Last training days in Switzerland

Few more days of training in high altitude and I go down to the sea level. I completed last bike ride with Swen today, we climbed two passes: one of them was 8km (Julia pass) and another one 30km long (Albula pass)(whew).It wasn't easy, but at least I am not scare of hills any more. Annett went home yesterday morning and she missed another 10-13 hours of "main workouts" :p 

Anyway it was great time here, good training, cool company, beautiful weather, even to train with rainy weather was fine.  

Switzerlan, training camp. " Higher than mountains can be only the mountains, which you nether climbed before"

My dream came true. I am here in Switzerland in Pontresina, 7 km from St. Moritz, 1800 m high altitude. Three of us: Annett, Swen ( my friends I met in Clermont, Florida, while I was training there) and me train together in this beautiful aria, surrounded by white tops of giant mountains.

We are here for more then 10 days already and the hardest acclimatization days left behind, it's easier to breath now in the swimming pool and I am able to talk while I am running or biking. But I still have troubles going long, 13-20 km, uphills. Last Sunday I've done my hardest bike ride aver. We climbed over 4000 m during 170 km, which included 4, 13-15 km long, passes. At the end of that training I couldn't go straight any more on the bike, I was going zigzag and I was "almost" crying. But I guess in several days I would say, that it wasn't that hard compare today bike ride. 

It's also a very good aria for the run, a lot of nice trails in the wood with wild animals :) , like squirrels and marmots. And right now I am going to look for some new trails, as I go for the long run. 

Pictures

Two Half Ironmans in two weekends.

I had done first two Half Ironman races in Europe this season after I had come back from States. I completed those races during two weekends in row. That wasn't an easy experiment. The first triathlon took part in a beautiful city Linz in nice old Austria. I was happy to visit that country, especially after all troubles I have had with a visa,which I need to get for a visit to any country in Europe, as a Ukrainian person. I got the visa one day before the race and somehow I should to get to Linz from Lvov, Ukraine during 24 hours. I wouldn't be able to do it without my Slovakian friend, Marek and with his help I had very comfortable and rested trip to Austria and back. The race came out very well for me, I felt confident and strong . Unusually for me I was leading from the first part of the bike course and I save my lead till the finish line. After the event when I got back home at Tuesday I realized that I have just 2 days to prepare for the next trip to Switzerland and as usually my visa wasn't ready yet :) Even I knew I can't do anything about it, I already done everything to prepare all documents, the situation still stresses me out. Maybe that's why I also couldn't recover very well between competition, or maybe it's just an excuse ;) I got my passport with visa two hours before my flight to Zurich and after I got to my final destination I felt exhausted. Although I slept next nights a lot and very well it's still wasn't enough time to recover and at the race day I felt still tired. I suffered from the second loop on the bike and all the time during the run course. I am really angry with myself that I let two girls behind me pass me right before the finish, but honestly, nothing I could do about it, I had no power left. Anyway I completed two half Iron distances in two weekends with a pretty good time: 4h.29'......; 4h.33'...... And now I am looking forward to the training camp with my friends in St. Moritz; no races for the next six weeks before the big one: Ironman Austria.

Pictures:Linz triathlon

Results:Linz triathlon; Switzerland 70.3