Weekly News Nummber 12

Relaxed week after the race

A relaxed week after a race. What I learned the hard way last year is that after a race, it’s better for me to do less and start the week without a fixed plan. That way I can decide for myself what I feel like doing and at the same time recharge my energy.

The week started in Clifton Springs with a drive to Melbourne together with my mum. We left without eating anything in the morning, which we felt pretty quickly. Luckily, halfway there we found a small café on the side of the road where we could get something to eat. Even though the avocado toast with fried egg was pretty average, I was just happy to get some food.

After a race, I really recommend to everyone: eat enough. First, your mood is better because you’re already tired, and second, you’re usually still travelling or on the move. It just makes everything easier for you and for the people around you. At least for me, I definitely function better when I eat enough, because I was completely exhausted after the race.

When we arrived at our Airbnb in Melbourne, we had rented an apartment in a high-rise on Flinders Street for one night. And one of my highlights came right at the start. As you might remember, we had a Ford Everest as our car, and my mum had checked beforehand how big the car lift was. According to the measurements, we should fit.

Car lift

So I thought: let’s just try it instead of looking for a parking garage somewhere else. My mum helped guide me in, and we probably had about 5 cm on each side. Together we managed it perfectly. But after we parked and read the instructions again, it said we should have used the other lift. Well… with a bit of back and forth we still managed it and the car was in. Getting it out was a problem for the next day.

After that, we went straight into the city and I used ChatGPT to create a small city tour. It’s crazy how easy that is now. I still remember a year ago we were googling everything, looking for tours, and now an app tells you in seconds what to see. Pretty impressive how fast things have changed.

Luckily, I remembered a café I had been to last year, and I really wanted to show it to my mum. A small place in a side street called Patricia Coffee Roasters. What’s special is that people sit on drink crates and have their coffee outside, and if a car comes through, everyone just moves a bit to the side. As always, I had an almond croissant with my coffee.

Of course, I asked ChatGPT again where we should go for lunch. I actually wanted to show my mum the big food hall, but it was closed on Monday. So we took the train to Richmond and walked up and down the main street. I have to say, I almost like these outer neighbourhoods more than the city centre with all the high buildings and people. Maybe it was also because I was tired and those places just feel a bit calmer.

We found a small, cosy café where we enjoyed our lunch. On the way back to the city, we walked along the river and passed the Rod Laver Arena, where Federer had so many great moments. It’s special to see a place you know from TV. During tournaments it’s full of energy, and now it was just quiet. Hard to imagine that this place waits 49 weeks of the year just to come alive for three.

We kept walking along the water back into the city, and I remembered a library I had seen last year that really impressed me, with a big dome over several floors. This year we also discovered the exhibitions inside. We just walked into one about the history of Indigenous Australians. I can’t tell you too much about it, so you already know how interesting I found it. But the fact that this kind of history is freely accessible made it worth it. At that point, I was also pretty tired.

City of Melbourne

So I was happy when we took a break, had a Coke and just relaxed for a bit.

In the evening, before packing our bags again for the flight back to Noosa, we had a relaxed dinner together. Spaghetti, burgers and a birthday call to a good friend of my mum. After that, I fell into bed completely exhausted, but very happy to have my earplugs so I didn’t have to hear the noise from the street.

After that day, I have to say I’m really glad I don’t live in a big city. Just being able to go outside and do sport without stopping at 20 traffic lights is worth so much to me.

Back to Noosa and a quiet week

The next morning we drove to the airport just after seven. Before that, we quickly grabbed a coffee in the same street and then went on our mission to get the car out of the lift. But just like the day before, everything went smoothly and I found myself sitting in the car inside the lift again, something I had never done before.

For me, the second day after a race is always the hardest in terms of recovery. At the airport everything was relaxed, we dropped off our luggage and shortly after were sitting in a café again, eating something and waiting to board.

The trip home was calm. Training-wise, I didn’t do anything that day. I actually planned to go for a swim once I got home, but I had absolutely no motivation. So I stayed home, unpacked my suitcase and sorted everything out. I left the bike for later, because I knew I needed a bit more time and also some mental freshness for that. I just pushed it to another day.

The next few days were very relaxed in terms of training. My mum also brought the last documents for my visa. In Australia, you often need certified copies of documents, signed by an official person. But besides all the admin stuff, what was most important to me was spending time with my mum. I know that in a few weeks I’ll wish I had more time with her.

So I try to enjoy every minute. When I wasn’t with her, I was out on the gravel bike in the forest. And that’s where I realised again how good that is for me. Just being outside, no music, just my thoughts. For me, that’s like therapy. Since I got the gravel bike, I enjoy riding so much more because I don’t constantly have to think about cars.

This week I also worked a bit on Canva again. One of the athletes I coach asked me if I wanted to put up a flyer at the indoor pool, so more people can see what I do as a coach. I said yes straight away, because I still have spots available.

So if you have a place where you can put up the flyer, or if you’re looking for a coach yourself, feel free to reach out. Maybe it’s a good match and we can start working together.

The week ended similar to the one before Geelong. I went for a run in the national park and then met my mum at a café. After that, we went together to the farmers market. A perfect way to finish a relaxed week before I start the next training block, heading towards Western Sydney in May.

See you next week

Cyrill