Goodbye 2018….. Hello 2019!!!

Firstly I will start with my apologies for being a little quite, I was keen to take a little bit of time off from social media and focus on getting back into training and house hunting yes you heard it house hunting!!!!!!

 

Before I go on here’s a super quick summary from last season.  The first 6 months of 2018 couldn’t have gone better 4 major races and 4 wins with performances I was super proud of for different reasons.

Red Bull Defiance – Overall Female winners

Australian National Cross Triathlon Champs –  1st Overall

Xterra Rotorua – 1st Overall

Xterra Tahiti – 1st Overall

 

There was an unfortunate DNF in there when I crashed in the Philippine’s so I gave my body time to heal and came back strong to win in Tahiti I also had a great performance at Staffordshire 70.3 finishing 7th.  I was all set for my best season to date when just 8 days out from ITU World Cross Champs when injury struck I pulled my Achilles and that was it no running for the next 3 months and lots of rehab…maybe just maybe I will be ready for Xterra World Champs in Maui.  In a strange kind of way I was excited to rehab and come back a stronger fresher athlete, it’s only when injury lingers that you begin to get frustrated.  When September came around I was fit enough to race Xterra Taiwan, I had a super race but felt like I just wasn’t going to be in good enough shape to race Maui to my potential and Maui is not a race you want to go into at anything below 100%.  My decision was made for me as I suffered a blood clot travelling back from Taiwan which meant 3 months of blood thinners and no travel so just like that 2018 was over and I was focussed on getting healthy and building back slowly for 2019.

 

Before I go on to talk about 2019 I wanted to summarise all the amazing things that happened in 2018 aside of racing.

 

I gained 2 new baby nieces an English girl named Penelope and a little Aussie girl named Brille these girls just melt my heart.  I saw my brother get married to the love of his life and I spent lots of time celebrating before and after.  It’s safe to say I was over creams tea’s and cocktails by the time I left the UK.  I spent time with Dad and Jane the king and queen of Kalkan, wow what an amazing place I can see why the go back there 3-4 times a year.  Ben and I were fortunate enough to do the Mouse Island swim an 8.4k swim from Mouse Island to Kalkan.  Dad hired a boat for the day that followed us back to shore before we spent the day on the boat eating, drinking and relaxing it was the best trip and a great way to spend some quality time with my family.  I think the previous swim record was something like 3hrs 50, Ben and I swam it in 1hr 42.  Our trip to Woolcombe Bay with Mum, Jan, Brother Ben, Claire and P was awesome it was fun to show husband Ben a very British holiday, six adult’s and one baby in a caravan and yep the great British weather didn’t disappoint we managed to squeeze in one beach day and it only required a single jacket, a beanie and scarf was not necessary on this glorious summers day.  And finally Janelle and Dennis got to meet my extended family and see what life was like for Jacqui Slack growing up in Stoke on Trent.  They fitted into the family like a glove and I’m quite sure they enjoyed what the UK has to offer and loved hanging out with the rowdy pommie’s and testing out the old English pubs.

   

September was home time back to Australia where I had about 3 weeks to prepare for Xterra Taiwan.  After the race running was still very limited and I  made the decision not to go to Maui but to prepare for next season.  The other great thing that happened was that Benny and I got approved for a home loan and have started to look for our perfect house which has been exciting and is the beginning a new chapter in our lives. 

 

B&J coaching is booming and we’ve made some very special friendships with the athletes we coach.  They are getting fantastic results and I’m loving sharing our personal experiences with them so they can achieve their goals and dreams.  B&J are in a great place right now and couldn’t be happier with the athletes we work with.  Thanks athletes for being truly awesome challenging us and challenging yourselves to be the best you can be in all walks of life Ben and I love being part of your journey.

 

So whilst social media has been quiet our sponsorship relationships are better than ever their loyalty towards Ben and I remains strong despite some injuries and Illnesses over the last 6months they are been nothing short of supportive and understanding.  We had a wicked photo shoot with On Running in some of the Peak Districts most spectacular settings.  I got to visit the Schwalbe Tyres factory in Shropshire and catch up with long time friend Tim.  We hung out with the Flight Centre Crew at Hidden Vale for the Flight Centre Epic and rode some of the best trails we ever ridden with some fun new friends.  I was chosen for the Global Liv Photo shoot and got a sneak peak at the new Liv Cycling gear that’s coming out soon.  This was the most amazing experience and to meet the ladies behind Liv Taiwan was a dream come true.  Lunch with Red Industries was a pleasure I love the fact they support so many local projects in Stoke on Trent and I feel honoured to be part of their family It was quite surreal to see my photo up in their new offices promoting the parts washer.

    

Since the blood clot back in September I put my head down and focussed on getting the training done the first few weeks felt like I was starting from scratch. From 3-6 weeks was even harder and at 6 weeks I was wondering if I was ever going to feel like and athlete again and questioned why was I doing all of this work, surely by now I should see a glimmer of improvement.  It took a while but 2 months later there was signs of strength & improvements which have progressed very quickly over the last 2 weeks.  I’m still on limited running but swimming and cycling have been such big gains that I’m back to where I was when at my best last year. I’m feeling like an athlete again and so happy with focussing on the process and not getting to bogged down with what others are doing, results and times.  I’ve been quietly ticking away enjoying the process and riding the waves.

 

This season will start with the In2adventure Cross Tri Championships at Lake Crakenback on 23rd February and the big one Xterra Asia Pacific Champs will take place on 30th March in Taiwan.  I have to admit as I get older It takes longer and longer to reach the level of fitness I need in order to progress to the more intense work but I love the challenge and super proud of myself for staying mostly positive and focused.  Thanks to my soul mate and husband for putting up with some tears, some moody patches and dark places we’ve come out the other side stronger than ever.  Thanks to my coach Alex Ball for supporting me in the process and believing in me to continue to work through the difficult patches and also allowing me the time to reflect and build back slowly.  Thank you for slowing down enough to ride with me, not allowing me to slack off and putting up with my very grumpy moods when we roll out before 6am.  The continued support from family and friends means the world to Ben and I and we thank you for supporting our crazy life in which we love so much.

 

Onwards to 2019 Ben and I are thrilled to continue to be working with our amazing sponsors Liv and Giant Bikes, Nuzest, Flight Centre, On running, Baimed Performance, Amanzi, Schwalbe, Red Industries, Greepers and Giant Wollongong.

Baimed Performance Physiotherapy:

BaiMed Performance Family

Here it is. 2 months of hard work for 2 mins of AWESOME Product (in our humble opinion).Special thanks to Ben Allen, Jacqui Allenl, Brett Stibners, Taylah Davies, Grace Musgrove , Kizwiz Govs, Cartia Taranto & Keeley Davis for your help and support!!So enjoy, share and tag anyone and everyone you feel would love to join the BaiMed Performance family!!For more information please seewww.baimed.com.au/performancecentre/

Posted by BaiMed Physiotherapy on Thursday, 6 December 2018