Preseason training is in full swing. I have just finished a 3 week British Triathlon training camp near Girona in Spain. An amazing part of the world to train in where we stayed at a custom made facility for sports camps gironacycling.com . I am now in Loughborough braving the English winter but making the most of the squad and facilities at the training centre. I have just over a month left before my first race in Mooloolaba and I am beginning to get itchy feet! a good sign I think.

I am happy to announce that I will be riding a new bike this year - Blue bikes, so I'm loving that and look forward to getting out racing on it. I will once again be racing for the Chocolate Graphics team in 2010, thanks to John, Cheryl and the crew at Chocolate Graphics . Along with Chocolate Graphics I will be wearing the Scholl logo in 2010, I am very happy to be working with Scholl International- the best foot care products on the planet

And check me out on twitter for daily updates.

Liz

Posted: Fri, 5th March 2010

Friday October 16th, 5pm, Bali Niksoma I lovingly exchanged my vows, rings and sloppy kisses with my long time lover and BFF Glen Murray!! We had a fantastic day with about 35 friends and family there to celebrate with us. The sunset was amazing and the Balinese people put on a perfect ceremony for us. We could not has asked for a better day and i will remember it forever (well most of it!). We spent 2 weeks in Bali honeymooning. I managed to do a far bit of surfing with Glen as my own personal instructor. I got plenty of waves at Padang beach, Playgrounds at Nusa Lombongan and at Balian in the last week of our trip. I left the massive barrels of Uluwatu to Glen and tried my hand at photography;)

After Bali we flew back to Melbourne to Glen's parents, picked up Buttons (our dog) and the camper van and took a week to drive back to the Gold Coast via the NSW coast. We stopped at Wollongong, Sydney, Port Macquarie, Crescent Head, Woolgooga and Yamba for various nights and surfs before arriving back on the Gold Coast. I am now settling back into some training on the Coast before i head back to the UK for the British Triathlon December training camp in Spain.

Take care and bomb the base, it's winter (or summer or I'm confused)!!!
Liz

Posted: Fri, 20th November 2009

My last 2 race's of 2009 where at the LA Triathlon and the Dallas Toyota Cup. LA was a tough swim in the open water of Venice beach. After a great start into the decent sized swell I then proceeded to get completely lost in the swim which cost me some time out of the water. My ride was ok, I rode with Helen Jenkins for most of it, but lost time to Lisa Norden, Daniela Ryf, Sarah Haskins and Julie Dibens. Onto the run and it took me a while to find my legs but once i got going i ran well making up time but not enough. I finished 6th.

Next stop and final one for the year was Dallas, a 7am start in Dallas in quite frankly, freezing cold conditions was not what i had planned! I was hoping for high 20's and a hot race, so it was a battle to stay warm right from the gun. My race was one to forget, i had a good swim but came out of the water frozen. Then i got a penalty on the bike for accidentally loosing my sunglasses from my bike which i didn't need anyway because the sky was grey as grey. The penalty cost me about 1.45 and put me out of contention and out of sight of anyone else. I ran on but with no real ambition to finish 11th. It was always going to be a bit of a hit or miss trip to go to the states for these last 2 race's after World Champs on the Gold Coast. But you never know if you don't toe the line...I had two great home stay families in LA and Dallas. Thanks a heap to Ellen, Laura, Ben and Sophie in West Hollywood and to Scott, Stacey, Morgan, Lauren and Payton in Flower Mound. You all made my trip super enjoyable, thanks!

I should probably mention that possibly making things a little hard to focus on racing was the fact that straight after Dallas (that afternoon) i hopped on a plane to Bali for my wedding! read more in the next update.

Posted: Fri, 20th November 2009

It's has been almost 20 years since the World Championships have been held on the Gold Coast and as this has been my training base for the past 8 years it was very exciting to be racing in my back yard. The Gold Coast has always been a triathlon mecca and a fantastic place to train and race all year round. The sun was out for the whole week of the world champs and the racing was hot as well. I must say a big well done to Al and Hollie for winning their events and to all the other GB elite and age group athletes for their efforts.

My race went ok, 10th at a World Championship I know is a good result, I just wanted to go a little better... My swim was good and I exited the water in the front group then got caught up a little through T1 which left me with a small gap to try and make up to catch the front group. I worked hard but just couldn't quite close the gap and got left hanging to be picked up by the second group. I joined up with the chase pack and we worked hard but inconsistently to try and close the gap but the lead group just kept swapping off turns working well so when we jumped off the bike we had lost about 45 sec.

T2 was another shocker, and I ran out last from my group! so I settled into the run at my own pace and it took me nearly 2 laps a lap to bridge to a pack of Hewitt, Ryf, Di Marco, Tanner and Lisk. We caught a couple from the lead group. I worked hard the last 2k to try and drop some of the girls and not leave it all to a sprint, but 3 of them stayed with me and we all had a sprint in the last 300m to the line. Daniela Ryf finish 6th from our group and I took 10th.

I am now getting prepared to race in LA and Dallas in 3 weeks time, I have just put together my new Giant TT bike and looking forward to pushing the big blade in the USA non drafting races to finish off my season. Then it is off to Bali to get married to my partner Glen Murray, so look out for me as Liz Murray next year :)

Take care,

Liz

Posted: Fri, 18th September 2009

London WCS 10am start Saturday 15th August air temperature 17, water temperature 21 (non wetsuit). I started the race with a positive outlook for a good result and was feeling good. The gun went, I hit the water and that's where it started to go down hill:( I swam OK but the cold water without a wetsuit gradually took its toll during the second lap and once I got onto the bike I found myself frozen trying to warm up and chase wheels to make the front pack. My ride was a shocker and it took me until the 6th lap to warm up and catch back up to the front group. I narrowly avoided a crash which took down half our chase pack and a stray cone which a fellow racer accidentally flipped my way!....So once I got onto the run my legs were just not doing their thing!! I struggled through to finish 22nd. not a day I wish to remember! but move upwards and onwards hey..? so that's what I did.

Yokohama, Japan WCS 10am start Saturday 22nd August air temperature 35, 100% humidity, water temperature 28!! So yes a non wetsuit swim and a hot hot hot race, the gun went and it was into the balmy water for the swim, I had a good swim, managed to avoid the giant jellyfish and came out of the water in 4th with Annabel Luxford and Sarah Haskins, we tried to make a break on the bike in the first 2 laps, but got caught by the chase pack on lap 3. With the temperature increasing to nearly 40 degrees it was going to be a tough run. So onto the run with 20 girls hitting transition together, I felt good from the start and ran with a lead group of 8 for the first few laps. This dropped to 5 on lap 3, Bella, Ide, Hewitt, Norden and myself. I couldnt go with the final lap pace for the podium but hung on for 4th place, my best World Championship performance this year.

I am now back on the Gold Coast with mid thirty degree temperatures in winter, loving it! Just under 3 weeks to the Gold Coast World Championship Finale so I am looking forward to racing myself and also seeing alot of my good friends and even my mum compete.

Take care,

Liz

Posted: Tue, 1st September 2009