POINTS HARD TO RESIST

QWhat factors will come into your decision if you will race in Cairns next month or not?

AIt is a little bit complicated. I have been injured and I am not in very good shape yet. I have just had three months of running. I am not in great shape and Cairns is a regional championships and with it, it will bring a great field. I sort of want to give the race what it deserves and not turn up underdone to compete. That is part of it. I love the race and I am very tempted to jump in still and try do my best. We are all trying to accrue points to try and get to the world championships so for me I need to make smart decisions with which races will get me the most points to get me to the worlds.

QYou are on the Ironman comeback trail after giving birth to daughter Mahli, how has that influenced your athletic career? No doubt it is great personally but what impacts has it made on your Ironman ambitions?

AThere is a bunch of reasons to make it harder but it is outweighed by being a mother and everything that goes into it is so incredible. I do not mind the little things that detract from your athletic stuff and performance. Mahli has come to all the races I have done so far and she will be in Cairns too. I love being a mum. It is a lot of juggling with my training. My husband works from home and me being an athlete, I am working from home sort of too and we just juggle it between us. We get a bit of help from the family. Training is my outlet and my “me” time but I so love getting back home as well. Sometimes there is a little less sleep than what I would like and recovery is not what it used to be but overall, it is a huge positive.