WEEK 15 - Picture blog time!!

This week I have decided to do another picture blog. Now, I know that Mum dislikes the whole 'picture blog' idea...but as someone important once said, a picture tells a thousand words! So have a scroll through to see what I've been up to for the week :)


Monday: Rainy start to the week...


...but a perfect day for smashing out a rippa session on the trainer!


Tuesday: 5.08am alarm to be in the pool by 5.30am...


...followed by a little study


Wednesday: The killer session of the week. Never look forward to doing it, but once done, feels awesome! Run: 8x2km...phew


Thursday: Perfect day for a Kinglake ride...


...Sam chilling out before the climb...


...and having a little stretch...


...reward at the top. Kinglake Bakery you rock!


Friday: Took my brand spanking new Brooks for a trot.


Saturday: Poor Sam, I somehow roped him into seeing the Justin Bieber movie. It was truly AMAZING!!


Sunday arvo: Doing a little dog sitting at the moment. I think Scruffy is the one taking me for a walk!


Glad I'm not swimming in the bay this weekend...a little filthy!


Sunday arvo:Mary Poppins sing-a-long at the Astor Theatre...Sam loved this one!!

WEEK 14 - Procrastinating Ways...

If there were to be an award for the best procrastinator I think I would take the cake hands down. Since starting back study, I have been reunited with my procrastinating ways. It has been over 5 years since I first went to Uni and discovered the many forms of procrastination from study, and I can honestly say that at this very moment, I am in my prime.

I am currently supposed to be writing an assignment. The topic being Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: the case for and against the supplementation of infant formula. As riveting as this topic could potentially be...I am at the books for literally no longer than 10 minutes before I find a new activity to consume my thoughts.

I find myself doing anything just to get out of writing an assignment. As I sat down at my desk this morning I envisaged a full day of study and a completed assignment at the end. However prior to even opening a book I made sure I had got a coffee, done the washing, cleaned my room, ran a loooong way, checked Facebook, read other peoples blogs, watched the Sunday Footy Show, checked Facebook again, made lunch, made a second lunch, went and got another coffee, looked at the weekend's race results from across the globe, looked at the week's weather, looked at the radar and searched the Internet for pointless facts such as 'where is the closest library?' (as I somehow believe that if I were to sit in a library then I would be more productive).

It is an extremely annoying trait that I possess and I do believe that if this procrastination gene were to be absent in my DNA then I would be straight A student on the way to becoming the next Nobel prize winner. However, due to reasons beyond my control I am unable to focus on study thoughts for extended periods of time and as such I find myself sitting here writing a blog, thinking about getting the washing off the line and planning a full day of study for tomorrow!

WEEK 13 - Getting to the Ground

Apologies for the delayed blog...but true to my word, since Hawthorn played in the Sunday twilight match I gave myself a self appointed Sunday blog free day. As such I find myself blogging on this Monday morning after Hawthorn gave Melbourne a right shellacking!



As Sam and I were making the trek back to the car after yesterday's game I was racking my brain as to what to blog about this week, when it suddenly came to me.

I love going to the footy, I really do. However the one thing that I loathe about football at the G is trying to get to the ground. There are four main criteria that I am looking for when making the trek to the MCG.

1. Minimal walking
2. Minimal cost
3. Minimal time
4. Minimal inconvenience

The way I see it, there are approximately four ways to get to the ground. Each form of travel has it's positive and negatives, and as such I am constantly trying to find the mode which is the most efficient.

The first form of travel is that of the public transport variety. However the thought of cramming onto a crowded train/tram in peak hour footy crowds really does not score number 1 on my list. Plus trying to get to the train/tram stop is an issue in it's self. Do I walk, do I ride or do I drive (which really does defeat the purpose of catching public transport in the first place). It is however cost effective, but that would have to be the only positive on that front.

The second mode involves driving and parking out the front of the ground. This is by far my most preferred form of travel as it involves minimal walking which is top on my list. However, it does involve cost and, as I learnt on the way to yesterday's game it also does entail maximum inconvenience, being that of traffic (I could write a years worth of blogs entirely on how to alleviate Melbourne ever growing traffic wars...however that is another story). Therefore this type of travel is also eliminated.

The third mode of transport, and quite possibly the most sensible would be riding to the ground. Premo parking out the front, tick. No cost, tick. No walking, tick. And relatively time efficient, tick. However since I don't own a commuter bike, this form is unfortunately crossed off the list.

The fourth mode of transport is what I took to Friday night's game and yesterday's game by default (as I was planning on going with no. 2, but because of the associated traffic issues, this was promptly eliminated). Whilst this form doesn't score 100% in each of the checklist criteria, I would have to say it is scores a consistent 50% across the board and therefore at this stage will just have to do. It involves driving to the Tan and parking, therefore eliminating the traffic issues around the G and the parking fee at the ground. Then it involves making the 20 minute walk to the ground. Although as Sam can attest to, I'm not very good at walking and I do tend to complain a fair bit. However at this stage it seems to be the best option. It's not quite convenient but I wouldn't say it's inconvenient. It isn't lightning quick, but it doesn't take forever. It does involve a fair hike, but that gives me time to come up with a blog topic and ponder the issues of the world. And it is cost effective...except if you are to get a parking ticket and that would really throw this theory into disarray! So for now, this is the form of travel that I will stick to and hopefully it continues to bring good fortune to the mighty Hawks!

Until next time,

Carn the Hawks!!

Week 12 - Bright!

After having a few days off training at the start of the week we headed up to Bright for a few days of riding, running and relaxing. Blue skies, sun, mountains and bikes...couldn't ask for much more!!


Pink sky at night...woo!!



Only 52km to go...



The boys up the road.



The Hoth!!



Views from the top of Hotham.







Hotham Village.



The trusty stead!!



The Brewery.



Ovens River.



Dinner!






In other news, I have just posted up the 2011 racing schedule (www.madeleineoldfield.com)...bring it on!!

Week 11 - Gatorade Tri Series Race #6 - St kilda

Today was the final round of the 2010/11 Gatorade Triathlon Series held at St Kilda. Melbourne turned on the weather and for once we couldn't have asked for better conditions.

It has taken me most of the week to recover from last weeks race at Huskison. For the majority of the week I have felt pretty flat and the legs have seen better days. However, I was still looking to put in a solid performance in today's race and to ensure that I got the series win for the 2010/11 Gatorade Triathlon Series.

The race was set to be a cracker with the likes of Olympian Erin Densham toeing the start line. I knew the key for me would be the swim - if I wanted to be in the mix I had to be out in that first pack on the bike.



I had one of my best swims to date and headed out onto the bike course in 2nd position, where we soon formed a strong lead pack of four girls. We all rode well together and came into T2 about 45sec up on the 2nd pack. I had a great transition and got out onto the run course in equal first with Densham, where she soon set a cracking pace that unfortunately I couldn't hold onto. I still ran well though and crossed the line in 2nd place Elite Female. This result was enough to take the series win in the Elite Female category and to round out my best summer seasons to date, which has included four 1sts and one 2nd in the 2010/11 Gatorade Triathlon Series, 1st Pro Female at the 2011 Falls Creek Victorian Long Course Champs, 3rd Pro Female at the 2011 Australian Long Course Champs and 5th Pro Female at the 2010 Shepparton Half Ironman.

I couldn't have asked for a better summer - I have found a level of consistency that I haven't had in previous seasons. All the hard work is starting to pay off and I am looking forward to a big season in the States this year.

I have almost finalised my race calendar for the 2011 US season and will post it up on my website shortly (www.madeleineoldfield.com).

This week is going to be a pretty cruisey week, with lots of sleep and not much training for a change!! I am heading up to Bright at the end of the week to recharge the batteries before getting back into it all.

Thanks to all who supported me over the summer including all of my sponsors as well as Mum, Dad, Sam and my coach Josh Rix. It has been an awesome ride and I am still loving every minute of it!!

Week 10 - Australian Long Course Championships

This weekend I competed in the Australian Long Course Triathlon Championships held at Husskison, NSW. Husky is a small seaside town located about 2 hours south of Sydney. After placing 1st at the Victorian Long Course Champs a few weeks earlier, Josh and I decided that I should travel up to NSW to compete in the National Champs.

Arriving in Canberra on Friday, mum and I hired a car and made the trek to Husky, where we were welcomed by our awesome home stay family Cindy, Ellen and Isabel (the Jack Russel).

As the sun began to rise on race morning we all knew that it was going to be a tough race in hot conditions. It was a non-wetsuit swim for the Pro's with water temp being 23.5 degrees. The relatively small Pro Female field was packed with some notable racers including Michelle Wu, Nicole Ward and Matilda Raynolds.

I had a great swim and exited the water up the front. After a quick transition I got out onto the bike course in 1st place, where I was soon joined by Raynolds and later on Wu. The 83km bike course was made up of 3 laps. The first half of each lap consisted of a slow gradual climb with the second half being undulating. I managed to stick with Wu and Raynolds until about 15km to go, where I then started to feel the effects of the hard riding and heat and unfortunately lost contact. This was the move that would prove to cost me the race, however it is these races that I learn the most from!

Entering T2 I was about 1min30sec down off the lead two girls. I was expecting to feel pretty heavy on the run, however once my legs hit the ground and I got some more nutrition into me I started to feel strong and went about trying to make up as much ground as I could. I managed to come within 50sec of second place, but ran out of road, crossing the line in 3rd place Pro Female, with Michelle running strong to take the win by 2min 30sec and Matilda claiming 2nd. The aim of the race was to podium, and while I wasn't on the top, it was still a good race in which I learnt a lot.


Having only competed in 2 long course events prior to Husskison, I am still learning the in and outs of endurance racing. I have put in some really solid training over the summer months, and with another long course race under my belt I am looking forward to a great upcoming season in the US.

I am living the dream and it all wouldn't be possible without the support of my sponsors Malvern Star, Peak Bike Hub, Brooks Running, Giro, Selle SMP Saddles and Team Barefoot.

A huge thanks to my Mum for travelling with me to Husky and looking after me...number one support crew! Also thanks to Cindy and Ellen for opening their home to us and Elite Energy for putting on a great event.




For now it's time to eat, sleep and recover in time for the final round of the Victorian Gatorade Series next weekend.

WEEK 9 - Food for Thought

One of my more favoured past-times is eating. When I am not think worldly thoughts while out training, I am regularly envisaging what my next meal will be. I often return from sessions famished and head straight to the cupboard. Last week was a prime example - I hunger flatted majorly on my ride about 15km from home. I was in all sorts as it was about to start pouring down rain, so I had to ride quick to beat the downpour, but I was sooo hungry that even pedalling was difficult...ah the dilemma. The motivation to get home was the reward of a crunchy bowl of corn flakes at the end (because that was literally all that was in the cupboard). When I finally made it home (dizzy head and all) and dumped my bike, I downed the bowl of my favourite cereal without even taking off my helmet. Almost instantaneously my energy returned and I could once again think intelligent thoughts...disaster averted.

Cornflakes and honey are my number one food at the moment. I have a habit of consuming the same food religiously for weeks on end, until there comes a stage where I can't even look at the food let alone eat it. I often find that because I eat more than the average person, it is quite a task to constantly think of foods to eat, therefore being the very reason I will consume copious amounts of the same food until I can no longer. So cornflakes is that food at the moment. It's sad because I know there will be a time when they'll have to leave my life, but for now we have a pretty good thing going on.

When looking for a snack I try to pick foods that taste good, are cheap, will fill me up, and have some nutritional value (the latter often lacking). At the moment my 'vogue' foods are the trusty cornflakes and honey, choc honeycomb muesli bars from Aldi (soo good, but so not good for you), bbq chickens (they've almost reached their limit), white bread cheese toasted sandwiches (supporting the lack of nutritional value dilemma I face) and spaghetti bolignaise (I don't think I'll ever tire of a good spag bog).


Other foods that have been done to death and therefore are no longer on the menu include porridge, milkshakes (made entirely of just milk), tinned tuna, tinned chicken, protein powder, red capsicum (weird), fish fingers, muesli, egg+rice+soy sauce (used to be a favourite lunch item), eggs on their own (which is very disappointing as I really did used to enjoy a good egg and they are very good for you), Cheerios, Le Rice, apples and Continental pasta packs.

As you can see , there in no consistency in the type of foods that I obsess over. Once I find a food I like, I will stick to it until my taste buds have had enough. It is quite possibly not the best eating habits to have, but gone are the days when I would come home after a hectic day at school and dinner would be served on the table, so one must do what one must do to survive the daily rigours of hunting, gathering and cooking for oneself. As such I must be off to make some dessert (vanilla ice cream with milo on top...mmm!)

On other unrelated notes, I start back at uni tomorrow (part-time Nutrition...very appropriate), and have just updated the news section on my website, check it: www.madeleineoldfield.com

Until next time,

Eat an Aldi choc honeycomb museli bar...you will never look back.