My Secret Training Grounds in Victoria

After travelling from Frankfurt to Tokyo to Seoul, it feels like we've slammed on the breaks here in Victoria. I've been here nearly a dozen times, three of which were with Zach. While we're certainly still on the road, still mid-season, the familiarity almost makes us forget that.

In Victoria, we have our local restaurant duo that we tick off every time we're here for pancakes and tacos. I have a go-to physiotherapist. The best chocolate brand in Canada lives here. My coach lives here. The other day, I even drove 25 minutes to the gym from memory (there were a lot of turns).  To put it plainly, I'm comfortable here. To be real - I'm home.

The first time I travelled to Victoria was when I started working with my coach, Libor Hroza, back in the summer of 2021. He invited me to train with him so that he could meet me and get to know my strengths and weaknesses on the wall. This would make his job of writing me a full training plan a lot easier, seeing as he didn't know me at all. I remember it felt like a really big deal to fly somewhere for a competition or training camp. It wasn't the usual rinse-and-repeat competition preparation routine. It was more like I was travelling on business, which felt pretty cool. Travelling for training made it feel more serious.