Post: Summer 2023 in St. Moritz & big block of racing
It’s been some time since my last blog post. The first part of this season flew by, and with the altitude camp having come to an end, the second part of the season is already in full swing too.
The first half of the season had its highs and lows. The beginning was definitely a bit bumpy due to a difficult preparation with sickness/Covid and a little hip niggle, but from May on, it went upwards. From race to race, I gained not only fitness but also confidence. This eventually led to gold at the Swiss Championships in Zurich. Quite a special moment. Winning a title I probably never imagined winning; then the course was in the middle of Zurich, the city I’ve gone in and out of for the last 6 years for my studies; and finally, knowing that so many people, besides the course, were cheering for you. All together, it made for a very special and emotional day.
Then, two weeks later, it was time to head to St. Moritz to have a proper prep for the second half of the season. Before this altitude camp, I had my doubts, as I didn’t have the best experiences from the two previous years. Nevertheless, I got my head stuck into it to work hard and give my best each day while also listening to and trusting my body. And now I can say it was a very successful camp. I was able to have some very consistent weeks with many good sessions, and it felt so good to see the fitness increase. The first 3 weeks I was up there with my Team TG Hütten. The long rides, ice baths, and everything else were lots of fun. Then, I had a bit of an easier week including NL Nyon. This way, I was able to test my response to competing right after altitude. And additionally, I was able to get a third result for the National League Series. With my second place in Nyon, I even managed together with 1st at the Swiss Champs and 5th in Zug, to win the overall National League. After a rainy Sunday at home, I then went back up again to St. Moritz for the second half of the camp together with Swiss Triathlon under the lead of national coach Jordi Meulenberg. We had a good time up there, and even the weather played along nicely. Because my next race was the European Middle Distance Champs in Menen (Belgium), I spent quite some time on the TT getting used to the position and riding fast.
The takeaways from the camp were definitely not to rush the first 10 days up at altitude and to keep training at low intensities. This way, I was able to have a good adaptation, and from then on, I also got some high-quality sessions in.
On August 24th, the camp ended, and only the day after, it was time to travel to Belgium for my first middle distance of the year. Our train adventure even included a 10-minute walk through the streets of Paris to change train stations, but it all went smoothly, and we arrived on time in Kortrijk, the city next to Menen. The day after, it was all about familiarization, even though we weren’t allowed to test the real swim course prior to the race. Then, on Sunday, it was race day, starting quite late at 12:00 for a middle distance amongst a huge field of age groupers. The swim started really well for me, and I entered T1 in second, right behind Camilla. On the bike, I tried to ride with the girls, but I didn’t quite manage it and lost some time. However, the run afterwards went very well again, which made me finish in 8th place. I’m quite happy with my performance, but I also know where to work in the future.
Next on the line was BL Hannover. The race itself didn’t feel good at all. It was too soon after the middle distance and too much traveling. But we as a team got the job done and secured our spot in the 1. Bundesliga for next season. From there, it was full focus on the World Cup in Karlovy Vary the week after.
The Olympic Distance in Karlovy Vary has a really tough bike course, including a long, stretched hill done seven times. I’m super happy with the way I’ve conquered the swim and made the second bike group. The bike was really hard, and on the run, I didn’t have much energy left. Nevertheless, I’m happy to have come in 27th at my second World Cup ever, and it showed me where to work on in the future. I hope I’ll be back on this course.
Now it’s time to prepare for the last races in October.