"Balance is not something you find, it's something you create"

What do a balance-beam, a see-saw, a set of scales and a person’s life have in common? a search for balance.

A common clinical presentation

In this post I am going to draw parallels between a common problem I see every day in my line of work with how I manage to balance my life.

The common problem I have chosen is called a tendinopathy. Simply, it’s a presentation when a tendon is irritated. A tendon is what joins a muscle to a bone.

In my practice, commonly patients have had a period of rest and then have returned too quickly to an activity and have caused an overload on their tissues. This has made their tendon ‘grumpy’ as such. There are lots of factors that can contribute to this.

A continuum

Tendons have a continuum. For the acute tendon, if you overload it i.e. do too much for it’s capacity, then your tendon is what we call reactive. If you address the factors that have led to it, the tendon can return to it’s usual state. If you do not address these factors then overtime you can cause what is known as tendon dysrepair which can be quite difficult and in some cases not possible to completely rehabilitate.

Factors

Factors are like ingredients to a meal. They are all of the things that when mixed together can either create something delicious that gets the whole family talking or the kind of meal you want to scrape under the table and hope your family pet will eat it without your parents noticing. It’s also like a set of scales because if you have an equal amount of weight on both sides then you will find an equilibrium or balance. If one side is off just a little? you will lose that balance.

What losing your balance can look a little like!

Control

Some of these factors the individual can control and some the individual cannot.

A list of things we cannot control:

• The weather – funnily enough, people love to complain about the weather but as someone wise once said to me ‘weather is weather’.
• Time-in the day, in a month, in a year, in a decade etc. No matter what you do with your time or how you feel, the time will still pass regardless.
• Other people- whilst you can try to convince people of certain things, you do not own them and cannot control them.
• Ageing-to a degree, there are changes in our bodies that we cannot prevent from happening

A list of things we can control:

• Our attitude-in my opinion, this is number one. Attitude is everything! our mind is our most powerful weapon and our wildest resource.
• What we do with our time-PRIORITISE.
• What we want to achieve and most importantly, the how.
• Compliance to advice- advice is only as helpful as you choose to follow and adhere to.
• Ageing-there are factors to ageing like looking after your health that can slow age-related changes. I call this ‘healthy ageing’.

Applying these factors to the tendon continuum

If we address the factors that we can control early on then we can prevent long-term issues. If we do not then we risk long-term health issues or total burn out. A common life issue is when people “burn the candle at both ends” which means they are trying to do everything and just end up totally exhausted, run down, sick, injured, unhappy or a combination of all of these. This is why it is so important to identify these factors and address them NOW.

The how

What everyone defines as success is so different to the next person. That’s why I ask each of my new patients what they are expecting from me as their physiotherapist and what their goals are. I spend my session(s) trying to work the patient out, what makes them tic and who they are as a person. If I can build a rapport, I am so well on my way to helping them achieve their goals.

Drawing parallels to my life

I love my job, I am very passionate about helping other people. However I learned quite young that I cannot help others if I do not look after myself. I do not live to work. I want a balance and I am so determined to do so.

Success to me is that work-life balance. I don’t love that term as my work is a part of my life not separate to. So I guess I’m after a nice balance with all my factors which includes my work, my boyfriend, my family, my friends, seeking help when required from other professionals, eating nutritious food to keep my mind and body thriving and keeping my own body moving. If I can balance all of this then I feel more healthy.

Enjoying the beautiful views

Riding towards that balance

A brief story: when I was 17 I sent my bike off for a service, it took a week, I could still swim and run but I could not ride, and I felt like an emotional wreck. Riding has been such a source of peace and calm to me. I ride to cope, I ride to explore, I ride to be social, I ride because it’s just so damn fun!!

Riding does help keep all the emotions in check and I feel so much more alive and ready to tackle each day.

Yes sometimes it’s hard to fit in with a full-time job but it’s so worth it.

There is no better day than today

The health benefits of exercise encompass both mental and physical well-being improvements, give it a go and start now. Even if you just find five minutes at the start, middle or end of your day to walk outside, you may just feel that little bit more at ease. Commuting is another wonderful way to create that balance, please follow the link at the completion of this blog to read about how you can incorporate commuting into your hectic life schedule.

I will leave you with this famous quote to finish:

“Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving”

Creating my balance.

For my a blog on commuting to help find your life balance, please follow this link  www.laridley.com/my-q-time/commute-way-better-life-balance-2/ 

'What's today?' asked Piglet, 'my favourite day', said Pooh.

I jumped out of bed, the count down on my phone read zero. It was finally time! Our long awaited adventure was here. A full day of work and we were off!

The plan: a ten night road trip with Roey up the Victorian coast through the Gippsland region up to the NSW coast staying in Paynesville, Mallacoota, Tathra then inland to the NSW Snowy Mountains staying in Jindabyne. Returning home via a night in Yackandandah.

Looking across to Paynesville from Raymond Island

Packing: The 'Commo' contained four bikes (two mtb, two road), a whole heap of kit, shoes, helmets, civilian clothing, pump and my pillow. Pack light travel far did not apply to this trip for us. I am really not sure how I would manage bike packing and kept thinking how the Indian Pacific Wheel Racers were going to pack for the trip across Australia if this is how much I packed for ten days!

The Commo in all it's glory 

Our first adventure was mountain bike riding around Raymond Island, a very short ferry trip from Paynesville to see plenty of koalas and kangaroos. It did not disappoint. This was followed by a beautiful and very serene breakfast at a cafe overlooking the marina, recommended to me by my boss Maddie (Thanks Maddie!). This reminded me of Adelaide and I almost felt home. I could have stayed there sitting in the sun looking at boats all day but we had plenty more to see and do before arriving in Mallacoota that night. 

We journeyed through to Mallacoota via Metung, Lakes Entrance, Lake Tyers Beach before following the scenic, and rather wet, highway to Mallacoota. Mallacoota was quite clearly a town for fishing so it seemed fitting that we finish the day with some fresh fish from a local market and a mangrove walk that finished by the beach. We enjoyed dessert with a kangaroo watching closely.

A beach at Mallacoota, VIC

Boats at Paynesville, VIC

Lake Tyers Beach

The next morning we were keen to hit the road early as we had many more towns to pass through to make it to Tathra, NSW. We explored Eden, Pambula, Merimbula and Tura Beach before making our way to Tathra where we stayed for three nights. We stayed in a gorgeous little eco cabin by a lake in Tathra called Kianinny Resort and on arrival we were warned to watch out for large Lace Monitors and Sun Dragons sunning themselves. I thought they were kidding about the large Lace Monitors but they really weren't. 

One of the Lace Monitors we saw whilst mtb riding

Tathra is a stunning, small beachside town between Merimbula and Bermagui. Highlights of our time here included exploring the 50 km of single track mtb riding around Tathra known as the Bundadung Trails and the Fire Shed Trails. We also explored the Tura Beach trails. So that we did not forget that we are primarily road riders who dabble in mtb riding, we also thought it would be a great idea to ride our roadies to Bermagui, another sea side town further North. On paper this ride didn't look too unlike rides where we live in the Yarra Valley, Victoria..but paper sometimes lies. This ride was one of the most spectacular rides I have done traversing through national parks then following beautiful country roads before opening up and following the sea/beach line to Bermagui.

Whilst 'on paper' the ride looked undulating, the 94 km with 1600m vertical was quite brutal. 'Undulating' wasn't really the right word, it contained many short, steep bergs over and over and over again. Of course, the wind picked up while we stopped at a random, but very hip boutique coffee shop in Bermagui so we had to contend with a head wind home too but it was very much worth it! I would highly recommend this ride to any roadie, we were treated with the utmost respect by other road users too which was greatly appreciated. The helpful and very friendly staff at Tathra Beach and Bike made our experience in Tathra that extra bit special, taking time out of their busy day to give us trail ideas to get the most out of the riding experience. If you are a bike enthusiast and are in the area, definitely go say hello!

Below are some snap shots of our adventures from Tathra on the mountain bike, roadie and a board walk in nearby Merimbula. 

Stoked after a session of the best mtb trails I've ever done!

Whilst I was sad to leave Tathra, we sure packed in a lot of adventures as well as some much needed R&R into our three days there. I was, however, super excited in anticipation of our next destination, Jindabyne! This really did not disappoint. As much as I loved Tathra, I totally fell in love with Jindabyne. At the base of the Snowy Mountains in NSW with ski resorts Thredbo and Perisher nearby, this town based around a lake is equally serene as it is scenic! So many grouse cafes to relax at and mtb trails right from our door step weaving around the lake. 

Whilst I was actually ill for the most part of our time in Jindabyne, it was the best place to relax to recover! From our bed I could see the lake and I was able to do short mtb rides around the lake to get some fresh air (despite then requiring lengthy naps most afternoons!). Roey was healthy enough by the Saturday to head up Charlotte's Pass, a 40 km climb pretty much starting in Jindabyne. Charlotte's Pass is the last place you can drive/ride before hiking to Australia's highest point, Mt Kosciuszko! I met Roey at the base and rode with him to brews while he debriefed about his climb. Basically, he loved it. Quiet, long, winding roads with a strong head wind for the final kms. I think he deserved his brunch. We also spent some time at Thredbo Resort, having driven up and had a lovely lunch there from the bakery. If I'd had more energy, we would have ridden the famous Thredbo Valley Trail between Thredbo and Lake Crackenback Resort but I guess this gives us an excuse to return!

Of course the days rolled by far more quickly than I would have liked but finally time came to re-pack the commo and begin the journey home. To break up what would've been a long days drive, we had decided to stay a night in Yackandandah, so that I could visit one of my best friends from school, Bec, in Albury and then Roey's good friend Jonny in Bright before winding our way back around to the Yarra Valley for the joy of unpacking. 

Roey and I are both big believers in making the most of every day. We truly did this on our wonderful holiday adventure but for now it's back to work, ticking boxes as we make progress in our chosen careers. 

Our next holiday adventure will be to Mount Beauty over Easter with my mum and step-dad. Before then I have an unplanned three day trip to Adelaide, which was supposed to be for a course but that was cancelled this week but I'm still going so I can see many friends and family. 

Until next time! Safe riding and keep exploring the #roadlesstravelled 

Emus in Jindabyne (and how's that sky!)

My number one partner in adventure, Roey 

A world full of opportunities

Climbing up Mount Donna Buang in Winter

It has been an age since I last posted and what a time I have had!


I am now a physiotherapist and have completed my first year in a private practice in the stunning Yarra Valley in Victoria. It has been an amazing yet challenging year of firsts. I have learned so much from my wonderful, supportive colleagues and have attended numerous courses to further extend my knowledge. As well as my clinical, in-room work, I love teaching my clinical matwork pilates classes and supervising people doing independent hydrotherapy programs.

The past year has been all about following what makes me tic and ensuring I have a good work-life balance. If I cannot follow my passions, how can I encourage my patients to follow their hearts and set the bar higher on what they can achieve and what they can do with their life. Too many people  are living their lives at a level of 'it's ok' but aren't super happy or living lives they really do not want to lead.

Photo Credit: Sam Rosenzweig

I hope to encourage and motivate people by building a rapport and learning what makes them excited, what fuels their fire and what would they do if they could do anything then help empower them to do that.

It seems to me that we live in a world where everyone is encouraged to just 'get by'. To me, life is there to be lived. It should be thrilling, exciting, abundant and forever changing as we grow and further seek out what we really want to be spending our time doing.

Photo Credit: James Caracoussis

I never thought I was going to move out of Tasmania, then I thought I was never going to move out of SA but a chance of a lifetime volunteering for a paediatric uni placement in Vietnam changed that. Here I am in Victoria learning as much about people as I am learning about physiotherapy whilst never forgetting to explore the road less travelled and keeping my body and mind active for a healthier, more wholesome me.





My patients have asked me how I manage to be so bubbly all day and it's simple, I follow my passions and have plenty of active me time therefore I feel more able to cope with the challenges thrown into each day. Movement is the best medicine.  Let's get moving and passionate Australia!



Social media
Instagram: @hannahgracegeelan

Sunset commute along the Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail

Climbing Lake Mountain

Mtb riding at Buxton 

Dirty Gran Fondo. Photo Credit: Matt Barron

Challenge ride complete! Over $4600 raised so far for beyondblue & the Amy Gillett Foundation combined

On Sunday, December 28 I woke up super early (4 20 am!) ready to head off on our big day adventure on our bikes.

I rode into town and met Nerine Adams, Shaun Probert, Lia Giovanovits, Paul Morgan, Dave Bingley, Steve Muir & Ashley Flint along with my Mum Sharron Yaxley, and step-dad Tony Yaxley who were to be our amazing support crew for the day. We were also met by Tim, who was riding with us to St Helens. I was stoked at being able to get 7 people to join me in this crazy adventure! and it was by far the biggest ride any of us had completed. To have 3/8 of the group being women too was very impressive.

I had noticed over the few days prior that I was very nervous and had difficulty sleeping as my heart rate felt stupidly high! but when I saw the group that had met so early, I relaxed immediately. I knew it was going to be a long day but we were all in it together.

The crew! L-R: Paul Morgan, Tim, Ashley Flint, Shaun Probert, Dave Bingley, myself, Steve Muir, Nerine Adams & Lia Giovanovits.

The first 90 kms to Avoca went quite quickly and very smoothly. We had a quick coffee/loo stop before heading to St Mary's. We hit this town at the 130 km mark and my legs had been going numb. I was relieved to stand up and walk around a bit to get some blood flowing. Here we met Mike Walsh & Sam Calow, who would ride with us to St Helens & Weldborough Pass respectively. The ride from St Mary's to St Helen's was gorgeous. We had a lovely flowing descent followed by riding right next to the waters of the East Coast of Tasmania. Despite the head wind, morale was still high. 

The crew riding towards St Mary's

We stopped at St Helens for a lunch break, hitting this at the 190 km mark. It was nice to have some time off the bike saddle to ease the pressure on some already sore bottoms. We gave ourselves plenty of time to refuel ready for what would surely be the hardest part of our journey. For most of the way from here was uphill. I had been warned and I'm thankful, as it was pretty brutal. I felt very sick after about 2 km of the 8 km Weldborough Pass climb. My butt was also very sore as were my toes if I got out of the saddle, so not really winning in either situation! I eventually made it up the top to meet the rest of the guns and vomited out my lunch. Great. Better out than in though! Despite how I felt, I was still able to take in the amazing scenery surrounding us. It was absolutely phenomenal. I have never ridden in this part of the state and was certainly stoked we chose such a good route, and a challenging one at that. 

View from the top of Weldborough Pass

I know I certainly wasn't the only one feeling it from this point, from here on in it seemed like the climbs were getting more & more steep. Thankfully we all encouraged each other & helped out where we could. It was from about here that we were extremely grateful for Mum & Tony in the support car where we could just stop and ask them to pull over too, so we could drink or eat! Thankfully for me my nausea settled down after about an hour and I had a 'second wind'. This was very nice and I was grateful as I had been feeling very, very ordinary with still 120 km to go at one point. The approach to Scottsdale was challenging and the head wind certainly wasn't helping us. When we finally arrived in Scottsdale, I think we had 8 very tired cyclists, contemplating how on earth to get the energy to ride home including over the notorious 'Sideling'. A 5 km climb of approx 6-8%. We hit this at the 290 km mark. Although I still felt really good here (on my 2nd wind still) I decided to stay and help a friend and distract her whilst climbing up. This climb is very picturesque and it was very enjoyable to take our time going up it and take it all in. Team work and friendship were critical for the day. 

Lia & I grinding it out on the Sideling

We met the rest of the crew at the top of the climb and were so relieved. That was all the main climbing DONE!! we also had a super nice tailwind to assist us home (finally). We all looked totally buggered but being only 40 km from home and meeting up with fresh legs in Adrian Adams, we managed to ride quite quickly home. 

The crew at the top of the Sideling. Picture includes Adrian Adams back left. As well as Sharron & Tony Yaxley, my mum and step-dad who did the most amazing job of being support crew for the day! They even rode sections. I was overwhelmed by their generosity and support.

As I had ridden in from my home in an outer suburb of Launceston, I clicked 337 kms by the time we stopped. We had made it!! If I hadn't been so trashed, I would've been able to show my excitement a bit more. But to be honest, it still hasn't sunk in that we did this ride. Thankfully we all witnessed each other do it and I have it on my garmin, but it still all feels like a blur. The details were: ride average of 28.6 km/h and 3900m climbing. A whopping big day!

I'm incredibly grateful for the mateship & support of all the riders who joined us on this big day, and for Mum and Tony our support crew. We shared in 13 hours of fun, some pain, some numb butts, sickness, hunger flats, a few punctures, lots of bananas and water but we made it. Our ride time was about 11 hours and I was out of the house for 18 hours by the time I had food and was dropped home. It was in so many ways, epic and challenging and I am so proud. 

So far we have raised $4600 combined for beyondblue and the Amy Gillett Foundation. Thank you so much to the generosity of all who donated, and a special mention to Michelle Apostolou and JT Cycles for organising a ride in Adelaide in support the day before and fundraising $530!! This made me so happy and ready for the next day. 

Donations will remain open until the 1st of Feb so please feel free to donate any amount!

The links are:

beyondblue: http://cycle.gofundraise.com.au/page/GeelanHa

&

Amy Gillett Foundation: http://cycle.gofundraise.com.au/page/GeelanH

Once again, thank you so much to everyone who donated, sent me and the other riders a message of good luck, encouragement/support & congratulations and to the riders & support crew. We definitely shared a memorable day together all for a good cause as well as a great personal challenge.

A special mention also to Carlee Taylor & Kerianne Parfitt for putting in so many kms with me in preparation. You girls made my Summer very, very amusing. Thank you.

And to Andrew Roe, you are my rock x

If you ever have a crazy idea just before bed just like I did, run with it. Even if you have no idea how to get started. Make it happen, you will work it out. It might just make your year.

Thank you once again,

Hannah :) 

Challenge ride-proudly supporting beyondblue & the Amy Gillett Foundation

330 km in one day. Why would a 21 yo girl want to do that?

I have always wanted to use my passion and enthusiasm to help others. I began last year by taking on the Great Cycle Challenge where I rode 1344 km in one month, raising $1810. However I wanted this to just be the beginning...

I want to show people that the power of the bicycle is huge. Bikes can take you to so many stunning places, being out on a bike with friends is such a thrill and you can go on so many adventures and share in the joy with friends. Bikes can shave minutes off just a 5 km commute, beating the rush of peak hour. Bike riding can keep you healthy both physically and mentally. 

I came up with this ride one night just as I was about to go to bed. I was looking on google maps of a ride in Tassie I could do while I'm home over the Christmas break. I ended up seeing the distance of the loop I created and panicked. However I immediately thought, why not do it for charity and then I was so excited and probably should've been sleeping but planned most of the ride in the next few hours. The route has changed with some input from local riders so that it is less isolated with more towns to re-fuel. It adds an extra 80 km on top of my original plan, making it a 330 km ride in one day. Given my previous biggest ride was 165 km, this is pretty huge! I've now done a 200 km ride as well to test the legs!

Choosing beyondblue and the Amy Gillett Foundation as the charities to raise awareness and money for me was very easy. I figured it would probably be easier to just choose one but I couldn't. Both are very close to my heart. Mental illness has had a huge impact on so many of those closest to me. No one should ever have to receive a good-bye message, and in saying that, no one should EVER have to feel that way. I hate the stigma surrounding mental health issues, in writing this I've had to leave so many details out in respect to those I love. But I don't understand why if someone has a mental illness, it has to be hidden, whereas something also awful like cancer, is so huge in the media and people feel they can talk about their struggles and reach support more easily. 

My wish is that awareness of mental health issues will be increased and the stigma surrounding it decreased. This ride is about a small group of people being put through a huge challenge, but using each other to get through. Checking to see how everyone is feeling, sharing our food/drinks, enjoying our time and maybe even literally give a helping hand to help people through. It may sound corny but that's how I wish mental illnesses were treated. People could more easily say 'no, I'm not ok, can you please help me?' and we do everything we can to help that person-through just chatting, info resources, health professionals, referrals etc. 

Amy Gillett Foundation involvement is because of my passion to ride to cope. In struggling with the divorce of my parents and feeling like I was always 'caught in the middle' so to speak, I used training for triathlon and it's community, as well as diving even harder into my studies as a way to cope. I didn't realise that was what I was doing at the time though. Looking back, it's very easy to see. I remember once as a 14 yo out on a ride with a bunch of veteran men. I was next to a man for a while who told me so much that has stayed with me. He basically told me he was told by his doctor he would probably die from cardiovascular disease if he didn't do something drastic to change his lifestyle. So he bought a very cheap bike, and took up cycling. He lost a great deal of weight and 'cycling has changed my life', he said something along the lines of 'I no longer want to end my life'.  As a young teenager, this conversation had a huge impact on me. He told me that if I ever struggled with life 'to always keep riding and keep smiling'. 

This may seem a bit out of touch with exactly what the AGF is about, but I believe the benefits of exercise (in my case, cycling) are so beneficial to a person's health-both physically and mentally.  

Outdoors, friends, support, exploring new places, challenging yourself, stunning scenery etc, list goes on! But unfortunately many drivers don't have that respect as they don't understand how it helps us to be healthier, hopefully happier, people. I want to improve the rider-driver education so no one gets abused on the roads, everyone respects and watches out for each other no matter what form of transport they're using-whether it be car, truck, bike, walking/running, the occasional horse even! Everyone has a right to get home to their family safely and not be abused for doing something that keeps them healthy, social, and happy. So that's where the Amy Gillett Foundation comes in. The values of this Foundation are exactly what I would love to work towards achieving in Australia. 0 fatalities. 

The ride will also be one day before the 1st anniversary of the passing of Lewis Hendey, a 21 yo male rower who was hit and killed from behind by a car along a very popular stretch of road for cyclists in Launceston. I knew of Lewis from our running days in primary school, but I had friends who were very close to him who trained with him for rowing. He sounded like an amazing young man. His passing seems so senseless. It was a straight, long section of road with good vision. Why on earth this wonderful life, along with so many other similarly tragic stories, has been lost, is just horrific. People are driving cars and trucks, they need to be paying attention! they need to be respectful of everyone around them. It's just unbelievable how many lives are lost on our roads-drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists. These are people who are loved! I just wish everyone would respect each other and be aware of all road users. The Amy Gillett Foundation campaigns are doing a wonderful job of improving rider-driver education and awareness and I would love to know that I have helped in achieving the goal of 0 fatalities. 

Throughout the past month, I've realised this ride has even more implications that I could imagine. I'm a 21 yo girl hoping to ride 330 km in one day. About a 12 hour day if all goes to plan. There is a race in SA that's a 110 km handicap race that women aren't allowed to enter. We have a 40 km option instead..upon appeal over the last two years, this race has been somewhat opened to women so long as they email a request to compete in the 110 km race. It's so backward. There are numerous races around Australia that still bar women from racing. I hope that I can show what women can achieve if they set their mind to it. It's time to put an end to the limits that are put upon us. 

There are currently 8 riders confirmed to ride with me, 2 of these are women! I'm still hoping to pull the legs of another few women to up our numbers. I'm stoked that so many people want to join me on this adventure to raise awareness and funds for the AGF & beyondblue. I can't thank them enough for joining  me on this crazy plan ! 

I'm very grateful for the support of my Mum, Sharron Yaxley, and step-dad Tony who will be driving the support vehicle for us all day. 

I'm forever grateful to all of my family and friends and can't wait for this next journey of mine!

So far we have raised $530 for beyondblue and $252 for the AGF. Let's get these numbers up!! Let's build momentum and make the ride worth every bit of pain! Let's make a change to the image of mental health and increase respect of all road users.

To donate, click on the following links:

Amy Gillett Foundation:

http://cycle.gofundraise.com.au/page/GeelanH

beyondblue:

http://cycle.gofundraise.com.au/page/GeelanHa

Thank you,

Hannah :)

Things I've learned.

There are two things I know:

1. I should be studying right now for my upcoming exams
2. persistence and patience pay off

You know what, I have changed a lot since I moved to Adelaide. I have matured in so many ways.

In my teenage years, I buried myself in my triathlon training and in my school work and I loved it. But I was sick and injured very commonly. I think the longest amount of time I strung together consistently running without injury would've been about four months throughout those years. I had bicep/tricep tendonitis in both shoulders, achilles tendinitis at insertion and above in both feet, plantar fasciitis in both feet, shin splints..oh boy you name it, I probably had it.

But I never gave up, I would take the time off to heal then slowly get back into it, build build build just to get injured again.

I hope you never experience that, but let me assure you, that gets pretty frustrating and upsetting as I wasn't one to look at the bigger picture too much.

It took me until September 2011, the final few months of Year 12 for me to come to the conclusion I needed to give myself a break from running after once again re -aggravating my plantar fasciitis (the recurring injury I had for 2012). I cried when I came to this realisation. It hurt me a lot, as I was in the best form of my life just about to enter the tri season of 2011/12 and I was seriously pumped.

Throughout that tri season, I didn't even attempt to run even on the days it felt ok, I was serious about having a proper break. I was still swimming and riding in the races but would either pull out in T2 and have my brother or step-dad run for me (thanks guys). I didn't expect to have 2.5 years off running though.

On February 18, 2012 Dad, Luke and I arrived in Adelaide. A few weeks later, I was offered a spot in the cycling team now known as Specialized Securitor. 2.5 years later and a lot of experience and lessons learned, I rekindled my passion for triathlon when I spotted the Bike Society Moana Tri Series poster. Before I saw this poster, I had no intentions of going back to triathlon any time soon..it's funny how the location of a race can capture your imagination..

Now a much smarter person about listening to my body and not training the house down, four weeks after beginning training I raced in the first tri of the season and achieved my goal of having a blast! I also finished 4th and had one of the fastest runs I've ever had off the bike (also had one of the slowest rides ever which may have helped this haha). Now completely hooked I've entered a few other tris for the season with my goal race being the Asics Victor Harbor Olympic Distance Triathlon in March. I would love to win this.

Coming up I have the Alex Roberts 100 Mile Classic 23/11/13, the state kermesse champs on 24/11/13, the Victor Harbor SA Sprint Tri champs 01/12/13, the SA crit champs 07/12, the Bike Society Tri 15/12 and the Bridport Olympic Tri on the 29/12.

Today I had my first hit out at Torrens Park Run, a free 5 km timed run and I ran 21 mins flat, which is only 15 seconds off my PB. This is crazy considering it was only my 15th run in 2.5 years, having run 70 km in the 7 weeks I'd been back training. My first run was on the treadmill and I only managed 2 km and had to walk a couple of times..that was only 7 weeks ago..

Getting back into tri training has not been easy, it has been hard. I have never been so slow in the water. Why did I wait 18 months and let my upper body change so much before I decided to get back in?? It has been hard physically and also mentally but watching my progress each day is so exciting which makes it a lot easier and fun. I now appreciate things that I used to take for granted ! my progress has been a bit slow the last few weeks as the session times are increasing, despite dropping a ride, doing 4 bike, 2 run and 3 swim is a massive increase in frequency which was ok at first due to such short session times. Now the swims/runs are getting longer, and being in training for a 160 km handicap bike race is not easy to mix in either!

I have struggled with fatigue and some weight gain in the last couple of weeks but here's where I am now a different person..I LISTEN TO MY BODY. A couple of weeks there I only swam once. A couple of weeks there I dropped a ride. A couple of weeks there I only ran once. I have ONE COMPLETE DAY OF REST each week. This was completely unthinkable back in the day.. and you know what, despite the fact my swimming has a long way to go, my running is almost back where it left off and my riding is going really well and I train LESS.

I have a friend who has just been diagnosed with a stress fracture who is finding it difficult to think of the positives. There are positives, you have to find them. If I hadn't had so much trouble with injury, I would have remained a triathlete and never taken up cycling. I don't know if I would've been ballsy enough to move to Adelaide. I don't know that I would've got a spot on the Specialized team which means I may not have met my boyfriend Andrew Roe, along with many other amazing people.

There is a light to every issue, it may take years to eventuate but I am so grateful that I was an injury wreck as a junior. Because here I am today as a much more mature person who gets frustrated watching others train themselves through the ground and feel negative when things don't go right. Sometimes they don't go right for a REASON. Better things are on the way if you just let them.

I am such a happy and healthy person these days and I owe that to so many things. But it didn't just happen, I had to learn. Some of these things took me years to learn, some of these things were painful. I can cope now that my family split to pieces..because I learnt so much. Because I had the strength to get through, I had the strength to move to Adelaide where endless opportunities have arisen.

I now learn pain science and believe in concepts such as the secret. If you don't think positively and confidently, you won't get it. Or it will take so much longer to eventuate. Life can be as hard as you make it for yourself. I had all those injuries when I was younger and didn't really enjoy running, because I expected it to hurt. I expected to get injured because that was what I was used to. So injuries are what I got. Now, after my extended break, I expect to feel good and strong. I don't even consider getting injured.

Just had to get that out.

Cheers, and hope I've helped you to think about things.

Hannah :)

Reflections on 2012 and National Road Championships

The past 9 months since I took up cycling racing has been an enormous roller coaster. Being chosen to join the Specialized Womens SA cycling team brought me an amazing Specialized bike that seemingly accelerated itself, sweet kit, awesome team mates, endless opportunities for racing and training and a need to overcome my fear of cornering and bunches. All of this put me on such a high and at first I was achieving very strong results and continued to improve in all my races.

However, as much as I was racing strongly, I was so fatigued from it that I had trouble actually training in between the races, and was left soft pedaling the majority of the time. Racing became my only quality sessions. By the time uni exams came around in June/July, I found myself in a hole which I was having a difficult time climbing out of.  Every race my performance seemed to get worse and I was quickly losing confidence and self-belief. Sometimes motivation to prove yourself can cloud your head and I just kept training every day in the hope I’d start to feel better soon. For a few months my training was so interrupted by sickness and then injury that by September I was probably in the worst shape I can ever remember being in.

Although I didn’t appreciate it at the time, having 3 weeks off for a heel injury turned into the break I believe my body desperately needed. I hadn’t had a break from training in 18 months, and usually I’d have 3 weeks in April off following tri season, but having taken up cycling, I couldn’t have time off then and just forgot about it. I raced the NRS Goldfields Tour in October off 3 weeks of structured training, and 5 back on my bike, and can barely say that I raced. I was dropped in the criterium after 2 laps and after 5 km in the first road stage after a critical error which I was unable to recover from. I rode a much smarter race in the last road race but still only stayed with the bunch for 23 km. I finished the tour and was the last of all finishers with a time of GC+an hour.. Although I was very disappointed with this tour, realistically it wasn’t that bad given so many months of poor and interrupted training, despite my best efforts. Coming out of this tour, I knew I had to start being a lot smarter, and really listen to what my body can handle and when it’s time to rest. I had to stop worrying about what everyone expected of me because if I can’t even listen to myself, how will I ever get anywhere. I realized I really needed to slow myself down. I also needed to lose the 4 kgs I'd managed to put on to be at a more ideal race weight.

I came out of the tour so much stronger than I went in, and began to see positive signs. I then set my aim for the Australian road championships to be held on the 12^th of January. This gave me 3 months of solid hard work, and my coach Dave Gomer started my program from the start as we tried to build up my strength again.  I raced in a number of criteriums with my team including Noosa which gave me confidence that one day I might be able to ride a decent criterium race, and the realization I could turn corners just as well as the other girls. I dropped off the bunch with only a few minutes remaining which is an amazing effort from me, particularly given the training phase I was in which had very little emphasis on speed. Unfortunately, I was a little bit too excited the week after I finished my first year of Uni as I had so much time on my hands and spent almost 200 km more on my bike than the previous week, with quite a high intensity too. I was still paying for this the next week when I was on the start line in Cronulla for the NSW Grand Prix criteriums in December. I felt awful warming up and as soon as my heart rate went anywhere near threshold, I felt dizzy. Needless to say, between my bad positioning and feeling faint, I didn’t last long at all. The next day I started to feel much better but lasted even less than the previous day. Racing professional women is rather difficult at the best of times! I was very disappointed but as I always do, I found many positives and new things to work on as well as the same old.

Coming into January, I was feeling amazing. I’d lost 4-5 kg since the Goldfields Tour and knew I was pretty close to being back in the training form that I was in from before I started racing minus some speed perhaps. In the week before nationals, I was flying (for me) and felt so strong and was climbing really well. I came into nationals with a goal of top 5 in the U/23 womens category in the road race, which was always going to be a tough ask but I knew I had to believe that was possible, for me to do well. The power of self belief is astonishing and is something I’d lost over the year that I knew I needed back.

Bec off the front in the crit

In the criterium race on Thursday evening, I wore my first ever skinsuit in the colours of Specialized Securitor, with my new awesome Adidas eyewear and matching Specialized Prevail helmet. After riding a few laps of the circuit in warm up, I was confident I could corner the bottom fast corner just as well as everyone else. Unfortunately I had trouble getting away from the wheel of one girl in particular who continually went too wide which led us both astray and constantly chasing up the long slightly uphill drag. By 10 km my legs just exploded but I was happy to have felt as strong as I did and the difference in my state of mind re criteriums is incredible and I was constantly focusing on trying to move up. Unfortunately at times, this was to no avail as I still seem intent on overtaking on the outside, but there often wasn’t a lot of room on the outside. I told myself to have a go at moving up on the inside but almost cooked the corner and lost a lot of confidence. At least I tried! I actually quite like criteriums now and am pumped for the Santos Womens Crits at the Tour Down Under. This is something I never thought I’d say!

Even though I hadn’t lasted long in the criterium, my legs were aching rather badly. My training really hadn’t been focused on this race and I hadn’t lasted more than 10 km in a high level criterium ever, other than Noosa at the beginning of November.  By Saturday morning they still felt a bit achey but I knew I couldn’t over focus on this. I had hot-cold showers, stretched, used a foam roller, spun out my legs on the rollers and knew I’d done everything I could to feel better including drinking protein soon after my criterium.

Roey and I enjoying some Ballarat cafe time

My race was 107 km and included 2 x 27 km laps followed by 5 x 10 km laps. This meant 7 climbs of the Mt Buninyong ascent which didn’t seem overly difficult when I rode over the course on Wednesday but was much different come race day! Fortunately for me a break went early which included my team mate Bec Werner and so our team had no obligation to work to bring it back and I was able to focus on positioning. I was feeling ok but everytime there was an attack, I was generally losing wheels. I was hoping by the time we finished the two big laps that my legs would feel better but it wasn’t to be. I suffered up the climb and just lost contact on the first of the small laps and was unable to get back on. It was like a bomb had exploded and just shattered me to pieces. My whole body was aching even on the descent. A bunch caught me on the climb the next lap and we worked well together for the lap but we were 7 minutes behind at this stage and were pulled out of the race at the 76 km mark. I was bitterly disappointed as more than anything, regardless of the result, I wanted to finish the race and not be pulled out. I also didn’t understand why I had felt so average and climbed so weakly, when just the week before I had felt awesome climbing much tougher climbs.

National Road Race

After enjoying a rather humorous dinner with my boyfriend and his parents that night, I was feeling worlds better and was able to see my race in a different light other than just one of disappointment and failure. There were so many things I did well in the race. I positioned myself and rode confidently in the bunch, I coped with the bodily contact and managed to avoid so many near accidents in the bunch. I also ended up off road a few times in the section with a cross wind, and although it scared me, I maintained focus. I was very grateful for my team mate Amy Bradley for reminding me to relax though, I didn’t realize how tense I had been!

After looking at the positives, I analysed what factors might have lead me to blowing up like I did in a point of the race that shouldn’t have been that difficult for me. I believe it really came down to a lack of racing since June and potentially hunger flatting. Racing kms are crucial, trying to replicate that sort of intensity in training for a long period of time is difficult. In the nutrition area, unusually for me I was eating enough out on the bike with gels and GU chomps but with our race starting at 1 30, I think I was lacking a main meal pretty badly by 3 30 when I blew up. I had thought about that prior to the race obviously, and knew I needed to eat about 1.5-2 hrs before the start, but in hindsight I should have eaten a meal like a small bowl of plain pasta rather than 2 pieces of toast.

All in all, I am excited with where my form and mind is at now and know with some more racing kms, I should start seeing myself improve in racing again. As a cyclist, I’ve come an exceptionally long way, even if the results don’t show that. Results are just that, it’s the process and all the little things that go into it that other people can’t see that at the end of the day bring about results in the end.

Celebrating Kimbers' win. 

I couldn’t have asked for more amazing team mates. They’re awesome people who are so much fun to be around. They provided me with so much entertainment on my birthday (the night I arrived at Ballarat) and it was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time, especially because I finally saw Roey for the first time in almost 5 weeks. Being at the national elite championships was a great experience to say the least and has provided me with so much motivation and drive. Watching Kimbers stand on the top dais of the podium with her national champion jersey on while the national anthem played was something that will remain with me. I know I’m in a sport I want to be in for the long term with the ultimate aim of being able to stand where Kimbers was one day.

Kimbers, 2013 Australian Elite Womens Criterium Champion!

Thank you so much to all my friends and family, Roey; the Roe Family; all my team mates Kimbers, CJ, Trudy, Amy, Bec, Stacey; my team manager Liz Phillipou; team mechanic Paul and everyone else who inspires me, encourages me and supports me. I appreciate it so much.  Bring on the 2013 NRS and local racing!