AustrAliAn triAthlete | 25

I’ve not found a new career that I’m as

passionate about as racing. Obviously, I

don’t know what my motivations will be

like once bub comes along and that is the

big unknown. Whether I will want to go all

in and be back racing Kona in 2018 or if I

decide to take another path, I am unsure.

ATM: What goes through your mind

when you think about not competing in

Kona this October?

Blatchford: To be honest, I think last year

was harder. I was still really fit, but my

foot had just been so injured. This year I

am sure I will be baby-besotted, so I will

have a very good reason for not racing.

ATM: What will you do this year to stay

involved in the triathlon scene?

Blatchford: Over the past six months, I’ve

been at a few races, commentating at a

few and, at another race, I took part in the

“Race With A Pro” initiative and swam in a

relay. It’s nice to stay involved in some

aspect and catch up with people. I coach a

few age-group athletes and have been

involved with coaching a group of newbie

triathlete school students on the Gold

Coast too.

ATM: Are there any food cravings?

Blatchford: I craved a lot of salt early on,

which made vegemite on toast my go-to

breakfast. Now those cravings have turned

sweet, so it’s cake for brekky! Well, not all

the time!

Recently, I have been getting

frustrated in these later stages of

pregnancy at how pathetically small my

stomach is and how easily I get full!

ATM: What’s it been like managing

your ever-changing pregnant

body compared to your normal

race-ready body?

Blatchford: In some ways, it has been a

little bit like managing a body in full

training as I have new niggles every week!

I’ve continued with my regular

physiotherapist and masseuse to try and

keep things best in check. It is hard though

when things are simply caused by

pregnancy and you are basically stuck

with a pain or niggle for the next six to nine

months. As far as the weight gain, I am

quite relaxed about it, just letting the body

do what it wants to do. I put on six kilo’s in

the first trimester and thought, “Whoa, I’m

going to get huge,” but I have only put on

another three kilo’s in the subsequent 24

weeks and not because I’ve been watching

what I eat! Everyone is different, and I

think a lot is out of my control.

ATM: What are your favourite and least

favourite aspects of being pregnant?

Blatchford: My favourite aspect is the

anticipation and my growing belly. It’s like

when you are planning a really great

holiday and the months of anticipation are

half of the enjoyment. I have that feeling

each morning waking up. My least favourite

aspect is definitely the body pains in my

pelvis, back, hips, and, now, my ribs!

ATM: Are you going to find out the

gender of the baby?

Blatchford: No, we are keeping it a

surprise! I have no preference either way

and figure it will just be an amazing

surprise at the birth.

rAcING: Liz is passionate about racing and plans to return to racing post-baby.

Board

text by Megan evoe

photogrAphy by KoRupt vISIon

LIZ BLATchforD

Australian Triathlete Magazine:

When did you realise you were pregnant

and what were the first thoughts that

went through your mind?

Liz Blatchford: I found out when we were

in Kona, last October. I was not racing due

to an injury I had for most of the year, but I

still went to hang out for the launch of the

new BMC Time Machine. It was a

somewhat a tricky place to find out and

have to keep things quiet. My interviews

went from: “I can’t wait to be back here

racing in 2017.” To the very open-ended:

“The future holds so many options, I’ll

have to wait and see what next year

holds.” It definitely took some time to sink

in, but that soon turned to excitement.

AT M : How did your partner react to

the news and how is he handling t

he pregnancy?

Blatchford: Glen was similar to me in

that he was surprised, shocked, and

excited! His excitement has definitely built

throughout the pregnancy as things have

become more visible and he can feel the

little ninja go nuts!

ATM: What was it like keeping the

pregnancy a secret during the

first trimester?

Blatchford: I’d been quite injured, so it

was a good disguise for me not to be

signing up for any races. As far training

went, it was a little trickier. I do a fair

amount on my own, so I just began to do

even more on my own if I thought

something would be obvious. When I was

in Kona, I had to be careful to avoid the

heat on my rides, but everyone is so

self-focused over there, it was fine!

ATM: How has your approach to

training changed now that

you’re pregnant?

Blatchford: It’s a nice change of pace,

though my competitive instinct is still

there, which I have to keep in check at

times! As much as I would have loved to

have run for longer, around 20 weeks I

developed pelvic pain that has not

subsided, so I have had to work within that

and not been able to run since. Swimming

is great, I bike with Glen at quiet times of

day, and I love pregnancy pilates. I am

even doing a bit of yoga and SUPing.

ATM: Are you planning on returning to

racing post-baby?

Blatchford: The short answer is, yes! I

love what I do and if I can get another year

or two out of this bod, then I will! I only

really have a few competitive years left in

me, so figure I may as well. At this point,