Australian triathlete Melissa Hauschildt exudes a quiet, determined confidence. Staying true to the “Aussie battler” mentality – an Australian colloquialism referring to ordinary people who tough out adversity to see through their commitments – she has persevered a series of mishaps and setbacks that have dashed her hopes at the Ironman World Championship at Kona, Hawaii over the last couple of years. In 2017, Hauschildt underwent an operation – turned horror show – on one of her iliac arteries. The surgeon accidentally snipped a major artery and blood spurted everywhere. She lost a lot of blood, and had post-surgery complications that weakened her and caused her to struggle at that year’s Kona. In 2016 she had an injury that needed surgery. She had a broken rib in 2015, and a torn pectoral in 2014. “The biggest race for Ironman is Kona and that’s the one I haven’t ticked off yet,” she says. Endofibrosis struck again and forced Mel to pull out of Kona.   She hoped this year at Kona would be different. After that dramatic surgery only one year ago, recovery, and a plenty of patience, she has been having one of the best years of her triathlon career, setting the world record (8:31:04) at the Ironman North American Championships, Texas in April. Just as she thought she would be able to give her absolute best at Kona this year, the same physical condition as last year – endofibrosis – struck again. “Two months ago I raced in the Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Cebu and my right leg shut down on the bike and I was forced to walk/jog/drag my leg across the line for third place,” Hauschildt says. “I got home and tried to get back into training but my leg would not cooperate. I had many tests done at home in Noosa and was told it was not endofibrosis so I continued on as best I could. But it got to the point that I could not even kick in the pool without my leg shutting down. I went back to my surgeon in Melbourne and unfortunately it is iliac artery endofibrosis and I need surgery.” Disappointed as Hauschildt is, there is only one response befitting an athlete of her stature: keep training anyway possible. She has been swimming with a pull buoy, doing lots of strength work. Her plan is to come back stronger and faster than ever. “The surgeon said it is most common for endofibrosis to come in both legs and that it comes on over years so this means I have been racing with restricted blood flow to this leg for quite a while now,” Hauschildt says. “If I can break a world record with only one healthy leg I can’t wait to see what I can do with two. I will be unstoppable!” Mel set the Ironman world record (8:31:04) at the Ironman North American Championships in Texas in April.   Hauschildt has been ticking off all the other biggest triathlons in the world. She won the Ironman 70.3 European Championship in June, the Ironman 70.3 North American Championship in April, and the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship in 2017, along with a string of other victories at less significant races. Kona, and the Ironman South American and African Championships remain in her sights. Her operation is in October, and the whole Suunto team wishes her well and a speedy recovery.   READ MORE ABOUT MELISSA HAUSCHILDT: Meet Mel Hauschildt: one of the world’s best triathletes Elite runner to pro triathlete: how to make the transition  

Ultra cyclist Omar Di Felice is back in Italy taking a well-earned break before he begins preparations for his annual journey into the icy reaches of the winter Arctic. He is conditioned to the cold, which is why the Transiberica Bike Race in Portugal and Spain gave him a run for his money. What were the highlights of the race? Riding for so long unsupported in this bike race without a mandatory route was a new challenge for me. I didn’t know Spain and Portugal, which is why I had to stay attentive to the way ahead instead of focusing on “eat, sleep and drink” as is usual in normal ultracycling races. What were the toughest moments? I really love winter and Arctic conditions: unfortunately in Spain I found completely opposite weather conditions! The toughest thing was to ride in such hot conditions (temperature from 30 to 41°C!). The toughest moment, for sure, was when I had to stop after intense heat and an allergic attack while passing through Andalucia region. When I was back on my bike I understood if I could push through that difficult moment I would be able to end the race. Where were the nicest roads to ride? The last 300 km was the nicest! Both because the end got closer and closer, and because the Asturias region was one of the best, with easy climbs, green hills and the perfect temperature to ride. How many kilometers have you already ridden this year? This year has had plenty of cycling! From my Arctic adventures in Iceland and Canada, to this last extreme challenge competing in ultracycling races all over Europe, I have clocked up 30,000 kilometers and 450.000 m of ascent. I have earned a deserved rest period before the start of my favorite season: the winter.      READ MORE ABOUT OMAR DI FELICE During a 3,380km ride you don’t know what will hurt the most Meet the Italian guy who cycles insane distances What you really need to know about winter cycling adventures

With its 110 km distance and 6800 m of vertical ascent, Ultra Pirineu is the longest ultra race Marc has ever run. Kilian Jornet has set the course record in just over 12 hours. Marc knows he is venturing into unknown territory so he hasn’t set a specific time goal.   Marc has created a custom trail running sport mode for Ultra Pirineu.   “As for how I will 'race' it – I won’t be racing like Kilian that’s for sure!” Marc says. “I plan to start slow, control the adrenaline and be comfortable for the first two-thirds of the race. That’s why I find heart rate important to me, so I can see my real-time effort. Being present in the moment is equally important, because in long distance running you can't get too caught up in what's ahead.”   To help him make the finish line in good time, Marc will be using his in-depth knowledge from working at Suunto in product information management to get the very best from his Suunto 9.   Suunto 9 takes a lot of hassle out of optimizing your GPS watches battery life for a long event: it provides three predefined battery modes – Performance, Endurance and Ultra – that give you up to 120 hours of GPS tracking time. GPS accuracy is the biggest difference between the modes. You can also create a custom battery mode with your Suunto 9.   Suunto 9 has three predefined battery modes – Performance, Endurance and Ultra – and you can also define your own custom settings.   “Suunto 9’s intelligent battery modes are great,” Marc says. “You have one less thing to think about and can just enjoy the trails and views. I’ve created a custom battery mode that is based on the performance mode; I turn all vibration and notifications off, disable the auto-lap feature, whilst also changing the display to 'low color' and display timeout on.”   “If I end up taking longer than I expect switching from race mode to 'just getting the race done mode', then my watch will also switch to a better battery mode on the go, so it really is a companion that is appreciated and valuable.”   To make sure Marc doesn’t accidentally run out of battery, his Suunto 9 will ask if he would like to change to another battery mode should the power drop below 10 %. One thing is sure, on race day Marc is going to be fully ready.   “I've come here to push my limits, experience something new and see some wonderful scenery and that’s not to mention meeting all the wonderful people that go along in an event,” he says.   Good luck, Marc and everyone else running the Salomon Ultra Pirineu!   Learn How to get the most of Suunto 9’s battery modes Read Suunto 9’s user guide    

"I really try to use the time and an accessibility I have to create food that will bring out the best in me,” Lucy says. Being an athlete is all about discipline and consistency. We usually think of these in terms of training – getting out the door, whether we feel like it or not, day after day, week after week. How we eat is often religated to a secondary factor; nice, but not as valuable as the training part. Napolean Bonaparte's famous statement, "an army marches on its stomach", suggests otherwise – food is what carries us forward. And the more nutritious it is, the better we will perform. In this series of posts we explore how Suunto ambassadors and athletes keep their tanks fuelled. First up, Australian ultra runner Lucy Bartholomew shares her passion for a plant-based diet.   Running on a plant-based diet © Lucy Bartholomew Lucy Bartholomew, 22, recently completed the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run, and she did it on a vegan diet. This means she gets to eat lots of fruit and vege, her favorite thing next to being on the trail. “As an athlete I think that you are what you eat and the fuel you put into your engine is the performance you will receive so I really try to use the time and an accessibility I have to create food that will bring out the best in me,” Bartholomew says. “I love the way that different food and recipes work for different people, how you can share this form of culinary artwork and always give a unique twist with your own personality.”   Go to, easy meals The green smoothie, or “Shrek poo”, is one of Bartholomew's staple meals. Photo by Kimber Pine on Unplash.    “My favorite thing to create for myself and others is a Buddha bowl. You have probably never heard of it and that's the best thing about; it isn't anything specific it's just a bowl filled with goodness and plants. I usually enjoy some baked sweet potato in there, a bean of some sort, a nut-based salad dressing and an abundance of raw and cooked vegetables. “My morning go-to is a smoothie bowl that is a thick smoothie made with frozen bananas and is usually green because I add spinach and other vegetables to keep my body loaded with nutrients. I usually top this with more fruit, nuts and seeds.”   Having the essentials on hand “I have learned about the importance of being organized and making time to prepare food,” Bartholomew says. “I always carry with me my ‘essentials’ that I can easily survive off on the go. These things include rolled oats, greens powder, nut butter and nutritional yeast. Along with these, I pick up and whatever fruit and vegetables I can get my hands on and then I'm a very happy little camper.”   Direct from the earth “I really believe that 'you are what you eat' and the more you can eat directly from the earth, and without the packaging, the better the food will make you thrive.”   Lucy's Buddha bowl One of Bartholomew's Buddha bowls. © Lucy Bartholomew IngredientsSweet potato, chopped in chunksRed cabbage, roughly choppedCarrot, gratedBeetroot gratedChickpeas, drained and rinsedCooked rice/quinoaBroccoli, any veg!TurmericCayenne pepperSalt and pepperHummusTahini, miso, turmeric dressingYou could also add some boiled eggs, meat, tofu, fish Method Bake the sweet potato in the oven at 180° C for 30 minutes. I like to bake my potato without oil, but if you like it a bit moister then add some oil. Place drained chickpeas onto a baking tray and sprinkle with some turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt or any spice you choose. Roll them around to pick up all the spice and flavors and also place in the oven with the sweet potato for 20 minutes or until crispy. Steam any vegetables or prepare other veggies you have decided to use. Place cabbage, beetroot, carrot and cooked grains, additional veg into a serving bowl. Add sweet potato and chickpeas when ready. Top with hummus, tahini dressing or your own versions! And enjoy!     Lead image: Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash.

With the XTERRA World Championships rapidly approaching in just over a month many athletes are hoping to have their best race. They are looking at their training and performances to this point and deciding what it all will mean when they toe the line. Part of what makes XTERRA racing so exciting is that there are so many variables on race day.   This also makes it challenging to set goals and to compare performances from one year to the next.   Josiah Middaugh is a champion and a certified trainer. (Image by XTERRA)   Races are not competed on paper   We often talk about training metrics and how to use them to guide your training. They can help define training targets, gauge progress, and give you confidence heading into races. However, races are not competed on paper. This is especially true in XTERRA where technical skills and grit can play major roles in the outcome. There is no resume submission and it doesn’t matter what your functional threshold power is if you don’t deliver on race day.   Nothing more, nothing less   One thing that separates many top performers from the rest is both the ability to put in the quality work and the discipline to hold back on easier or shorter days. Time and time again the athletes I coach who make the most progress are those that follow the workouts to the “T.”   This doesn’t mean blindly following the workouts, but also logging the training, giving feedback, and being engaged in the process. Key workouts are challenging and one way to tell if someone is overreaching is whether or not the workouts can be completed at the proper intensity. If you are always carrying around a hefty load of cumulative fatigue and the thought of a structured threshold makes you feel ill, then you might be overreaching with too much unnecessary volume or going to hard on your easy days.   The whole is greater than the sum of the parts   XTERRA is about more than simply swimming, biking, and running. It is not made up of stand-alone events, rather a series of consecutive tests of your speed, power, skill and endurance. Fatigue is cumulative and so is the brain strain. Staying in the moment and focused on the task at hand becomes increasingly difficult as the race progresses. It might help to compartmentalize each section of the race, but know that each leg of the race is not entirely independent.   We are what we repeatedly do   Key sessions around race intensity train the body and the mind. Do you consistently finish the hardest workouts on your schedule each week or do you cut them short when they get “hard”? Do you start out too hard in all of your interval sessions and end up cutting power by the end? Despite all of the angst leading up to a race, know that once the gun goes off, the body will respond in the way it has been taught through repetition. Don’t expect a race to feel easy, expect it to be your biggest physical and mental challenge. If you feel like you don’t have legs at the start of the bike, don’t throw in the towel. Dig deeper, narrow your focus, rise to the occasion and stay present. Draw strength from the sessions you have completed in training even when conditions were not ideal.   Racing is about the intangibles   As a coach, I really like using field tests and lab tests for many reasons, but racing ability moves beyond the objective data. The ability to rise to perform on race day is hard to predict. I bet if you took field test data from top 5 performers overall and the same goes for the podium in each age group, you still would have a hard time predicting finish order. Many triathletes find initial success by out-training others.   However, don’t leave your best performances in training, at the local track workout, or on a Strava segment. The goal is not to out-exercise your competition, but to perform when it counts. Be honest with yourself and don’t pad the training log with junk miles that are only serving up fatigue but not contributing to overall fitness, especially as your key competition nears. Out of insecurity, the tendency is to test yourself one final time before race day with what I term a self-sabotage workout. No pre-packaged excuses like “I’m training through this race” or “I put in 20 hours this week.” Fuel off others thrive on competition.   The evolution of a champion goes something like this: ● Train to train● Train to compete● Compete to win   Race to YOUR potential   A race decides who is the best on that one day. I used to think that I needed an extraordinary performance to reach my race goal, or I needed to go beyond my potential. If your expectations reside somewhere in reality, then you are actually just looking for a performance that you are already capable of. You want to get the most out of yourself on this one day. Nothing more, nothing less.     Josiah Middaugh is the reigning and two-time XTERRA Pan America Tour Champion, a 12x XTERRA US National Champ, and the 2015 XTERRA World Champion. He has a masters degree in kinesiology and has been a certified personal trainer for 18 years (NSCA-CSCS).This blog post was originally published on Middaugh Coaching Corner at xterraplanet.com. 

Part of being an explorer is being away from home for long stretches. “Some people say that the two greatest times in the life of an explorer are leaving home and coming home,” Suunto ambassador Jill Heinerth says. “We will each feel loneliness and perhaps regret about moments away from those we love.” “We feel an overwhelming imperative to document and share,” Jill Heinerth says. But there are important reasons, sometimes for the greater good, that compel Heinerth and her peers to explore the ends, and depths of the planet. “We feel an overwhelming imperative to document and share,” she says. “When we have a chance to do really good work, telling important stories for humanity, then we are at the top of our game. Adventure fuels our souls.” Telling an important story for humanity is behind Heinerth recently spending months in Greenland and the Canadian north. She has been on three expeditions to the Arctic to capture footage for an upcoming documentary film about the effects of climate change, called Under Thin Ice. She says the loss of sea ice is changing everything. “The Arctic is warming faster than any other place on earth, so the changes are quite remarkable, even from year to year,” Heinerth says. “We learn from indigenous people that there are many new things they must adapt to. The sea ice disappears earlier each year. The multi-year ice is lessening and the migrations of fish and mammals are changing with the warming temperatures. “Atlantic cod move further north into the territory of Arctic cod, competing for food. Bowhead and humpback whales are now seen in the same place at the same time. They used to arrive at different times, spread out by a couple of weeks. If everyone arrives at the buffet at the same time will they wipe out the food stocks? We know for sure that everything is changing.” The sea ice disappears earlier each year. Human-caused climate change is also impacting dive conditions, making it more challenging for Heinerth to do her job. “The bay in Ilulissat was filled with smaller bergs than normal, but it was choked with rapidly melting ice,” she says. “The freshwater mixes with seawater, creating a halocline that is difficult to focus through.” “The melting ice also fizzes, filling the water with tiny bubbles. At times, we were in magically beautiful ice environments that were difficult to film. Warmer ocean temperatures also spawn more green algae that affects visibility.” "It can take weeks or months of waiting to get the single opportunity for a great shot.” “Any time you film marine mammals, there is a challenge of first finding them and then finding good and safe conditions for filming them. It can take weeks or months of waiting to get the single opportunity for a great shot.” Heinerth, however, encountered more than enough wildlife for the documentary. On one day she got particularly lucky. Here is a passage from her journal on lucky day seven of her expedition to Nunavut, Canada’s northernmost territory: Yesterday’s impossibly dangerous mess of jumbled ice is today’s floe edge, where ice meets the ocean. We are able to walk right to the margin and peer down into the black water. It is alive with narwhals and belugas. I spot a rare bowhead whale and we run for the cameras to try to capture the sight. The sounds are intense. Deep breathing and forced exhalations fill the air with moist spouts from dozens of blowholes. I can see narwhal intermingling with belugas and can hear the canary chirps of the white whales. Groups of seven or eight are huddled together on the surface talking and breathing up to prepare for a dive under the ice which appears to be about four to six feet thick. Follow Jill Heinerth’s adventures on IntoThePlanet.com. And visit the official Facebook page for more information about the documentary Under Thin Ice. GET BEHIND THE SCENES OF FILMING "UNDER THIN ICE"