24/08/10 I read this on Kirsten Sweetland's blog and really liked it, so I pinched it and am sharing it with you all! 'Watts are and heart rate is. Pause to embrace this last interval. Pause to embrace the comfort. What will be on this next set will be. Let your legs kick and your arms spin free. Forget everything you have just done. Just remember you have done well. You have done well and you are ready to be. Let your Heart Rate be. Let your feet be quick. Let your turnover be smooth. Let your legs be light. Let your Watts be. Let them be what they are, and remember, Just let them be. Your heart rate knows how, your watts just are, and your stroke knows what. Embrace as they know how to be. Thanks for a great swim and smooth run. Rest well.'
16/08/10 Ironic really that this is the first line of the first song that I listen to on my way home from Kitzbuhel. It's probably not a sensible idea to try and write a blog on my laptop whilst driving the mountainous route to Munich airport. But oh well. Worse things than travel sickness could happen - like my race this weekend. I received serval messages after the race asking 'what happened?'. Just a little warning - that's the worst thing to be asked. Do I reply with a list of reasons why my race was so pants? Or do I just say 'nothing - I was 40th and that's that'. The things is, I think I disagree with the second response. If I could give the past few weeks a title, I think it would be 'one thing after another'. There's a few social and political things that I shouldn't really write in my blog. However, rather than 'I'll tell you when you're older' (didn't you just hate hearing that when you were growing up?), but more like, 'I'll tell you when I'm older', perhaps when my triathlon career is finished with. However, a nasty eye infection, sickness the night before and morning of the race and a penalty for an apparent false start (where they held me for 15seconds in T1!) are a few things I can tell you that went wrong! It's pretty tough when you're in the third bike group, hearing that time gap grow to the lead group. 3.30 I think they had by the end of the bike. Perhaps if I didn't have my penalty, I could have made it to the second bike group. But should haves, would haves and could haves mean nothing once the race is done hey. All that kept going through my head is 'it's never over till the finish line'. I didn't feel my most fabulous. My stomach hadn't been right a couple of days leading into the race and I saw my breakfast for the second time on race morning - not ideal. But I tried to put that out my mind and focus on riding as well as I could. On a positive note, when I jumped off my bike, I felt pretty good on the run. My tummy was still uncomfortable but it didn't stop me digging in hard. I felt ten times better than I did on the run in London, and actually, my run time wasn't far off some of the girls in the top 15. So where to now? Leeds is where! I'm heading there to check out the training centre and to get a good block in before I head to the European U23 championships which is on the 28th August. I've never been to Leeds before, apart from a quick in and out an for an Adidas photo shoot with Al, so I'm excited to go check it out! I hear there's good shopping too (always a bonus!). So I think it's time for a little reflection over the points I spoke about in my last blog. I'm glad I wrote them down as the cleaner in out hotel in Kitzbuhel pinched my Marie Clare! Ok, pretty spooky... current song on my ipod shuffle whilst I wrap up my blog. "Trapped in a box'. Too true. I have a little playlist of songs where the titles/lyrics fit in well with the stage of life I'm in at the moment. Perhaps I'll publish it on here some time soon. Hollie
13/08/10 This isn’t going to be a long blog, but wanted to share a few things. I was reading Marie Claire whilst en route to Kitzbuhel. There was a great article titled ‘Making a million before 30’. Not that that’s my goal. But the women who wrote about their millions also spoke about there ups and downs about their businesses and the risks they took. I took a few quotes from the articles, and found them pretty inspirational:
So that’s all from me up in the Austrian Mountains. But those positive quotes kind of sum up how I’m feeling right now. Smiling, reminding myself to have fun with what I do and ready to race on Sunday! Hollie
4/08/10 So I have a bit of a story to tell from up here in the Glasgow hills. I’m currently staying with good friend and fellow athlete Kerry Lang. Why am I here? As a bit of an escape to be honest. You’ll often hear me refer to Loughborough as the bubble, well, let’s just say, it was time to burst out of it. In my last blog, I wrote how I was going through a bit of a low. I was a bit reserved with the full story to be honest. But I think it’s time for some truth… For a while now I’ve been thinking about change. A change of coach and a change of environment. I feel I’ve been a very passive athlete for the past few years. I accept that as a 15 – 18/19 year old who’s new to the world of triathlon I needed a lot of guidance. But I feel it’s now time for people to let go of my hand. I need to become more of an assertive athlete. The bottom line is, a triathlete needs to be assertive, our race is full of uncontrollable and unplanned situations. I have to be able to make quick decisions by myself and trust them. I need to start doing this with my training too. So a decision I came to, by myself, was to leave Ben, my coach. This was extremely difficult for me and I don’t want to go into too much detail about it. But I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ben for the five fantastic years that we worked together. Ben has got me to where I am today and I am so grateful for all the time, energy and enthusiasm he has put into my triathlon career. In the five years I’ve worked with Ben, he has led me to be European and World Junior Triathlon Champion, British National Champion, Olympian and World U23 Champion. But times have changed and we’ve both changed, I’m twenty now and no longer a teenager. It’s time to be more assertive. So where to and who to now? That’s still undecided. Choosing a new coach and possible new environment takes a lot of thought, another reason why I’ve escaped up north. The bottom line is, I need to do what’s right for me. I’m still trying to work that out. I’m not a happy athlete at the minute and I think my result at Hyde Park illustrates that. Only a happy athlete can perform. I’m doing my best to get a smile back on my face and get back to swimming, biking and running because I love it. On a positive note, I’ve really been enjoying training up here with Kerry. We’ve been knocking out some great sessions together. It’s been great training with The City Of Glasgow swim club. Two hours of swimming seems to go so much quicker when you throw in some individual medley, fin work and drill work. As triathletes, we often forget about the other strokes and stick to front crawl! I can’t say I’d still be able to swim under 2.45 for 200m breaststoke! I went for an awesome long run along the West Highland Way on Sunday. Kerry really is spoilt with the running here. The views are stunning, the air is fresh and the variation of terrain is great too. So that’s me and that’s my honest story. I hope it has helped answered some questions as I know some people have been wondering what’s been going on. I’m finishing this blog with a smile, Hollie
20/07/10 Firstly, I should apologise for my lack of blogging. I really have been slack. So I'll try and rewind the past few weeks and have a good old natter. So Europeans, 10th place. A solid result, one I'm not over the moon with but not one I will sit and cry about either. For me, it was an honest race. A race that demonstrated my current form and fitness, especially on the run. I lost three/four weeks of running after Seoul due to being ill, and that really hasn't helped me. Things began to pick up with my running in my last week in Portugal (our pre-Euros camp) but I wouldn't see the results of those sessions as soon as Athlone. Us Brit girls did some great sessions together, we really pushed each other on. Sometimes we'd push each other a little too much! For example, the Tuesday before we travelled to Ireland we were on the track doing some 400m's. A 'controlled pace' was the aim. So for me around 80s, kind of race pace. Let's just say I think we averaged around 73s!! But we felt good - so we dug in. Perhaps that session was still in the legs when I raced! But never mind, it all helps the climb of that fitness ladder! I enjoyed my time in Ireland. My Mum is from Dublin, so we have lots of family and friends over there. And boy you couldn't miss them all when I was racing. The chant of 'Hollie, Hollie' as I ran across the river bridge in Athlone was pretty special. Thanks a million guys! After the race, it got me thinking about how amazing the home crowd will be in London 2012! Back from Ireland and I hit a bit of a low. It's always hard when you've been away for a while to come back home and crack on again with your normal routine. I had a few 'pause and think' days. I was pretty down and began questioning my love for the sport. Where has my love gone?, I thought. Why am I doing this and who am I doing this for? I know a number of elite athletes from triathlon and other sports who've had pretty similar thoughts at stages in their career. Not to say it's normal, but I know I'm not alone. Part of me didn't want to go into this in my blog, but I think it's important people know the truth. Life as an elite athlete isn't all smiles, laughter and happiness. So I guess I'm trying to get back to the stage where I'm training because I want to, not because I have to. I'm not a million miles away by any means. I just want some smiles back around training. I went for a run a couple of weeks ago without a watch, without anyone else. It was just my ipod and me. I just ran, and ran wherever I wanted, with my own thoughts, in the sunshine and not governed by time. That brought a smile to my face. That's the feeling I want back and would like to have everyday. Last weekend I was in Paris. On a more happy note, I had a fantastic weekend. I was out there for a French Grand Prix race. It was a bit of a different experience starting my race at 6am!!! My only aim of the race was to enjoy it! I hadn't tapered for it, I'd had a pretty hard week of training. So my legs were far from super fresh! The course was pretty special. We were right by the Eiffel tower. I finished in 6th place. This is where I finished in my first every FGP, and I'm yet to fall out the top six in any of the French races. So it was a close shave on Sunday morning!! But position aside, I really did enjoy the race! So we were done by 7am! Back to bed? Na. Off around Paris for a spot of sight seeing! I'd been to Paris once before and had a good stroll around, but I didn't see half the architecture, culture and history that I saw on Sunday. My French team manager took me around the city. Laurent is a Parisian so he knows Paris inside out! One bad thing - all the shops were shut on Sunday! I was a tad disappointed. But it was probably a good thing for the old debit card! It's pretty dangerous for me, racing in Paris one weekend and racing in London the following weekend! Shops ahoy! Having a stop and think - we're pretty lucky to get the chance to race in two capital cities in a two weeks! Can I just take this opportunity to say what a fantastic weekend of racing for the British Triathletes. Chrissie - Wow and wow again. Tim and Vicky- congrats for rocking in Hamburg. Jodie, Al and Jonny on the podium in Paris - pretty good stuff. Watch out world! So where to now? Well it's London WCS on Saturday. So I'm off on the train on Thursday to my favourite city in the world. Yes - Paris you were amazing, but I'm staying patriotic, London you are number one (and your shops are open on a Sunday!!). A smile will be back on my face in no time - don't worry! Hollie
25/06/10 ...'In her own creepy world, there's a girl, there's a girl and she's down by the river' . That was me a couple of weeks ago at the French Grand Prix in Beauvais, although it wasn't river, it was a lake. But we'll scrap that small detail and go along with Biffy Clyro's lyrics. So I found myself, minutes before the Beauvais FGP, having a good think, in my own little world. And summing it up, it went something like this. 'Yes I've been ill, yes the past few weeks have been pretty unpleasant, but I'm here, I'm excited to race and there is no excuse why I can't have a good race, no excuse. This one is mind over matter'. As my good friend Will Clarke always tells me 'whether you believe you can or you can't, you're probably right'. As soon as the start gun went I put my head down and dug in like a mad woman. I crossed the line in 4th place and was real chuffed. I gave that race my all and that race gave me a hell of a lot back. A hard session in the bank, a little step up the fitness ladder and a regain of confidence. I'm now sitting here in Portugal, super excited for the Senior European Championships! I'm here with British Triathlon on a pre-Euros camp. I was here in 2007 on an Easter development camp, gosh how things have changed since then. I don't think you could have told me back in April 2007 that I would be crowned Junior European and World Champion that same year! The Junior days seem yonks ago now. Sometimes I miss my triathlon naïvety that I had back then and the lack of expectation. I was the girl who flew under the radar. The girl who no-one thought would have been going to the Olympic Games in 2008. So I haven't blogged in a while (sorry about that) and I'm trying to think of any exciting things that I can share with you all. On the weekend of Madrid, I went back to my parents house in Bugbrooke for the weekend. On the Saturday evening, Mum and I went for a gorgeous Indian meal in Stoke Bruerne. I think it's called 'Spice of Bruerne'. I really recommend it. I love trying new dishes, so went for this gingery chicken dish, I can't remember the name, so that's not too helpful. But anyway, it was delicious. It was even better having a chance to have a catch up with Mum. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, my Mum is one of my best friends, so it was great to have a much needed natter! The next morning I was up at 4.30am and off in the car with Dad to Emberton Park. Dad was competing in the British National Age Group Sprint Champs and I wanted to go along and cheer him on! As he was registering and warming up, I went for my long run. It was great to cheer on Dad! It was a little strange with the shoe being on the other foot for once. 'Shall I do up your wetsuit?', 'Is your bike in the right gear?', 'I'll look after your bag' etc etc! I loved it though, and wouldn't have missed Dad racing for the world! He had a pretty good race too, he clocked the third fastest bike split of the day. Now was that Dad or his Boardman? ;) Great bikes run in the family! As you know, Mari Rabie, is currently living with me over the summer. We're having so much fun training and living together! Mari has encouraged me to get back into reading. I use to read a fair bit, but have become a bit slack recently. Since I deferred my degree, I think my brain has wanted to go into total rest mode! But I'm back on the books now! A bit of light fiction, before I crack on with the non-fiction. I may have to have a dig through some of my old Philosophy books and have a crack at Plato or Aristotle again! Watch out for my blogs in the next few months, I may start getting all deep and meaningful on you. Although I did just start this blog referring to my 'own creepy world'. Anyway, I also vote that sitting down and reading is sometimes better than shopping (shock horror!) yes - I love to shop, but I've now decided eight hours on my feet in London on a rest day does not count as recovery. I've also discovered the joys of internet shopping whilst my bum is plonked on the sofa - haha. But lets admit, you just don't get the same thrill when you buy something online. I also vote that reading is better than wasting time on the internet (that's why I'm no longer on Facebook!). So reading can conquer internet time too. That will help my knowledge and bank balance! I've just got back in from a beautiful run in the hills and sunshine. I love love love training in the heat and I've missed it! Looks like we might have some nice weather in Athlone too for our European Champs. Although, most of my family are from Ireland, and from frequent visits there, I know you should never keep your hopes up about the weather! But fingers and toes crossed hey! A good think about being absolutely pants at remembering training routes is that each ride I've done here seems new, even though I've been told we've repeated a lot of the rides we did here three years ago! Same for the running, although I remember my laps around the football pitch and astroturf!! Ok - so now you can see why I've been encouraged by Mari to start reading again. (A polite way of her saying - Hollie your brain cells are starting to erode!). Maybe reading and studying maps should come into it too. Ok, so we'll do fiction, maps then philosophy. Right - time to stop waffling and get to the gym! I have a great pilates floor routine that my pilates instructor gave me for when I'm away on camps and am refromer-less (maybe reading will stop me making up words too!). Take care and keep smiling, Hollie
1/06/2010 Be nice. - Rachel Bright.
28/05/10 Seoul, my season starter, a complete disaster and now a season re-shaper… So I arrived back from Seoul 18 days ago. I took my first couple of days back in the UK easy. A couple of walks, a bit of stretching and a diet of soup, bagels and Lucozade. I then attempted a bit of training. My mind was ready, but my stomach wasn’t. I landed myself back in bed for another couple of days. This time The OC accompanied my Lucozade and bagels. Sorry to anyone whom I spoke to during my bed bound period, I was a moody mare. Anyone who knows me well will know I hate not doing anything. I don’t do lie-ins and I don’t do sitting still. So to stay cooped up in bed all day wasn’t very easy for me. Not that I could have done much else to be honest. What I was most annoyed about was the fact that I couldn’t go and cheer on my Dad in a triathlon he was competing at. Both Mum and Dad have been there for me no matter what and I feel I should be able to do the same for them. Friday 28th May and I’m still not right. I’m able to eat normally now. Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know I’ve been eating fine due to my regular baking tweets! Yes – a cake diet was in order to get those lost calories back in! As you could imagine, I had to shout and scream to be convinced to do that – not. A perfect excuse to play the desperate housewife wanna be and put my apron on! So my tummy is all ok, the issue now is that I resemble a zombie. Even though I’m only training a little, it feels like I’m in a hard block, waking up tired everyday. My coach, Ben, and I made the decision yesterday that I won’t be racing the Madrid World Champs Series race. As well as a zombie, I also play the role of ‘little miss panic’ pretty well! I’ve been panicking about not being ready for Madrid for the past week, so a rational conversation about the race was in order. Rather than stressing, rushing and panicking for the short term (Madrid), we decided it would be more sensible to refocus on the long term, getting fit and getting healthy again. It’s not the easiest thing to decide not to race, it’s what I train for and it’s what I love. But I’m happy with my decision and will now focus on the Senior European Championships, which is at the beginning of July. Right – my blood type is B+ so it’s my nature to speak about the positives over the past few weeks. Life’s too short to sit and waffle on about the negatives hey. I’m going to give ten positive things over the past two weeks that have happened.
And one last one… I’m off to see the new Sex In The City film tonight – yay! I’ll keep you updated. As they stated on the WW2 government posters, I’ll ‘Keep calm and carry on.’ Hollie
10/05/10 'It's all over' get it? - Bad joke. The guys here weren't impressed with it when I cracked it out! But, Seoul is over, and boy did I end it with a bang. I spent the night in Seoul hospital yesterday. Sickness, diarrhoea, fainting, oh it was a joyful 12 hours. After xrays and blood tests, the doctors diagnosed me with a bad case of gastroenteritis. Not that I'm one to make excuses, but think we can now say why I didn't race so fantastically. I could have been carrying the gastro up to three days before and the race just fired it up even more. My roomie, Vicky Holland, felt sick half a day before me with similar symptoms and we heard that a few of the other athletes were poorly too. Whether I caught it from someone, some food I ate, or the water at the race site, it is difficult to pin point the cause. I curse whatever did cause it though, I have never felt so ill in my life last night. It was worse than Beijing. What is it with me and Asia? Ever since my one successful trip here at the start of 2008, my ventures to this continent seem to just turn into nightmares. I seem to always start my race seasons with a bit of drama these days too! Last year in Madrid, my bike went kerput! I was really ready to rumble on race day. I felt in good shape and was so so eager to get out there and race. I feel in much better shape than this time last year (not at this exact moment - I feel like a zombie!). I focussed really well on my preparation, getting all the little things right. Things were all good to go. My mind was saying yes, but my tummy was saying no. On a positive note, there's always some positives, B+ is my blood type and all! It was great to get out there and race again. My last Olympic distance race was in September, so I'd gone a long time without racing. I really liked the bike course here in Seoul too. It was really technical, but I've been working a lot on my bike skills, so it was great to put them to test it a race. The ball is rolling now, and my triathlon season has begun. I'm currently eating mushroom soup and sipping on Lucozade. I've been put on a liquid diet for a few days. I was meant to fly back today, but was advised not to fly till tomorrow. So it's on extra day in Seoul for me to recover. I think I may have a little kip now. The only way is up, Hollie
27/04/10 So it’s not so much of a soul search, but I am heading to Seoul next week in search of something. I’m heading off to discover what form and shape I am in. The thing with triathlon is that training can be going better than ever, but you really won’t know your true form till you put that swim, bike and run back to back in a race. That is the exciting thing about triathlon. I’ve come across so many great ‘trainers’ since my time in triathlon. There are people who train amazingly well across all three of the disciplines. So well that they can scare you slightly and you think ‘blimey – they’re really going to mix things up on the international circuit’. But, when summer comes along, and it’s time to race, it’s a different story. They just can’t put it all together. That’s what I love about triathlon. There are so many underlying things that make you a world-class triathlete. From your mental strengths to your VO2 max. From your bike handling skills to how well you can tackle a transition. There are so many little things to get right, and so many things that are unique and sometimes innate to each individual athlete. So I raced in Sheffield a couple of weeks ago. I suppose that helped me find out what kind of form I am in. But like I said, it’s still not a triathlon! I ran a PB, so was really happy. I PB’d a 10km I ran last October, when I was in pretty good shape after Worlds! So putting that into context, I’m feeling positive. The day after my race in Sheffield, I headed to London for the day. I had such a fun day with my close friend Becky! One of our challenges for the day was to not eat or drink in any chain cafes or restaurants. I know it sounds easy, but I’m a sucker for a Starbucks coffee or frappaccino! But we did it! We found this awesome café called ‘Vita’ it was a vegan, organic, veggie place, where a lot of celebs go apparently! I tried seaweed lasagne – which was amazing!! If you go to London and love fresh food, full of goodness, I really recommend it!! Give it a Google! My debit card also had a fun day out too! It’s not my fault that the Cath Kidston shop was calling my name or that Abercrombie and Fitch just jumped out at me! In fact, I blame the gorgeous models standing in the door way at A&F for luring me in! Shopped till we dropped? – Check! Hollie
17/04/10 So I was all set (and all excited) to be heading off to Dublin with my race flats, Dublin map and good friend Becky. I could not Adam and Eve it when I woke up on Thursday morning to hear about the volcano eruption and flight disruption affecting all of the UK. Staying positive, I kept my fingers (and toes) crossed that our flight would still be on. Thursday afternoon came, our flight was still listed as good to go. But then Thursday evening came, and so did a big 'cancelled' message next to our flight. I was still expecting to be going, until Friday night, when it was announced all flights would be cancelled until Monday. Not all was bad, I was in the Bullring in Birmingham when I read the news! Becky and I decided to kill our afternoon (we should have been in Dublin!) with a little spot of shopping. Note 'little spot', I told myself I wasn't allowed to be my normal hard core crazy shopper self, speeds around the Bullring were limited to 6km an hour and plenty of sit down coffee stops were in order! I did manage to get myself a little 'To Hollie, Happy Birthday, Love Hollie' gift. Speaking of my birthday, I had a fantastic birthday weekend. I had such a fun time at Ragdale Hall with close friends Clare and Jess. It was so nice to relax, chill and have a good girlie giggle. The Monday after was pretty perfect too. I trained in the morning, nailing my sessions (had to start my twenties well!!) and then met my close friends for a scrummy lunch. After my afternoon gym session, I headed to Leicester to do a photo shoot, it was a photo shoot that represented my personality perfectly. The shots were of me running and biking through the High Cross shopping centre! Shops and triathlon, two of my favourite things! I probably wouldn't go shopping in my tri-suit though, although would get about the shops quicker if I had my Boardman! Maybe one day I'll wear my Garmin Forerunner and see what pace I really hit when I'm in crazy shopper mode! So back to the Dublin dilema. I'm now set to race in a 10km in Sheffield tomorrow morning. Although it's not the Great Dublin 10km, I'm still excited to get out there and race. I'm like a child excited for Christmas. Training has been going well and I can't wait to get out there and race. There's nothing like going out there and giving it your all, taking risks, breaking pain barriers and crossing the line knowing you've given your absolute best. We'll see what tomorrow brings! As for the also cancelled girlie weekend - Becky and I are making up for it with a trip to London for the day on Monday! I do love that city and boy do I love the shops!! Hope you are enjoying the spring sunshine, Hollie
7/4/10 I've said the following things a few times over the past few weeks and it's made me realise how true it is... the only people who really know you, who will always (and I mean always), stand by you, who are there for you no matter what time of day, where ever in the world...family are the few people who you can really really trust in today's world. Many of you will probably read the title of this blog and argue that I am still a child! I often forget my age, I do feel ahead of my time, for many reasons. But sometimes I need a snap back to reality, I need to not get ahead of myself and remember I am still a child at heart, a child who without her family, would be lost. Sorry to start with an emotional tone, actually, I'd say it's more of a thankful tone. I can not stress how lucky I am to have two fabulous parents and one amazing brother, who together, equal my rock. On the topic of fabulous family, my mum came up for a little stay in Loughborough last week. Not only to see me, but to help me spring clean my whole house! I say help me, I can't really say I got involved much. I did offer - honest! But Mum was loving the scrubbing and hoovering! She did a fabulous job! We had some good mother and daughter giggles over the couple of days too. It was lovely to have Mum come and stop. This week I've decided to embark on a bit of a house adventure. Well, it's adventurous for me! I'm painting and decorating my downstairs bathroom. The theme is vintage. I've had loads of my pictures printed in black and white, and have bought several vintage style photo frames to put them in and put up on the walls. So the first step this week has been the first layers of paint. I thought I was getting on great with the roller and paint, until I looked in the mirror and realised I looked like a dalmatian! On Monday I met with David Hamdorff and his lovely family. David is the Managing Director at Ragdale Hall, a priceless sponsor of mine. We went for a meal at an Oriental restaurant in Loughborough. We ordered a great selection of dishes, including chicken's feet! I do like to try new things, so I braved it and tried the chicken's feet. Can't say it's a new favourite of mine - but at least I tried it! I preferred my crocodile and ostrich in South Africa! Caitlin McClatchy and Liam Tancock also joined us for lunch, as they too are sponsored by Ragdale Hall. It was great reminiscing about Northampton Swimming Club memories with Caitlin. It does seem like yonks ago that we use to swim together. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank David and Ragdale Hall, they are a fantastic sponsor of mine. Ragdale Hall could not be a more perfect escape. As soon as I step through the doors there, I fall into an instant state of relaxation! Just what a triathlete needs some times. David has been kind enough to arrange a weekend at Ragdale Hall for my birthday this coming weekend. Two of my close friends, Jess and Clare, are coming with me too - I can't wait! Not long now till my first race! The great Dublin 10km is a week on Sunday and I can't wait. I feel raring and ready to get out there and race now and am so excited! Don't let the April showers get you down, it is the best month of the year of course! Hollie 15/03/10
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7/02/10 "Eat before you are hungry.
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20/12/09
15/12/09
01/12/09 2009 saw a two week end of season break, two weeks of no training what so ever! This was a lot different to the end of 2008, where I had 12 weeks of zero training. I’ve described the reasons why I had this 12 weeks off many a time. To sum it up, it was a rest my body needed for the future. When I started back training again this year, I kept making comparisons to when I started back training at the end of 2008. I’ll always remember my first run back after 12 weeks…I was out of breath after 5 minutes, I felt like an elephant and I thought the world was over! I can’t describe how happy I felt to put my run shoes on after 2 weeks off this year and actually feel pretty good! I felt a little rusty and my muscles needed some reminding of what it felt like to run, but apart from that, I was able to crack on and run for a pretty decent 40 minutes! About half way through my run, as I powered up a hill in the Outwoods, I thought to myself ‘I really do love what I do!’. When you'r thinking that, you know you’ve had enough time off and it’s time to crack on again with training and preparing for next year’s season. I’m waffling on about running… not forgetting the two other major parts of my life…biking and swimming hasn’t felt too bad either since I’ve started back training. I always find that swimming feels strange, even after a few days off, as it’s so technical. Your body position feels strange when you first dive in after a while off, and it takes a while to find your stroke and rhythm again. I’ve been back training for two weeks now and my swimming is starting to fall back into place again. As for biking, I’m enjoying being back on the saddle again! For my first couple of rides back I went on the rollers. My coach, Ben, believes it’s good for technique. So starting back on the rollers seemed a pretty logical thing to do in order to help remind me how to ride properly! I hadn’t been on my bike for four weeks, this is because I backed off the biking in the lead up to The Great South Run. Besides getting back into training, I’ve been keeping myself busy! I’ve had a major group project for University that’s been going on. We had to design a reservation database for a hotel. Microsoft Access is all new to me, so although a challenge, I found it really interesting to learn all about a new programme and what it can do. A couple of weeks ago now, I headed back to Northampton for the Northants Sports Awards. It was a lovely evening and I was honoured and surprised to be named ‘ Northants Sports Personality Of The Year’ as well as ‘Northants Sports Woman Of The Year’. Last week I was down in London at the London Transport Museum for an evening with Boardman bikes. It was great to finally meet Chris Boardman, a man with such passion and someone I am really inspired by. It was also really interesting to have an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of Boardman bikes. I’m always keen to know my sponsors well and understand the company, product, philosophies and the hard work that goes in. I’m really excited for the new Boardman women specific range that ‘s due to come out next year! Last week I also headed back to Bugbrooke to visit my family. It was Dad’s birthday, so it was nice to head back to my parents house and spend the evening celebrating with Dad. We had a good laugh, reminiscing of past family holidays and chatting about all out family achievements this year. My brother, George, is taking part in World Challenge with school. He’s heading out to Ecuador in 2010. As we munched down Mum’s homemade honeycomb ice cream (it’s amazing!) George filled me in about all his plans for the trip. He’s been doing lots of fundraising for it. A few months ago I promised I would give £150 towards the trip if he completed a triathlon. At first I didn’t think he’d do it! But along with Dad, he crossed the line at the Roade Triathlon back in September, proving me wrong! ….So it’s just Mum now who needs to experience the swim, bike, run combo!! I’m on the case! Hope everyone has enough winter layers! Hollie
06/11/09
11/10/09 So I've just finished my second week of my second year at University. Back to the books and back to Business - my mind is slowly getting back to thinking like a Business student again. Not studying from June till the end of September is a long time away from the books, lectures and coursework. The weekend before I started back at Loughborough Uni I headed over to France to race the last French Grand Prix of the year. Before the last race, my French team, Beauvais, were sitting in first place in the Women's league table. We were ranked first pretty comfortably after a very successful year on the Grand prix circuit. However, we still wanted to put our best team out and try and win the final stage. Vicky Holland, Andrea Hewitt, Anja Ditmer, Delphine P-Y Billot and myself made up the team. La Baule, where the final was held, reminded me a lot of Les Sables d'Olonne, where I raced my first ever FGP. I laughed about how nervous I was and how disastrous my swim start was there! I ran into the water and fell flat on my face! Ben still doesn’t let me live this down! Our race wasn't until the afternoon in La Baule so we had the morning to have a leisurely French breakfast and another quick gander around the race course! Nutella and baguette is always a must on a French Grand Prix race day! My swim start was much better than my FGP debut back in June 2007! I got off well and found myself in the front group We managed to form a medium size group on the bike and stay away from the chase packs. Some girls worked well, however, some teams and girls didn't feel like taking their turn - standard behaviour!! Looking back I think I was a bit too generous to my pack and maybe did too much work on the front. However, before the race Ben and I discussed how I should use the race as a hard hit out and not be scared of taking risks. Maybe doing too much work was a risk, but I took it and maybe it was that risk taking that helped us to stay away from the chase groups. I had a good second transition, a rare thing for me, and I was one of the first out. I decided to push the pace from the off. Again, a risky move, especially into a head wind but I gave it my best shot and put myself on the line. I blew up a little bit on the second lap of the 2.5km, but I carried digging in hard and held myself in 5th place till the finish line. I wasn't over the moon with my result, but I gave it my all! On a more positive note - my team won! We got 1st, 3rd, 5th and 11th in the individual placings! One week back at Uni and then I was boarding another plane to France. This time I headed to the south to Gruissan. I flew out to race in the French Cup, a team time trial. The format is that you race the whole of the sprint distance with your team - with three people from the team having to cross the line together at the end. Again, Beauvais put forward a strong team and again it was a hard race. But the effort was worth it - Beauvais won again!! It was Andrea, Anja and myself who put in a solid 5km to cross the line together. My second week of lectures flew by! It was Friday before I knew it! Last night (Friday) I headed back to my home town, Northampton, to attend the annual Travis Perkins Midland Charity Ball. I had a fantastic evening with a fantastic sponsor of mine. Ian Church, the Midland Director, took a chance by sponsoring me three years ago when I came to him and asked for support from Travis Perkins. Till this day, Ian and the company have stuck by me, becoming one of my premier sponsors. I’m very proud to be linked to the company and I like how my relationship with Ian began and how it has grown. I hope to stay associated with Travis Perkins for many years to come. Today I’m heading to London to spend time with another one of my loyal sponsors! This time I’m heading to The Cycle Show to hang out with Garmin. Garmin took me on board this year and they’re been a really run company to work with. Down to earth, cool and very supportive. I think I’m also due to appear on stage with Nicole Cook at some point too! Exciting stuff! So what’s my plans for the next few weeks! I’m hanging up the bike and swimming costume but racking up the run mileage in preparation for The Great South Run. Well, I told a bit of a lie there…I’m still swimming a bit and doing the odd ride! You can’t keep me out of the pool or off my Boardman! But the main focus for the next couple of weeks is running. The Great South Run is on the 25th October, it’s 10miles, so bit of a different distance to what I’m use to! I’m really excited for the race though, I’m also really enjoying the run focus training. I’ve been doing a bit of training with the runners here at Loughborough. It’s hard work, but I love it! It’s nice to run with some different people. As soon as I cross that line on the 25th October my end of season break begins! A bit later then most other athletes but Ben and I decided to stretch my season out just that little bit longer. Mainly because I started back training quite late last year. My diary is already bursting with things to do in my three weeks off. Trust me, if there’s someone who knows how to maximize their time off – it’s me! Hollie
17/09/09 This summer has been a real roller-coaster, an ultra scary one at that! A few highs but unfortunately many lows. However, since I raced the Paris French Grand Prix the Avil roller-coaster' has just kept climbing up and up. We arrived to the race hotel on the Gold Coast the Wednesday before the race. Training had gone really well in the pre-camp and I'd been having lots of fun too with my roomie Miss.Holland! Vicky is one of my best friends in and out of triathlon, and although from an outsider’s perspective we may seem pretty insane, we do a good job at keeping each other sane!! Approaching the race, I was feeling relaxed, confident (but not overly confident), calm, excited and ready to go break some pain barriers! When I spoke to Ben the day before the race, he asked how I was feeling. I said I felt like I had a job to go and do and I was really ready to go do it! That's how I like to approach each of my races. Ben and I always break down the race into mini tasks. The plan for U23s was to get in the front swim group, put the hammer down on the bike straight away, bike hard for the whole race and then get off and run my heart out! Within that there's also the mini tasks of getting a good start, good transitions, holding good run form, the job list is endless! But that's what works for me and in some strange way it helps me keep my cool. So race day... Vicky and I woke up and the sun was shining down on the Gold Coast. I did my standard race day morning trot and my legs were feeling great! Whilst running I also saw two magpies...not that I'm suppositious or anything! I munched down race brekkie of porridge, honey and banana, did my number tattoos, packed up my last few race day bits and headed off down to the race venue with the U23 girls team. Bang! ...The gun goes and I nailed my beach run in start that I'd practiced and practiced the day before! The swim pace was on - it wasn't until after the race that Vicky told me it was in fact her leading the swim! I thanked her for the hard 1500m! But it was worth it - we gapped on quite a few girls! It was a non-wetsuit swim, which always suits the stronger swimmers. As discussed in the plan, I put the hammer down on the bike in the first lap. Vicky and Jodie both had similar plans to me - we'd discussed before the race that if we were all there we'd work together to push the bike on. Three other athletes from different countries came with us and we formed a group of six. We worked really well as a group. Constantly rolling through and taking equal turns. The time gap from the chase group was growing each lap....30 seconds...50 seconds...1 minute...2 minutes....2 minutes 30! It reminded me of Madrid in 2008 when Fernandes, Ryf, Helen and I broke away on the bike and came off with a two minute and 45 second lead. We started the run sensibly. There were all three of us Brits and Paula Findley, a Canadian. We ran in a close line for two and a half laps. The pace felt comfy and I knew I just needed to keep my cool and stick with the pace. I've never really run in such a tight pack before, it was great race experience. The three of us Brits looked after one an other, handing each other water as we passed the water stations, we'd be careful not to tread on each others heals and we encouraged each other on. It was half way through the third lap where Jodie put in a surge. I knew I had to go with it and didn't hesitate to jump with her. We kept the pace on as we headed into the 4th lap. I was feeling good, ticking over nicely. Yes, it hurt, but it's an awesome feeling when you're running fast and it's hurting like hell! I don't really know how I dropped Jodie...I didn't put in a surge or attack, I just kept ticking over at the pace we'd both surged away at. As I ran the last half of the final lap I just kept telling myself 'It's never over until the finishing line, it's never over until the finish line'. I'd dropped Jodie, but who was to say she wasn't planning to pick it up again and come back at me! It wasn't until the last 50m where I ran to the crowd to grab a GB flag that I knew I'd be crossing the line as the new World U23 Champion! I cannot describe the feeling as I broke that banner - I'd done it!, I'd done my job!, I was World Champ! I think what made my result special was the fact that before I'd arrived in Aus, the past few weeks had not gone like clock work and were far from peachy perfect. I'd gone through some tough mental and physical times, having to take some real down time in training to let my body recover from we not think was a bit of chronic fatigue. Although it was tough only training one or two hours a day, I trusted Ben and believed that we were doing the right thing. If anyone knows how I work, it's Ben. And patience lead to perfect peaking. Ben could not have got me to that start line in Australia in any better shape. I was fine tuned and good to go. Patience really is a virtue and I will always remember that. I'm a person who always soaks up every ounce of experience, learning from everything I can. This summer, both Ben and I have learnt so much more about me and how I work. We now know things that we shouldn't do again, yet we also know things we should definitely repeat! After the race a few people went to me 'So what are you going to reward yourself with? Ice cream, chocolate, cake?' I don't think they were expecting me to tell them that I actually had a big slice a cake the night before my race!! Food is never a reward for me - I always munch down what I want! I had my line up...shopping, sun bathing, shopping, a lie in, a little bit of partying, shopping! Actually, come to think of it, I was shopping before the race too - I just had to get Ugg boots! It was just nice to let my hair down! Also, Miss Holland and I didn't have to put a curfew on our night time nattering! I was done racing but there was a still a few races to go for Team GB! It was great to go and cheer everyone else on over the weekend! We did so well - 5 medals! It's the most medals we've ever won at a World Champs and before me and Jodie ran ourselves onto the podium, we'd never won a Women's U23 World Champs medal before. I had such an amazing time on the Gold Coast! I can't really put it into words how much fun I had - no words could do it any justice! Thank you to everyone involved with the British Triathlon World Champs Team - without you guys, none of us would have got to that start line! So next up for me... I have just over a week at home before I go board another plane! On Friday 25th I'm off to La Baule to race in the final French Grand Prix! My team, Beauvais, is currently at the top of the Women's rankings, so the final is going to be pretty exciting! Blimey – I’ve written you quite an essay there! You can tell it’s time for me to go back to uni, I’m itching to get stuck back in my Business Studies. Apologies for any spelling and grammar errors…but who cares when you’re U23 World Champ! ;-) Thanks for rooting for me! Hollie
08/09/09
31/08/09
18/08/09
11/08/09
20/07/09 My time in St.Moritz has flown by! I've had a pretty amazing time out here. Not only have I got a solid block of training under my belt, but I've had the time to do a bit of exploring and have a had a few adventures along the way. From BBQ-ing in the forest to catching the cable to 3300m, from day tripping to Italy, to tasting the delicious St.Moritz cuisine. It's been fantastic! I'm heading to London this weekend to compete in The London Triathlon. I'll be putting on my Junior hat for one last time and will race in the Junior race! Ben wanted me to have a shorter hit out after a hard block at altitude, so we decided that I'd be better off doing a sprint distance rather than an Olympic. After this year I'm no longer a Junior - so it's nice to do one last Junior race! Last time I raced as a Junior was at the Junior World Champs in Hamburg 2007! That seems like such a long time ago now... So I'm excited to head to London for the weekend. I love the whole set up at The London Triathlon and am looking forward to getting involved with it all! See you in London! Hollie
20/07/09
Tim and I arrived at the track the other morning and thought we wouldn't be able to do our track session! It looked like a track competition was on due to the number of people on the track...but we were wrong..it was just handfuls upon handfuls of athletes training away! Here in St.Moritz there are athletes from all over the world! And all different types of athletes too, race walkers, marathon runners, jumpers and sprinters. We've also seen a number of pro-cyclysits, along with their teams, whilst we're out riding in the mountains! It must be the place to be if so many athletes come here to train! What's special about St.Moritz is that it's one of the only places where you can train on the flat and still be up at altitude. Most other well know training places at altitude are surrounded by hills and you will struggle to find decent flat. But St.Moritz is also great because it's surrounded by hundreds of hills too - we get the best of both worlds! Last Monday my friends and I went on an adventure for the day. We started our morning with a two-hour trek, which included a walk on a glacier! It was breath taking! We then drove over the border to Italy. We stopped for lunch and had a shop around, finishing with some gorgeous ice cream before heading back to camp! On Tuesday we were invited to dinner at one of Alistair’s friends - he knows quite a few runners out here! Also there was some of the Italian Mountain Running team. It was great to meet some new people and learn about their different types of training! The weather here is so changeable.. in two days I went from running around the track in crop-top and shorts to running in the snow with three layers on! I suppose it prepares us for all conditions! The snow left us with some beautiful views too. Training has been going well. The place where I feel the altitude the most is in the pool. As soon as you push off the wall after a tumble turn, you can't wait to take your first breath! There's no 'no breathing in the red zones of the pool' at altitude! My old swim coach would go crazy if he saw me swimming up here!!! I quite like to forget I am at altitude though and just try and train as l normally would. I think if you are constantly reminding yourself that you're at altitude, you'll expect things to be harder and you'll start to think you're more tired then usual! It's best to bumble along as normal! I'm sleeping like a baby up here though - which is great! I have a hard week this week and I'm looking forward to it! We're pushing on to take a few more steps up the ladder! It's just under five weeks until the World Championship Series in Hyde Park. I think the event and the build up to it will be fantastic. Marie Curie Cancer Care is the charity running alongside the age group event and I'm excited to get involved with them in the lead up. Marie Curie is an important charity for me to get involved with and support after all the help they gave my Nan and Granddad as my Granddad was suffering with cancer. The work they did was so invaluable to the whole family and I will support the charity in whatever way I can to show my thanks and appreciation. I hope the well know charity attracts more people to give a triathlon a go too! I can't stress how fun a triathlon race is. It's not only fun on race day but the training leading up to the event is enjoyable too. With triathlon, each day you train brings something different. You can mix up the three individual sports and do a different two every day. If you struggle for time, you can still get by if you can only swim, bike or run once. I always encourage those people who work that training for triathlon around a full time job is doable. I managed to train for triathlon and qualify for the Beijing Olympics around being at school from 9am - 3.30pm, therefore I can empathize with people who have to work but want to and need to train. You can also train on your way to work - if you are able to run there or bike there... it all counts as training! Most gyms are open early too, and if they have a pool, the best thing to do is to get up early and go for a swim before your day begins. Hope all is well down at sea level! Hollie
14/07/09
6/7/09
17/6/09 Well this is an exciting blog..it's my first one wrote from my hew house! I'm sitting on the floor, surrounded by cardboard boxes, munching away at my bowl of porridge. The house is furniture-less at the moment, the first few bits start arriving today - hence why I am here, I have to wait in for the morning! After years of hard work, that has enabled me to purchase my house, and many stressful weeks of sorting out the purchase, it's finally nice to have the keys and begin moving in! I owe a big thank you to my parents who helped me out so much with finalizing the purchase, I also want to thank Lane Financial Services. a business ran by a close family friend, who have helped me all along the way too. I am so excited to have my own place and to start making my mark on it! The property is in Loughborough, in a fantastic location, very close to the university. I look to set myself up here for a number of years so buying a house here seemed like a pretty good plan! Training has been going really well. Once I got back from Madrid I got stuck right into it! I raced a 5km on the track last Saturday night and ran a p.b of 16.25. What's quite exciting is that I ran a 17.43 in March, a 16.53 in April and have now dropped it again by another 30 seconds, things are definitely moving in the right direction. What's also pretty exciting is that I ran the Junior European Athletics qualifying time, the time was 16.40 - so I was 15 seconds inside it! I love being competitive in the running world too, but you need to be if you want to compete at the top in triathlon! My first year of University is now complete - subject to me passing all my exams!! I had my last exam on Monday. I can't believe how quick my first year has gone, time has really flown by! I was packing up some bits from my room in halls and can clearly picture the day I moved in. My parents dropping me off, Dad setting up all my electronics, Mum making up my bed! So much has happened since then! I was out and about somewhere yesterday when I saw a poster saying 'life is like an ice cream - enjoy it before it melts', I couldn't agree with that more. Looking back at how quick time flies by, we can't afford to waste time and we can't afford to not to be happy. I can look back at my first year of uni and say I really did enjoy it and made the most out of it! I've made so many great new friends, developed a new found passion for Business studies and have set my self up in one of the best places in the world to train. I can't wait for many more years in Loughborough in my new home! The next few weeks I will be in Loughborough preparing for the Senior European Championship - I'm really excited to head out to Holland to race! It will be nice not having any Uni work too! Hollie
1/6/09 I cannot put into the words how I felt when I had to stop during my race in Madrid. I think it's the words 'had to' that hit me hard. When something uncontrollable stops you doing what you love most - racing. So here's what happened... I didn't have the best of swims, I don't know why..but it's something that my coach, Ben, and I will closely review. It needs to be worked on. It's not good enough to come out near last and we won't except that anymore. Out onto the bike, I felt strong. I rode the first lap solid, as planned, and caught up a number of people. I was feeling good and knew if I dedicated myself and dug in for a few laps of hard riding, I could get up to that lead group. Things were going well, until up the hill on the second lap, when I could hear the rim of my back tire on the road surface - a complete flat. I didn't panic though, as I always say, the race is never over until the finish line. I stopped at the next available wheel stop and changed my wheel over quickly. Then the next technical error happened, my deralliuer dropped! Again, I didn't give up, I stopped at the next wheel stop and tried to sort it out. An official tried to take my timing chip off me, I snatched it back and said 'No! - I'm finishing this race!'. I had it in my mind to get back on my bike and just ride as hard as I could for the rest of the bike, I'd then jump of and give the run off my life, it may not have given me a good position but it would have shown my guts, determination and my form. But I jumped back on and the bike was a no go - I stopped one more time to try and sort it, but by this time it was too late..the leaders came through and lapped me, which meant I had to stop. Mortified doesn't even describe how I felt. I was raring to race, eager to go, I was ready to go out there and put all my weeks and months efforts into a race, push my body to it's limit and get that racing high again. Again, I can't put into words how hungry I am to race after my disappointment at the Olympics. My Dad, who came out to watch me along with my nan, found me quickly in the athletes area. He was just who I needed to see. You can't beat having your family there in times of de-stress and upset. Next to quickly find me was Ben, he was the next person who I really wanted to see and speak too. Ben always says the right things, he's honest, and never says anything if he doesn't mean it or believe it. He also understands me, and knows how disappointed I was, he also knew I would have given it my all to get back going again and knew I would have never have given up if I didn't have to. He reminded me of how well things have been going, how we didn't need to panic and how I don't need to go prove myself to anyone. Our discussion made me realize I can take this experience and use it to me stronger. It's made me even more eager to race, even more eager to train and push onto another level and to not let me dwell on what happened as a negative. Tears lasted for 10minutes.. and then I was back up on the hilly bike course, with my run shoes on, ready to do a 10km flat out run time trial! I didn't get to the run in the race but it didn't stop me from having a good run hit out.... and boy did I give it to myself! It was much harder then any 10km I've ever done in a triathlon! So I got my anger out and a good run out - the day was not a waste! Life is full of ups and downs.and sport is one of the scariest roller coasters you can ride in life. I believe everything happens for a reason and we have to learn from our ups and our downs. If we don't look to learn from our experiences, we never more on, we never develop and we never learn about our true selves. Thank you for all the messages of support, Hollie
29/5/09 Apologies fro the lack of news from me, my site has been down for maintenance for a while now, which means a few missed blog opportunities. By the time you read this blog, it will hopefully be up on my new site! I been a busy bee since I last blogged back in April! So I've now finished lectures for my first year at University - scary stuff! But the first years not done and dusted till I've done (and passed!) my exams. I have four coming up in the next fortnight. They're quite nicely spread out and if anyone has been following me on 'Twitter' you'll see how much time I've been spending revising in the library in between training. Lets hope the hard work pays of, just like in triathlon. So with 22 plus hours of training a week, 14 hours of lectures and 16 hours of revision - time has been pretty sparse! But I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it! And I always find time for a quick coffee catch ups or a girlie meal out! I've really been enjoying training! I've been getting some great bike sessions out on the road, swimming solid sessions in the pool and now Loughborough track is finished, I've been hitting the track for some speedy running! And now I'm here in Madrid writing this blog, ready to get out there and race again! It's strange to think it was exactly a year ago that I gained selection for the Olympics! So many great memories lie in madrid. Hollie
20/4/09 As you may have noticed on my website front page, there has been a few changes to my sponsors. A few new comers and a few that I've had to unfortunately say goodbye to for many a reason. Another new sponsor on board is Garmin. I've already had chance to work with them - doing a funky water photo shoot with slow motion filming! It was a bit of a different experience too doing the shoot at Loughborough pool at Midnight...it was the only time they could book the whole pool out! I love the Garmin products and have always used them so I'm really excited about joining the Garmin team - thanks for taking me on board! This year my drink sponsor will be Taut. Taut is the perfect drink for me - it's 100% free from any artificial additives, colourings and flavorings, which is just what I'm into. It tastes great too, so it's the best of both worlds! And what's also great is the fact Taut are also a sponsor of British Triathlon. Being a girl, I love the fact that the yellow and black of the Taut bottles will match my Boardman bike! The Adidas race shoes this year are also black and yellow! Only I could get excited about being all matching!!! Powerbar are also supplying me with gels and bars which is brilliant - I'm always using them before, during and after training! Many thanks to Science In Sport for everything they did for me last year. I've also come to the decision lately to say thank you and goodbye to the 49Club. The 49Club was a club set up in my village by a good family friend, Ronney Tulley. Each member, 49 of them, would kindly donate £5 each month into a fund entitled 'Help Hollie Hold Gold'. On the last Saturday of each month the member who's number matched the bonus ball in the National Lottery draw would win £100. The remainder of the money in the fund was to be used for any sporting equipment I needed to purchase or to be put towards anything that I needed within triathlon. The help and support from the club has been invaluable. I've been able to purchase such valuable equipment, like turbo trainers, bike boxes and swim equipment. I've come to the decision though that because my Lottery Funding has increased this year, it is unfair for me to continue receiving financial support from the 49Club. I again would like to take this opportunity to thank every member of the club, I know each one is a great supporter of mine. Ronney and I have decided that any remaining money in the account will be saved until London 2012 for the 49Club - hopefully to come and cheer me on around Hyde Park!! Life is a roller-coaster. Life in sport is an even more thrilling roller-coast, and that's how it works with sponsors too. Life would be boring if everything always ran smoothly and things stayed the same! Here's to life being unpredictable and exciting! Hollie
13/4/09 Nothing better to start the day with a lie in followed by a huge bowl of porridge on my 19th birthday! No early morning swimming on camp today - so it was a 7.30am wake up! We left the barracks at 9am for our long sunday steady ride. The girls and boys split up for this, with the girls led by Adrian Timis. Adrian has a cycling CV as long as the eye can see! He's just started to dosome cycling work with British Triathlon, I reckon he's going to be a great tool! We've had typical April weather all week - drip, drip drop with the April showers! But it didn't stop us having a great ride. It's pretty hilly around Aldershot so it was nice to get out in the hills and get a lumpy ride in. I really enjoyed having a good old natter with Adrian too and hearing some of his stories. And of course, Kerry's chat is always great on rides! We always have a good giggle on the saddle! We finished the ride back on the closed road circuit at Elmore, doing some more cornering practice. Lunch was roast dinner, can't say it was anywhere near as good as my Mum's! But nothing beats your Mum's Sunday roast! It's a shame I didn't get to see my family on my birthday but they're coming up to Loughborough tomorrow evening for some belated birthday celebrations! At 3.30pm we jumped in the pool for our afternoon swim. Glen Cook led the swim, giving us a pretty challenging set. But there's nothing like smashing a hard set out on your birthday and thinking about all the yummy birthday cake you can eat afterwards whilst you're doing it! Straight from the pool Kerry and I shoved on our trainers and headed out on a long steady run on the canal, admiring the Aldershot nature as we did so! The day couldn't have ended more perfectly. A delicious dinner followed by not one but two surprise birthday cakes from the team! The carrot cake was delicious! The fact that it was my birthday and that I trained for six hours too obviously meant I could have more then one slice! I can't believe it was exactly a year ago that I was out in Japan and had raced and podiumed in my first World Cup - so much has happened in a year! Let's hope my 19th year is just as exciting! Happy Easter! Hollie
5/4/09 This Tuesday I'm heading down to Aldershot to join in with the British Triathlon Development Squad Easter camp. I'm really looking forward to it, I think it's going to be a little bit different from the norm! Staying in army barracks will be a first for me - it will really feel like camp! We're also doing some open water work down there, I reckon that will be a little bit differentto swimming in the waves in Australia - out comes the wetsuit!! Many of my good friends are on the camp too, it will be great to train with Kerry Lang again after our very successful camp in Spain last summer! I've had a really nice week back in Loughborough. The University is on Easter break at the minute so that means I've had no lectures! It also means the campus is pretty dead - but I don't mind a little peace and quiet some times! With no lectures, I've also had the time to dedicate some time to one of the big loves in my life... shopping! I've taken a couple of trips to Leicester to the Highcross shopping centre. The spring weather has got me all excited and I splurged out on summer clothes! - lets hope the weather stays as lovely as it has been the past week! After my Spain camp I feel like I've taken another couple of steps up the fitness ladder. Everything is ticking over just right. The start of the World Cup Season last weekend has got me all fired up for racing season! I loved last year so much and I can't wait to get out there again this year! I hope everyone is enjoying this sunny british weather as much as me! ....I hope I haven't jinxed it now! Take care, Hollie
27/3/09 Sunshine, hilly rides, runs in the heat, long swim sets, olives, delicious fruit, sea food.....these are a few of my favourite things! I've been having a lovely time in Antequera, Spain. It's the same area that I came to with some of the GB guys last June. Everything in Spain happens a little bit later, which means early morning swims here start at 9am! I have to admit, it's quite nice having a break from a normal 5am wake up! We've been tallying up the kilometers too, which reminds me of my Northampton Swimming Club days. I do love a good long swim set where you're ticking over nicely. The riding's been great. The first day we went on a bit of an adventure and ended up in the clouds! Tough hills but beautiful views. The villa we're staying in is surrounded by fields and fields of olive groves which makes great running. We also found a pretty big forest too with rolling mountain bike trails, also perfect for a long run in the sun! Back to Loughborough on Sunday! Hollie
18/3/09 For the past few weeks I've been a real busy bee! Training is in full swing and so is university. But the cogs are turning over perfectly in the world of Hollie Avil. It's when everything is in full swing that I function best! When I did my A levels last summer I still kept up a 20 hour training week - not because I was made too (in fact Ben was great and giving me time off if I needed it), but because that's how Hollie Avil works at her best! I've had a great block of training over the past few weeks and I feel I've made a big step up again on the fitness ladder. Things are coming into place nicely. I've been having real fun with my training too! For the past three Saturdays I've been heading down to the Milton Keynes Bowl and have been taking part in some of the closed circuit bike races. I took part in the 40km races to gain more experience of riding in groups, practicing tactics and improving my bike racing skills. I felt I learnt a great deal and really enjoyed them too! It's also great being able to crack out some good run sessions in the spring weather! I'm still enjoying my degree, in fact I'm enjoying the second semester even more. I think it's the different modules that I'm now doing. All though difficult, I'm finding Business Modeling really interesting and all though confusing, I'm really getting stuck into my Accounting module! I'm off to Spain on Friday for nine days of training. I'm heading out with a small group from the university and the Brownlee boys are joining us too. I'm looking forward to a change of scene, some long hilly rides and tough run sessions in the olive groves! Tapas, paella and some time in the sunshine is sure to be on the cards too! I'll be sure to update you with my spanish travels! Take care, Hollie
4/2/09 It's strange to think that two weeks ago I was training in 35 degree heat, one layer of training gear on, swimming in the sea and chilling out on the beach in my spare time. It's been a bit of a contrast the past few days with the snow falling down on good old england! I took a picture whilst I was in Aus of my view whilst revising. I was sitting in a small cafe on the beach side. I compared it to the view out of my bedroom window, whilst I was reading at my desk, two days ago - playing fields covered in thick snow and snow flakes tumbling down! I rode early out on the road on Sunday so I dodged the start of the snow fall, but when I came out of swimming at mid-day the flakes had started falling and before I knew it the University Campus was covered! To be honest, I don't mind the snow, I quite like it! I think part of being a brit is putting up and getting on with the english weather, and part of being a british athlete is training in the british weather. That's why I didn't stay too long in Australia. I think it makes you stronger mentally as well as physically. I do love a bit of warm weather training though, learning to cope with heat and humidity is pretty important too, as I learnt last year. Training has been going well since I've been back in the UK. I've been careful to wrap up warm. Two pairs of running tights and at least three tops has been standard training gear for the past week or so! Now I'm getting fitter I've started training with the guys in the Triathlon squad here a little bit more. It's great because I'm always getting pushed. I'm still working hard on my running technique, Ben and I feel like I've improved technically from my season last year and from when I first started back training - but there's still a lot of work to do. Things like changing technique certainly don't happen over night! We've been doing a lot filming over the past weeks and it's really interesting to watch it back and see what has and hasn't changed. I've finished all my exams now, they finished last thursday. I can never tell if exams go well or not. All I know is that I gave it my best shot - so I'll see what my results say in a couple of weeks time. My second semester starts on Monday with a whole new bunch of modules, so I'm pretty excited about that. If there's one thing I learnt from last semester, it's that I could maybe do with doing a bit more reading outside of lectures, just so I make sure I understand things fully. So I'm staying put in Loughborough for the next few months, keeping things consistent. It really won't be along till the race season starts. I really can't wait to race again this year - still lots more training and hard work to put under my belt though before I get out on the circuit. The World Champion Series race in London has got me pretty excited - I reckon that will be great! I'm off to the TCR road-show at Sandown Park this weekend, so if you see me about please come and say hey! Take care, Hollie
23/1/09 I said to myself that one of my aims for 2009 would be about conquering and getting over my fears. Coming out to Aus has been a great start for my new years resolution... For starters, I have to admit, I've never been the most confident when it comes to open water, especially when it's open water with waves! I'll always remember my first French Grand Prix at LesSables d-Olones, it was the first time I was faced with a sea swim. The sea was pretty rough! I practiced the day before with Ben and lost a pair of goggles in the process! I have pictures of just before the race where my face is as white as a ghost - I was not looking forward to running into the sea for the 750m swim! I think the swim took us around 20minutes, which shows how wavy it was. Ben still laughs at me for running into the water and falling flat on my face at the start - I can laugh at it now, but I was not laughing when it happened!!! Since being in Aus, I've turned a bit of a corner, I no longer panic when I hear Ben say 'We're going swimming in the sea'! We did a great session in the surf with Craig Walton last week, he taught us all about the rip, how to swim under the waves and how to catch a wave. I think spending time in the surf out here has given me a real boost of confidence in the open water. A big fear for me was being able to run, swim and bike again after having to do three months of nothing! It was hard for me going from the fittest I'd ever been in Korea, pre-beijing, to doing absolutely no training and then to come back in November and find myself getting out of breath after 5 minutes of running!! But I sit here now and think to myself that I don't regret having my break one bit. Yes - it took a lot of persuasion from Ben and other members of my support team , and I'm sure I put on some right sulks about it, but I know I did it for all the right reasons. Reasons that will make me come back stronger, stronger for many years to come. What is three months of rest in a potentially 20 year career in sport? It's the rest in the bank now that will enable me to keep on going. People will ask why I did it, because most triathletes don't ever have that long off, but I'm not 'most triathletes', I'm Hollie. Several people who know me will laugh at this one! I have a fear of animals and if you ask me why I will always tell you 'it's because I never know what they're thinking'. Well since I've been in Aus, I've made a new best friend! Buttons, Liz's gorgeous dog, and I get along great!! She sensed that I was leaving today as she saw me packing and wouldn't leave my side! I fly out of Australia today, pretty sad to be leaving. I've had a fantastic three weeks out here!! As you know for the first part I trained with the Youth Olympic Team, doing some great group training, and then I moved on to stay with Liz Blatchford. For the ten days I spent with Liz I joined in with her training group, which is made up of Emma Snowsill, Felicity Abraham and Liz. We did some great long rides in the hills and early morning runs on the coast! The girls all swim with a swim squad in Miami, so I joined in with them too. The squad is made up of swimmers, surfer life savers and triathletes, a real mix! But it was a tough squad - just what I needed to put some swimming fitness in the bank! As well as training, I had some great fun on the Gold Coast, from making home made ice cream with Liz to having surf lessons with Glen, Liz's fiances, surf shop - Go Ride A Wave! If I'm being honest - I think I should stick to making ice cream rather then surfing!! I managed to stand up once - but fell off in a matter of seconds! It was great fun though! Cooking skills rather then surf skills run in my family!!! So it's back to the UK! I'll spend a couple of days back home in Bugbrooke before heading back up the M1 to Loughborough!! I've a couple more exams next week before starting my second semester. It'll be a fair few months until I get out the bikini, flip flops and shorts, but hey, there's no place like home.
12/1/09 For the first few days out here my body seemed to not want to sleep past 5.30am! I’ would wake up, look outside, think it’s around 7am then turn to look at my clock and see that it’s still only 5am! It gets light here so early! So instead of trying to get back to sleep, I would get up and do an hours worth of revision before the days training would begin. With my Uni exams coming up, keeping on top the revision is important whilst I’m out here! Most mornings we’ve been heading to the local pool – the local pool which has two 50m outdoor pools beside each other! What us Brits would call a luxury! It’s been so nice to be able to swim outside. As well as the pool we’ve also been swimming in the sea and in a near by lake. We’ve been doing a lot of group swim practice, practicing swimming on hips, sighting and getting use to being bashed about! This type of training has been invaluable to me as confidence in the open water is something that I need to work on and continue improving. Doing some work in the surf has really helped my confidence too, learning to love the waves rather than be scared of them! I think a couple of surf lessons are in store for me next week when I move to Liz’s and my exams are out the way!! Mark Niemz, my Strength and Conditioning coach, has travelled to the Gold Coast as part of the Youth Olympic Trip too, so I’ve been able to keep up my strength and conditioning since being here. The AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) have allowed us to use their Canoe centre gym, which is just across the road from our apartments, which has been a great help. Strength and Conditioning is just as important as any other part of my training to me. As well as group swimming we’ve been doing a lot of group riding practice too. We’ve been training at a place called Nerang where there’s an outdoor velodrome with a closed road criterion circuit around it. I feel like I’m really benefiting from all the group work we’ve been doing on the bike. Helping me become more and more confident and aware when riding in a group. Yesterday we did a great session there, we did a number of races but all of them were different with different aims and tactics. I like it when I’m able to mix it up with the guys!!! And it’s great to be doing some hard stuff on the bike again! I’m now at Liz’s house and about to crack open the revision books before going riding in the sunshine! I’m loving The Gold Coast for sure!!! Hollie
3/1/09 You know how quick the months are flying by when you forget what month you're in! I met for lunch with one of my close traithlon friends, Vicky Holland, today and went to her 'I can't believe it's December and I haven't see you in over two months!!' - She had to correct me that we'd in fact entered into 2009!! I'm lucky enough to be starting my 2009in Australia! We've just left Heathrow airpot and are en-route to Brisbane. Im heading out to the Gold Coast with the Youth Olympic Triathlon Team, I won't be competing in the race but I will help them train and prepare before they fly to Syndey in just over a week to compete in the Youth Olympic Festival! When they fly to Syndey, I will then be kindly put up by Liz Blatchford and will train with her for 10 days! I kept my training up over Christmas and had a good block between Chritsmas and New year - so I wouldn't be itiching to train for the 24 hours of sitting still on the flight! I had a lovely Chritmas over in irealnd, it was great to see all my Mum's side of the family. We also saw a lot of out close freinds out there too, including my Godmother, Caroline, who I have not see since she came to watch me at the Junior World Champoniships in Lausanne in 2006! That seems so long a go! I'd like to thank Fitness First in Stepaside Dublin, for providing me with access to their Gym and facilities over the Christmas period, enabling me to train! And my uncle, Aruthur, for arranging it! I had a pretty quiet New Year, I spend the first part of the evening with a few of my friends from back home and then I'm headed back to Bugbrooke to see the New Year in my my family and close family friends! I'm really looking forward to my few weeks down under! It will be great to be able to do some open water swimming in the surf, an area I need to practice one, and having the chance to get some long miles in the sunshine on the bike! Those being only two examples of several benefits and goals I will achieve from my time away, For those of you thinking, 'What about University!?!?'... Most of my luggage allowance consists of 2kg textbooks! I will be revising out in Aus for my semester one exams. I will also be taking two of my module exams out there, thanks to Lougbourough University and British Triathlon being able to make that doable. I won't miss any lectures as I'm away in exam period, so no falling behind whilst I'm training hard down under! I will be sure to keep you updated! Wishing everyone a healthy and exciting 2009, Hollie |
