclists. Go figure.
• Other cyclists. In Melbourne, you have to watch out for drivers who have no idea but cyclists are generally a well mannered bunch. On the Gold Coast, the drivers are polite and will actually WAIT FOR YOU to leave off the lights (amazing. Manners. They exist). Cyclists, on the other hand, have no idea. No cycling etiquette, slow (SLLLLOOOWWWW), riding 2, 3 4 abreast and no hand signals. I swear, I feel like I'm in some twilight zone up here.

All of these factors have presented different challenges when going about my training program. I'm not used to this heat, I'm definitely not used to the humidity and - when you spend your days training by yourself - battling a headwind for 2 hrs can really break your spirit, not to mention exhaust you. In these conditions, day after day when you're supposedly on holiday, it could really make you doubt yourself and your ability and improvements in this sport. You know, when the Garmin tells you your av speed is down (no shit, you've been riding a headwind in a sauna for 2 hours) or your heart rate average is way up (again, der, its bloody hot) it could be easy to think "This is really shit. I'm really shit".

Not this time. I used this as a challenge. What a great environment to really test things out, push those barriers during the tough interval runs it the humidity or when legs feel like giving up after twice daily sessions and lots of bike hours. Because racing is tough, the conditions might be tough. Busselton could be really hot and what am I going to do, complain about how hot it is? No way. Now is the time to learn and adapt to these conditions, figure out what works and see how I can cope.

Plus - when you have the opportunity to ride past this sort of scenery, you really have to stop and remember how lucky we are.

Cabarita Beach @ Christmas Day - heaven

And I did cope. Yes there were tough days where everything hurt, I was dripping buckets of sweat off the bike on the road and was swearing and bitching about the Gold Coast weather - but my data was good, my pace and speed stayed on track and -if anything - I saw improvements. I made mistakes, identified what they were, tested things and fixed them. And I think this is the big confidence boost I needed - I needed to know that, when conditions were tough, I could still get through and not fold. Noosa was a perfect example of me not being prepared for the conditions. I cooked, and I hated myself that entire race. I was completely unprepared (physically and mentally) for those humid and hot conditions and had no coping mechanisms, nothing to fall back on. Big mistake. This time, it will be different.

The one thing that has been unaffected by all of this? Swim sessions. After a 13 year hiatus, I made my way back to the "Palm Beach Aquatic Centre" (as it's now called), where I used to spend most of my school day afternoons following the black line, being screamed at by my swim coach and being subjected to what I suspect is a form of squad training that is probably not allowed anymore (i.e. brutal and offensive). What was previously know as the PBC pool has had a facelift, and now there is brand new pool that meets all Olympic standards. And most of the time, you get a lane to yourself and a suntan to boot. Awesome.

So it's not quite MSAC....and you might get bird poo on your bag.....

Aside from this "training holiday", I have also been having a real holiday doing the important things in life - drinking lots of coffee, taking lots of naps (could really do with more, the training part of this holiday is making me seriously snoozy), catching up with old friends, doing some shopping, working on my tan, bonding with the dog (who hated me but now follows me around like we're besties) and spending time with the family. I look forward to this time of the year as it's the one week where all my girls are in town and we can hang out and talk like we're still 16 and nothing changed. I love that about our relationships.

Mel, me and Brooke xx like old times

So I'm back in the big smoke on NYE (will be a rager, getting in from the airport, driving home, building my bike again ready for a 6am ride! Hold me back!) and really looking forward to it. Today, one of my best friends gave birth to twin girls so there are two very exciting reasons to come home - I can't wait to meet them - and another friend is due any day now. But, for me, I know I am coming home a little bit fitter, mentally tougher then before and ready to start the 4 month build into 70.3 Busso. 

Happy New Year!