Day

July 18, 2022

Seana Gray Stepping Into the Unknown

Seana Gray is not your ordinary 16 year old teenager. Her successes as a young athlete across many sports and codes is nothing short of incredible. As she has matured and focused on the sport she loves the most (Cycling), the passion has not dwindled but is only burning brighter.

When there was the opportunity to travel to her mothers country and attend a German school that had an incredible cycling program for a term she jumped at the chance.

The mix of great schooling built around developing world class young athletes who dreamed of becoming great in a supportive yet competitive environment was quite the story.

The race program on offer for both the track and road was world class and would allow Seana to experience cycling at a level she had long dreamed about.

Would the reality and challenges of going to school in a foreign country speaking a different language be to much?

For many it would be but the last few months has shown the reality has far exceeded the expectations, with Seana now part of a world class development program that allows talented young athletes to pursue there sporting passion on a well planned pathway from U19 through to Elite while completing their secondary and tertiary studies.

Obviously along the way their was a hard choice, she would have to change her nationality and live a good part of the year away from her family and friend’s in NZ. Not an easy choice, but none are when chasing the life of an athlete.

The schooling, the program, the training and the racing since then has been what dreams are made of. Competing at the highest level, on challenging roads, in large super competitive fields and against the best in the world on the road and track is everything Seana could have dreamed of.

The philosophy behind the development, progression and pathway is so closely aligned with ours that it was not a hard switch for Seana. We are so proud of how well she has adapted and what she has achieved so far.

It is only the beginning for Seana, the learning curve has been huge in all aspects of life but it is clear she is where she wants to be and will only go onto to bigger and better things.

We look forward to hearing from Seana in person soon but in the mean time she has some pretty big racing coming up so we will let her stay focused on the job coming up.

For now a quick summary of high level racing results:

Road

  • European Junior Road Race – German National Team
  • German Junior National Road Race – 3rd
  • State Junior Road Race – 1st
  • State Junior Time Trial – 3rd

Track

  • European Junior TP – 2nd
  • European Junior IP – 5th, missed bronze ride off by 9/100s
  • German Junior National TP – 1st
  • German Junior National IP – 3rd with fastest time and 3rd fastest German Jr women ever!

That’s just the highlights as there have been lots of other races too!

July 18, 2022ByIn,

Healthy Travel

Before

Be prepared and pack early.

Don’t Forget

  1. Your own medications, multivitamins, probiotics, Imodium and cold medicine
  2. Hand sanitizer and wipes
  3. Eye mask, ear plugs and travel pillow
  4. Face masks
  5. Foam roller
  6. Compression tights
  7. Plug adaptor
  8. Snacks
  9. Pack essentials that you will have trouble replacing if lost in your carryon – shoes, helmet and one set of kit

Sleep

  1. “Bank “some sleep hours. Get in some extra sleep 2-4 days prior to travel
  2. Slowly move your sleep schedule by 30 to 60 minutes a night in the week leading up to travel to adjust to your new time zone.

During Travel

Sleep

  1. When you’re on the plane, adjust your watch to the time of your destination and start sleeping and eating according to the new time zone right away.
  2. Use tools to improve sleep quality like an eye mask and ear plugs or headphones.

Hydration

The dry air that circulates in a plane cabin maintains a super-low humidity of about 15 to 20%, which causes your mucus membranes and skin to dry out. On a 10-hour flight, you can lose up to two litres of water, making long-distance air travel very dehydrating. To mitigate headaches and fatigue stay hydrated while traveling.

Drink 1 glass of water per hour of travel (do not limit fluid intake to prevent using the restroom). Avoid diuretics including caffeine or high sugar drinks while traveling.

Mobilization

When flying your risk for developing blood clots increases 2-4 times.

To prevent blood clots from forming in your legs you should:

  1. Wear compression stockings to promote blood flow
  2. Get up and walk at least every 2 hours
  3. Perform light exercises like ankle pumps, marches, knee kicks, and glute squeezes at least every half hour.

Hygiene

  1. Avoid touching surfaces
  2. Wipe down tray
  3. Regularly hand sanitise – particularly before meals
  4. Wear a mask

After Arrival

How to minimise jet lag:

  1. Adjust to the local sleep/wake patterns as soon as possible after arrival.
  2. A short sleep before noon may be OK if arriving in the early morning after an eastward flight. But try to avoid extra naps during the daytime! Prolonged daytime napping (more than 1 hour) in the new location should be avoided for a few days, as this may act to keep you with your old rhythms.
  3. Utilize melatonin supplements of 0.5 to 5 milligrams two hours before bedtime to aid in falling asleep.
  4. Utilize caffeine to help with daytime drowsiness
  5. Expose yourself to day light -. The sun’s light tells your body it’s time to be awake. If you can, get outside in the sunlight during prime daylight hours once you get to your location. This can help reset your body clock and reduce symptoms of jet lag.
  6. Finally, consider meal composition: protein-rich meals may help with alertness while carbohydrate-rich meals may help induce drowsiness

Time Shifter App

https://www.timeshifter.com/

This app helps to speed up our circadian clock’s adaptation to a new time zone therefore decreasing jet lag. It tells you what to do in relation to light exposure, melatonin supplementation and caffeine intake. It takes the guess work out.

You will need a supply of melatonin which in NZ requires a doctors prescription. The app starts giving advice a few days prior to your travel.

July 18, 2022ByIn,