Crashing

Well sadly I totaled the beginning of my season by having a pretty bad wreck. 3 weeks ago on Saturday I came down hard. I broke 2 ribs and did some pretty bad deep tissue damage. I won't complain though as I thought at the time I broke my pelvis so it could have been worse, much worse. I am getting better by the day but sitting on the sideline for the first 3 races I had planned for the year sucks rotten eggs.

IM NZ had to be canned, as with Abu Dhabi and Puerto Rico 70.3. It of course is no use crying over spilled milk so I have picked myself up and flown everywhere to support the hubby. I have weaseled my way into better seats on silly long haul flights to the best of my ability. I have cheered for my friends in 2 of the gnarliest conditioned races so far this year. (if I was going to miss out at least the races were horrible rain @ IM NZ and scorching hot sun @ Abu Dhabi.)

The saddest part of this all was the total destruction of my beautiful Scott Contessa. I had to throw her out after she was smashed to smithereens. I do have the greatest sponsor in the world and they have sent me out a new one to our next training camp. Also I can now say that the helmet needs replacing as it did a great job of protecting the noggin but cracked open on the ground and is now completely useless .

As the scabs fall off and the pain diminishes I am reminded yet again of how lucky I am to do this. I have the greatest life in this community of triathlon and am more than ever so grateful to be out here every day following my dreams.

I will be back.... slow and steady but back for IM Brazil.

Stay tuned
Memphis x

News for the NY

WWow how time has flown. I could regress and look back over the last few months and tell you stories of what's been going on but most of you have seen my Twitter or Facebook so I wont bore you with the re hashing of Christmas / NY / Jan floods and Perth adventures.

Let me just summarize by saying by the time I got to training in the last week of November I was in for some trouble. I had to pay the piper. The off season/wedding extravaganza was in forced due to Luke's injury and man o man did we get FAT!

Fast forward to today Feb 10th and I am just 4 weeks out from the beginning of a new season. I am very excited. First up will be IM NZ. Have not been back for a few years and am excited to go see the land of the long white cloud again. Straight after I race there it is off to the wonderous new land of Abu Dhabi for Lukey. I have entered the half race but I am not sure how I will pull up post IM so we will see. Also just one week after Abu Dhabi we jet over to San Juan 70.3. I have always wanted to visit Puerto Rico. My dear friend Enid lives there so I will even have a mini cheer squad.

My business ABM Sports Management is doing great. I have a bunch of new athletes and it is all very exciting. First up to race will be Jessica Jacobs. She is my super mum extraodionaire, an ex army officer who will be racing in a marathon this weekend.

A whole bunch of ABM athletes will be packing up and going to Abu Dhabi. Luke McKenzie , Belinda Granger , Jess Jacobs and Paul Matthews are all going. I can not believe how quickly this season has come around. Very exciting stuff with the new WTC points system.

I will keep you all posted of this seasons adventures and hopefully we will have some super exciting news re the show soon.

Stay tuned

Memphis x

Bad Memphis but happy Memphis!

Cruzin' in Kona on my Scott Sub 10!

Out in the saddle on the Queen K!

On the Queen K with Bridesmaid Alice who was also racing.

Getting ready for the big day!!!

A sneaky champers before the ceremony with my girls!

Bridesmaids Alice and Summer!

The wedding party!

Girls getting girly!

Jimmy and memphis get hitched!

Well what a busy month.

After a broken wheel @ 30kms in IMW I had to abandon my race. I was really bummed but I went back out and cheered on all my friends. It was great to see fellow K-Swisser's Joe Gambles and Gina Crawford take down the wins. I also had the chance to hang with BFF Hillary Biscay. I had a stopover in Chicago and that meant one thing. A massive box of Chicago mix popcorn. Post race Matty Lieto, Maki , Hillary and I smashed that thing.

Only a week later and I was off to Cancun to a half IM race. I was entered and fired up but could barely walk with a slice in my foot. I entered, I finished but hell it was not pretty. I finished in a terrible time but dam it I started so I was glad to finish. Lukey on the other hand had a blinder and finished 2nd to the other Luke, Luke Bell. In a blink of the eye we jumped on the plane and headed to Kona to prepare for 2 of the biggest days of the year. First for Lukey was the Ironman. I was going to chase the race by spotting for the lead women. Then on the Tuesday following the race we would be getting married.

With 10 days to go disaster struck and Luke could not walk. He was in bed for two days with cronic back pain and was not even able to sit up. Slowly over the next few days we came to the sad realization that he would not be lining up this year. He was shattered. There were tears but then he realized that he something bigger to look forward to. The Wedding.

Race day came and went and my god what a day it turned out to be. As everyone by now should know it was a double Aussie win with Macca and Rinsta taking the top spots. Chrissy pulled out before the start with illness and showed everyone that in the end she is in fact human. Luke got a chance to ride around in the lead control car and leant more than he ever imagined. My other 2 athletes Belinda and Kate had a great but not super day. Both were just happy to be out there and enjoyed the Hawaiian atmosphere.

All the family had arrived and we were fired up to celebrate in a way you can only imagine. We partied like rockstars and had a blast. With everyone coming from far and wide. People from Perth, Sydney, England and the USA. I have added some pictures to commemorate what a great day it was. A small group of us headed to Vegas to continue the party for 4 more days.

Finally we are home. Back in our little apartment and man it feels good. Sadly my bike is missing and I am gaining, gaining around the middle that is. I am looking forward to a long hot summer of hard training here in Noosa with all the family. Belinda and Juzzy are building the GAC (Granger Aquatic Centre) in their back yard. I know where I will be.

I will post some great pictures of the Great Aussie Summer Adventures.

Stay tuned

Memphis x

Cows and Corn.

Ironman Wisconsin is here. I am in a fabulous homestay with Bethany Collins. She is adorable and has a bit of a menagerie. She has 1 dog and 2 cats. They are fantastic. I love them and they come and sleep with me in the spare room. I am of course covered in fur.

Another high lite of this trip is that I will be racing with BFF Hillary Biscay. YEAH!!! She is completing the triple like a wild woman. Challenge Copenhagen, Ironman Louisville, Ironman Wisconsin. HECK.

Madison WI is beautiful. Very country. Cows and corn everywhere. I went for a ride of the bike loop the other day and took some of these shots. With only 2 more sleeps I am ready to go. Sans Lukey of course. He is in Bend still training up a storm for Hawaii which is only 4 weeks away.

Stay tuned

Memphis x

Only 4 more sleeps.

Only 4 more sleeps till I pack up and abandon Luke. I am off on a "solo" adventure to IM Wisconsin. Well I am not sure how solo it actually is when you are meeting up with BFF Hillary and Mr Cat. Not to mention the K-Swiss crew and Guy Crawford but you get my drift. This will be the first race in ages I am off to on my own.

Before I go I must pack up all the ludicrous amounts of stuff I have collected here and put / send and pack it all into whatever categories I deem suitable. I will also hold one last dinner.... Luke, Matty Lieto and Conrad are going to be sitting down to a good old Aussie Lamb roast.

Now one does not like to brag but in this case I will. I am a fabulous cook. Quite frankly lamb is my specialty and I will be pulling out all the stops when I whip up this amazing last meal. I will take some happy snaps of said meat when I make it but in the mean time it is Tuesday so not only do I have to go shopping for all the trimmings but I also have to squeeze in the final sessions before I head out of here.

Stand by to be amazing....

Memphis x

Bend .... How I love you.

Well it is now 3 weeks till IM Wisconsin and I am training the house down. I have been in the proverbial box on numerous occasions. What box you ask? The agony box, the hurt locker or the House of Pain. All are basically the same place.

The training here is amazing but it is quite the lonely road as I do everything myself. Well kind of. I go to the pool with the boys but don't swim in their lane for obvious reasons. I do the same sets it just take me a little longer. I run my long runs out on the trails at the same time as them only I have to run longer. And a little slower. My friend is my MP3 player and I have spent a small fortune on downloads of late. The Dead Weather keeps me rocking along and my mind of the mountain lions that have been recently reported in the area.

My long rides are the same as Lukey's but once again we ride separately but on the same routes. I have managed to make friends with some cool people at the gas station @ Prineville. They think I am crazy and find it funny that I ride 112 miles all by myself. Luke always reaches the gas station before me and the bloke there takes delight in telling me how far ahead he is. And how many chocolate milks he drank.

All in all this place makes you both physically and mentally strong. It will remain to be seen if it makes me fast. One can only hope so.

I am meeting back up with BFF Hillary Biscay and her better half Mr Cat (Maiki Twilsik) in IM Wisconsin and am super excited to see what kind of cheering antics our GCM will get up too. He has a lot to live up to after Hills and I donned the bikini's in Lake Placid. See previous Blog.

With the final push towards IM I thought I would send out a huge thank you to all the amazing sponsors we have. The have sent us out so much stuff so that we can work our butts off out here.

K-Swiss for all the amazing shoes we get to run in. Sorry I am a klutz and tear up a pair every other week as I stack it out on the trails. Also for all the super cool clothes I get to train in day in day out.

Powerbar for all the delicious treats that save my life frequently.

Scott for the fastest dam bike EVER. And the super rad matching kit. If a girl must wear Lycra then a girl should match.

Smith Optics for all the pairs of sunnies I try my best not to drop or loose. I am pretty sure I can also thank you guys for wrinkle prevention.

Zipp, 3T and Sram your stuff makes us go super fast while being super comfortable. You can't believe how much my ass appreciates that @ the end of a 6 hour ride.

Blue 70 you keep me warm when the water is cold and up here on the mountain that is actually alot. You also make me fast when I need it the most.

IM Lake Placid, Mr Cat and promises kept.

Hillary waiting for Mr Cat.

Are you going our way?

If you zoom in our butt cheeks say "GO CAT"

So I felt as though I should write a blog in dedication to a promise made and a promise kept. Once upon a time Miss Hillary rang Memphis and suggested that when we were in Lake Placid supporting our friends Mr Cat and Kate B we should spice things up a little. Hills suggested we cheer in bikini's. "OK I am in." was the reply. Now this sound all good and well but one must take into account a few variables. First Lake Placid is not know for it's sunshine and heat on race day. More like torrential down pour and sideways rain. Clearly this was going to be a chili day. Second I had just spent 6 week in active recovery and on a European eating extravaganza. I was most certainly NOT bikini ready but a promise is a promise. You can not let your best friends down over a bit too much cheese and wine.

I was a spotter for the women's race and was escorted around LP by motorcycle rider Jim :) Thanks Jim. Out on the run I caught up with Hills and we applied the body art in the form of a magic marker. The messages of support were appreciated by not only Mr Cat but all the boys on the course. Actually some of the girls loved it also. At one stage the race coverage lost all stats as most of the spotters had abandoned the race to come see the bikini aid station.

In the end Mr Cat was not to win but man he had the best cheer squad out there.

Hillary I never break a promise and we had a whole lot of fun doing it so anytime anywhere I am your girl. Next stop IM Wisconsin.

Stay tuned

Memphis x

Europe 2010

I loved riding here. It was so beautiful. Valle du Jour.

The day Lance fell and lost his chance at the tour.

The lead boys about 2km into a 15km climb.

The beautiful lake we ran around every day in Valle du Jour.

Chris Horner our local Bendite.

The early morning was filled with people trying to get a glimpse of Lance.

Memphis found a Frenchie friend.

Our hotel. Quite charming really.

I have no idea how I put 3 kgs on during this trip.

At the top of the climb the jumbo TV was awesome.
A gift for JJ.
After climbing all morning we deserved this burger.

Dear Blog

Dear Blog,

Once again I seem to have abandoned you. This usually happens when I travel too much and train heavily. In this case it is both. Since we last hung out I have been to more countries than I care to remember and have swam,rode and run more that I can recall.

I will do my best to bring you up to date.

Post Morocco we headed back to Spain. Spain to London to see my bff Clare and her man. Stopped off at the Glastonbury festival. Returned to Spain said a sad goodbye to the Marbella crew :( and headed to Italy France and Switzerland for work.

There was a load of training and some Tour du France action. Cadel slapped his race number on my ass. I thought I was going to be able to help him to victory but disaster struck the next day and he crashed. As did Lance. The fairy tale was over for this year. But I have a memento that is now stuck on the front of our wedding planner book ha ha ha. I am not your average bride.

Valley du Jour was awesome. I burnt off loads of the calories I ate in Italy. I fell in love with Italy all over again and pestered Jimmy to let me buy a vineyard. Sadly he did not approve. Apparently we don't have enough money just yet ha ha ha. A villa in Tuscany is not in our budget....but one day he said.

Post Scott Switzerland and 3t Italy adventures we headed back to the trusty old "Turtle". A small oversight on our part was leaving the old girl in Florida. A 3 day world class road trip followed. I think we broke the world land speed record for a Ford Econoline.

We arrived in our mountain home of Bend and I have never been so happy to unpack the suitcase. However before I knew it the hand luggage was re packed and I shot over to NYC for IM Lake Placid. My girl Kate Bevilaqua came 4th and qualified for Kona. No one deserved it out there like her. She has been traveling the long road back from a horrible injury. Not once have I heard her whinge or cry. She just kept fighting her way back and got just rewards with a Kona slot. Welcome back from Siberia love muffin.

I came across a bit of a glitch in NYC and missed my flight and Jimmy's birthday. He was not a happy camper but quickly forgave me after I spoilt him rotten on my late return.

Now I am just 5 and a half short weeks out from IM Wisconsin and boy I am excited. I have been loving the massive rides and trail runs here in Bend. Not to mention the 50 mt outdoor pool. YAY. Memphis is home sweet home.

On other amazing news Best Girl Hillary Biscay got engaged to Maiki "Mr Cat" Twelsik. Well done kids well done.

Kristian and Charlotte Manietta are knocked up and are having what I predict to be the worlds cutest baby. I have already picked out a nickname for him/her. I will call their child "Lofty" for I have no doubt that he/she will be of great height.

Well that's it for now but I will post some pictures of these adventures very soon.

Stay tuned

Memphis x

Morocco

On our day off post X Challenge we headed to Morocco for the day. It was beautiful and interesting and super full on all at once. After hopping off the super speedy ferry we meet up with Abdul our taxi driver/tour guide for the day. He was a lovely man that live in Tanger his whole life. He spoke 5 languages and knew all there was to know about Morocco. Well the North anyways.

He showed us around Tanger and told us the history. Then he drove us to Assilah a beautiful seaside town. I absolutely loved Assilah. We stopped for lunch and I had a fish tanjine. The spice was amazing.

After lunch we strolled the streets and took 1000 photos. Here are a few.

Overlooking the city of Tanger.

The ladies of the alleys of Assilah.

Look left look right but dont forget to look up. A colorful roof top garden.

Painted doors are every where in here.

Out of the old city and into the streets for a market feel.
Sitting down for fish tanjine.
Another beautiful door.
And another.

This dude parks cars on the side of his other job. Over at Scott he is Monty's Boss.

Moroccan bread oven.

This mosque was built in 1355.

A box of kittens in the street that I wanted to bring home. Clearly I was not allowed.

Sunset over Tanger.

Luke enjoying the sunshine and some hummus.

After Assilah we travelled back to Tanger. Tanger is an amazing place but really full on. In a way going to Tanger is like going to Baja Mexico. Yes you are in Morocco but quite frankly it is not real Morocco. I would have loved to travel to Marrakech but sadly it was too far south. We just did not have time.

Would I recommend you go to Tanger? Yes I would but I would not stay there long. Half a day is more than enough. Get out and see more of the real Morocco.

Now we are back in Marbella and back to training hard.

Stay tuned

Memphis x