Natalie Van Coevorden- Australian Triathlete

Heading back to Stockholm for the fifth time I actually felt like a bit of a local.   I arrived in Stockholm calm and motivated to deliver a good to a performance on race day. After Montreal WTS I was really disappointed not being able to put a race together that showed where I am currently at, on course really suited me. I was flat from the gun and my body couldn’t handle the high power spikes. We had a few days of training easy after we got back and this gave me ample time to self-reflect and stop second guessing myself. I had a French Grand Prix in Embrun in the French Alps the next weekend and this was a good non pressure race to do the basics right. I had a good result there finishing 6 th with a solid breakaway up the climb and a win for my team Poissy Triathlon. Race day in Stockholm was slightly cold, sunny but quite windy. I stood on the pontoon surrounded by very strong swimmers including Jess Learmon

Only two weeks have passed since Madrid World Cup and it actually felt strange having a weekend in Vitoria. The past two weeks especially have been specific work to the demands of the Leeds course but also personal work on my run form. I have been working a lot with our staff here and back home on being more efficient when I run slow and even more so when I run fast. Every week we have been working on small changes and key words and I can already feel the difference in the changes. I didn’t have the best of races in Leeds last year due to illness so I wanted to prove to myself that I had the ability to ride and perform well on such a demanding course. With the start list being so small, this always means there are less links in the chain. I stood on the start line next to some very good swimmers and I knew the pace would be on from the start. Within 100m, we were already strung out in a single line. All I was thinking was h

Since Yokohama I’ve settled into my ‘Winter’ home in Vitoria Gasteiz in the Basque Country of Spain. It always feels like home and we have been spoiled with perfect weather since we have arrived. Vitoria is ideal for training and coming back every year I realise just how fortunate we are to have it as our training base overseas. Last weekend I travelled to France to compete in the first GP of the season in Dunkerque with my French team Poissy Triathlon. I was unsure how I would go after a long week of travelling. My swim was not the best and I had to play catch up on the bike to get on the first pack. I felt really strong when I started running and ended up in a group of five girls with four girls up the road. The pace was fast with our group sprint finishing for top 10 places. I finished in 8 th place with only nine seconds separating 3 rd to me. We had a solid week of training in Vitoria before driving to what feels like a

Leading into Yokohama, I was training down in Canberra apart of a sleep high/sleep low carbohydrate study based out of the Australian Institute of Sport. It gave me an interesting insight into my daily nutrition and how to fuel pre/post session. More than anything I realised how mentally ingrained certain habits are e.g. fuelling post session.   Although we were a part of this study, we incorporated normal training and specific Yokohama sessions. Being based out of Canberra, I am very grateful for the use of the world class facilities and the amazing training grounds Canberra has to offer. It is the best place I have trained and I look forward to going back hopefully in the future to make the most of it. With a month in Canberra, I gained consistency in our weekly training which gave me a great indicator of my form and the opportunity to go into Yokohama with a positive mentality looking towards the race.

I remember going on my break last year in November and thinking I had ages till the big dance. Well that came around too fast... Before I knew it, the processes were in place and the work was done.   I was exhausted after Mooloolaba World Cup and needed some down time to recuperate. In saying that, it's actually been a really progressive month with a lot of goals being ticked off and new ones to be set in place. Gold Coast meant a lot for the Australians as the first Australian in the top 10 was an auto nomination for the Commonwealth Games. I stood on the start line on Saturday with a focus - being engaged and bold. With a low start number, I didn't have much choice of where I started on the pontoon and ending up far left was not ideal. The water was super choppy and we were swimming with the current to the first buoy. I had clear water for the first minute or so and that was the end of it. I have now experienced what it is like bein

The base miles have been done and the race season is underway again. From my last blog post of the year in 2016, I quoted this " It's not about perfect. It's about effort. And when you bring that effort everyday, that's when transformation happens. That's how change happens ". I have taken this as a motto for this year and in the past few months I have had some good consistency in my training. Being at home and a change of scenery in Canberra last month were both great opportunities to cement consistent work.   Coming into Mooloolaba World Cup, I knew what the course and the conditions were like from previous years. The days before the race, the waves were bigger and dumpier and I came out with half of the beach in my costumes. We had been practicing a lot in Wollongong with ins and outs in the surf and I knew I just had to do the same thing on race day to execute this well. I had to be bold, not afraid.   The swim was really comforta