Just Keep Swimming

Yesterday was a great day at the Million Metres for MND swim. Together, the Cairns family and I swam 10km to raise money for Motor Neurone Disease.

Amongst all the swimming, I was lucky enough to meet some amazing people, including Scott Sullivan, MND sufferer and the driving force behind the MND and Me Foundation. He is such an inspiration and an incredible person. Between all the participants and donations, $150,000 was raised for the Foundation. Such an amazing feat for a great cause.

I also had the chance to swim with sporting Legends, Susie O'Neill, Jess Schipper, Brad Beven and Sam Burgess, who were supporting the event. Was great to mingle with them and hear about their illustrious sporting careers. One thing is for sure, I have never felt so tiny as when I was standing next to footy legend Sam Burgess...

All in all, the Million Metres for MND was a huge success and I am so glad I could be a part of it. A huge thank you to Kevin Cairns for his help and support and the rest of the Cairns clan for allowing me to be a part of their team.

Ellie xx

Diet of Champions

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought this would be an ideal time to let you in on my diet and nutrition plan to help me get in shape for the 2013 triathlon season.  Lauren from EatSmart Nutrition has been amazing for the past 6 months at keeping me race ready and, after a small break from training, is helping me get straight back into the swing of things.

With a huge amount of trial and error, Lauren and I have worked hard to find the right diet for me. So, here is a typical daily food log…

4.45am – Pre training:

• 175g low fat yoghurt

9.30am – Post training:

•  ½ cup ‘Protein First' breakfast cereal
• 175g low fat yoghurt
• Coffee on soy milk

1pm – Lunch:

• Salad with 50g meat/chicken/fish

3pm – Afternoon tea:

• Piece of fruit

6.30pm – Dinner:

• Steamed veggies or salad
• 150g chicken/meat/fish

So, have you got your Christmas diet sorted? If not, pop in to see Lauren and let her help you get race ready for the 2013 tri season!! Happy eating.

Ellie xx

Million Metres for Motor Neurone Disease

Earlier this month, I received an email from Kevin Cairns, a fellow triathlon club member, about an amazing man by the name of Scott Sullivan. Scott has Motor Neurone Disease and received a very grim prognosis when diagnosed two years ago. The email I received read like this...

"I would like you to e-meet Scott Sullivan and hear his story because it is truly inspirational. When Scott was diagnosed and told MND has no known cause or cure and that the average life expectancy for those with MND was 27 months, he had less than a day of feeling sorry for himself then set about turning things around. Scott was only 38, married and had two small children.

Scott discovered that Government help for sufferers was almost non-existent and support for Queensland sufferers of MND just didn't exist. So he set about making a difference. Scott founded MND & Me, a charitable organisation with 3 objectives; ensure sufferers have at least basic living standards, provide funds for research and generate awareness of MND.

MND is a disease that occurs when the nerve cells (neurones) controlling the muscles that enable us to move around, speak, swallow and breathe fail to work normally. With no nerves to activate them, the muscles gradually weaken and waste. While some people can live a long time with MND, the average life expectancy is 2 to 3 years from diagnosis.

Scott has spearheaded MND & Me to raise almost $1m in two years and has generated tremendous publicity to ensure all objectives are met. Scott still has quality time for family and is working through his bucket list. Scott was honoured with a Pride of Australia Medal last year."  

I was lucky enough to personally meet Scott Sullivan earlier this year. I was so inspired by his positivity and outlook on life, despite his battle with MND. 

Along with the above email, was an invitation to participate in Scott's latest initiative to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease, Million Metres for MND. It is a 10km swim, completed either individually or as a team, on Sunday December 2. Together, all teams and individuals will swim more than one million metres, creating publicity and bringing awareness to the cause.

If you would like to help us reach our goal of $10,000 for MND, please make a donation to our team, by visiting this link http://www.everydayhero.com.au/just_keep_swimming_4. 

I am really looking forward to the swim and know it will be a great day. I urge you to find out more about Scott Sullivan and his quest to find awareness by visiting his website at http://www.mndandme.com.au. 

Ellie xo

A week in the life...

This week has been a relaxing, yet productive one. Since Noosa, I have taken a small break from training to relax and refresh myself in preparation for next season. Being an athlete, not having anything to fill in my time can make me a very annoying person to be around, so I have had to find ways in which to fill in my days and stay occupied.

It has been great to catch up with my friends and spend some time with them this past week. It seems that the uni schedule is completely opposite to that of an athlete; so spending time with them becomes quite difficult when I am in full training.  I have even had the chance to put my brain to use and help them study for their uni exams. Not sure I was too much help though.

I have also signed a contract with French team Tri St Amand Dun 18 again, to compete on the French Grand Prix circuit again next year. I love racing for this team and am really looking forward to joining them again next year. We will compete in 5 sprint distances races across France, gaining points for ourselves as individuals as well as the team. I will head across to Europe in early June and base myself in Spain for the European summer, coming back to Australia at the end of September. Looking over my race schedule for next year has me jumping out of my skin with excitement! It is jam-packed and has me globe trotting more than ever before.

On Saturday I was able to test ride the Specialized Shiv time trial bike at the Specialized Test the Best Demo Day. It was a great opportunity to chat to the Specialized team and have a ride on some of the world’s best bikes. Now that I know what all the fuss is about, I will definitely be hitting up Bicycle Riders Morningside to organize a Shiv for next year’s Noosa triathlon!

I am really looking forward to getting back into some solid training this week in preparation for next season and cannot wait to see what I am capable of. The upcoming season is looking like the most exciting yet and I am looking forward to putting some great results on the board.

Stay tuned.

Ellie xx

Noosa Triathlon

The Noosa Multisport Festival is always such a great weekend, with races and events to cater for everyone. It is a personal favourite of mine and I always look forward to competing in the Noosa triathlon each year.

This year was no different, and after experiencing unfortunate circumstances at Worlds two weeks earlier, I was looking forward to going out and producing a solid day. It would be my first Olympic distance race since March and the first time I would run 10km since my stress fracture. Naturally, this added a bit of pressure and nerves to the situation, but mostly excitement and anticipation. I had my bike kitted out with brand new Zipp 404’s from Bicycle Riders Morningside in preparation for the race. They looked great and felt even better to ride! Thanks Bicycle Riders Morningside for looking after me and supporting me unconditionally.

The day before the race, I was lucky enough to visit the Adidas Eyewear tent in the expo and have a chat to them about their eyewear. They have been supporting me for two years now so it is always nice to pop in and thank them for everything they do. I also had a great chat to Glenn from Cannibal, who in partnership with my long-term sponsors Vorgee, provided me with my race suit. I always love racing in my custom designed kit and know it stands out amongst the other race suits.

Race day was a very early 4am wake up for me. Race start was 6.15am, which is extremely early compared to most other races. I can tell you, not much is happening at 4 o’clock in the morning, so I would suggest staying in bed.

The swim leg of the race was held in the Noosa River and was a 1500m loop around an island. I knew there were some good swimmers in the field, with a number of girls having raced on the ITU circuit, so I found some feet early and was desperate to stick on them. 1500m is a long way if you are isolated so I had to make certain I stayed on the feet in front and didn’t let them get a gap on me. I had a great swim, coming out in third position, and right with the girls I needed to be with.

The ride was an out and back course of 40km with a 3km hill climb in the middle. It was a non-drafting race so I was at a slight disadvantage having a road bike, as opposed to a time trial bike, but I rode well considering. Unfortunately I didn’t have the run I was hoping for though, and finished in 12^th position. It is the bad days you learn from though so I will take my frustration into next season to make myself bigger and better as an athlete.

I am going to have some time off now to relax and catch up with some friends, before getting back to training in preparation for next season.

Remember to keep up to date with my endeavours by 'liking' my Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ellie-Salthouse/387421924634161.

Ellie xx

ITU Junior Worlds Triathlon

I arrived in Auckland on Wednesday afternoon, feeling fit and ready to race fast. I had had a great prep and was feeling fully prepared. Our first stop was the Age Group dinner, where we enjoyed dinner with the age groupers and had the chance to wish them luck ahead of their races.

Thursday was a full day of training for me, having my first opportunity to swim the race swim course and get a feel for the chilly Auckland water. I have to say, for the first 100m of the swim I lost feeling in my face, hands and feet. It was definitely a feeling that I wasn’t used to coming from the warm Queensland weather. We finished off the day with a AUS team dinner on the wharf and an early night.

Friday was much the same as Thursday, except I had the chance to ride over the bike course. It was a very technical, hilly course through the Auckland CBD. I was really looking forward to racing on it, as I knew I was fully prepared and had done the work necessary to race fast.

Saturday was all about last minute preparations for Sunday’s race and resting up as much as I could. Most importantly, I mentally prepared myself for what I needed to do in the race. Unfortunately, Saturday night I came down with a bout of gastro and was quite ill most of the night. I felt much better on Sunday morning when I woke up, but after breakfast I took another turn for the worst. Mentally, I tried to stay as positive as possible and knew I was going to have to get through it and race regardless. There was no way I was going to let it get the best of me after all the work I had put in to Auckland.

Standing on the pontoon, I just wanted to give everything I had and have no regrets after the race. I had a fairly average swim, coming out just off the back of the front pack. It was made worse by slipping on the blue carpet as I turned a corner, being stepped on by a number of athletes. I jumped on the bike, knowing that I had a lot of work to do to get back onto the front group.

To be honest, I struggled immensely on the bike, throwing up numerous times from the illness. My head was definitely in the fight, but unfortunately my body couldn’t execute. I rode solo for a lot of the bike, trying as hard as I could to get to the lead group but it wasn’t happening for me.

I ran as hard as I could and gave everything. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t my day. I finished in 19^th position but was happy considering how unwell I was. I could not have given any more of myself so I cannot be disappointed. This race has only made me hungrier to be in the U23 team next year.  

Thanks to my sponsors – Chris from Bicycle Riders Morningside for new wheels and bike servicing that handled the wet conditions in Auckland excellently, Vorgee for my swimming gear and Adidas Eyewear for their sunglasses that kept my eyes safe in the rain. 

And a huge thank you to my coach, Warwick Dalziel, and my family and friends for their support this season.

Moreton Bay Triathlon

On Sunday I raced in the Moreton Bay triathlon at Pelican Park, Redcliffe. As you can imagine, after sitting out of racing with a broken foot since April, I could not have been more excited to get out there. In fact, I had been so excited all week that Warwick had to threaten me on numerous occasions that if I didn’t calm down he would withdraw me from the race!! A little too much excitement perhaps?

Standing on the start line, I knew exactly what I had to do and had my plan going over and over in my head. For me, the race was about executing my own day and putting together what I had been doing in training. 

I positioned myself well on the start line and concentrated on getting to that first turning buoy as quickly as I could. I did exactly that, positioning myself amongst the leaders by the first buoy. I stayed relaxed, but unfortunately I let two girls get away from me during the swim leg. This meant I came out in third position, alongside a kiwi girl.  

I jumped onto the bike, forming a group of two with Sophie Corbidge (NZL) and myself. I knew that we were both strong riders and could bridge the gap if we worked really well together. I had worked my ass off in training on the bike over the past couple of months and got onto the bike with every intention to attack the first 5km before reassessing the situation. We closed the gap down to 15 seconds after the first lap, but unfortunately it opened up a little on the second lap. The group behind caught us at the end of the second lap, jumping off the bike as a group of 5 girls.

I jumped off the bike knowing that I would have to give everything I had in the run. I still hadn’t been in full run training leading into the race and was ultimately focusing on my process and technique. Initially, the run was tough, as I wasn’t used to running off the bike, with my limited run preparation. However, I built into it nicely and finished strongly, focusing on executing my own day. I was very pleased with my focus and dug really deep to get to the finish line.

I had no expectation of result into this race, as it was my first one back from injury. I was pleased with most parts of my day and know exactly what I need to work on in the lead up to the World Championships.

I am looking forward to getting into some speed work in the next couple of weeks, before racing the Gatorade Queensland Tri Series Race at Raby Bay on the 14^th October.

Ellie xo