end of camp, been on plane, seen on news

So the training camp in Flagstaff has come and gone.  Starting the camp I was thinking how was I ever going to have a good workout let alone have a successful camp up there and be ready for a World Cup in four weeks when I could barely do a easy workout without feeling exhausted and out of breath.  Well I got over being exhausted after every workout and recovered faster but I think that I just got used to being out of breath after every effort no matter how long even if it was just 10 seconds long.

I am now in beautiful Mooloolaba, Australia for my favorite race of the year (I think that it is just because I like the city here so much).  It is the first World Cup of the year and I am well prepared for the race.  I arrived late afternoon yesterday and having done a couple workouts down here at sea level, it feels great.  I am not huffing and puffing after my efforts and everything feels really easy...exactly why we go to altitude in the first place!

On the flight down from Vancouver to Sydney we all got upgraded into business class and got seats in the "pods".  That helped out a lot for sleeping because you can lie completely horizontal and make your seat into a bed, although not the most comfortable bed I have ever been in!  We missed our connection out of Sydney because we were late getting in but were booked on the next flight only 60min later than the original.  Then we had to wait a couple hours for other athletes in Brisbane to pick up because we were all booked on the same shuttle that the race organized.  It made for a long day.

So we have done 5 workouts since we got here and they all felt great.  I am really looking forward to racing this weekend.  The weather has not been as good as last year, a little rain outside as I type this and thunderstorms in the forecast for the rest of the week including race day.

The local news (Channel 7) came and interviewed us today at our hotel.  I have uploaded the "sit in front of the TV with the hand held point and shoot camera while trying to keep the camera steady and being very quiet" version of it to You Tube and posted it below.  We should be getting the DVD version of it later on this week if the TV station drops it off.  I will post that version on You Tube which should be much clearer and steadier.