This is my last week at the teamTBB bootcamp in Thailand. It’s been tough from the start and not just because I’m being trained by Brett Sutton. The weather’s been terrible, so for once Matt Hart from TORQ hasn’t found himself being jealous of me training in yet another exotic location (you may have seen the chaos and devestation on the news caused by the never ending torrential downpours in Southern Thailand).

Here’s a vid so you can see the hammering rain for yourself! Thankfully however my last week’s been sunny and the usual heat and humidity has resumed. Here’s a glimpse of what some of the riding’s been like here.

Above is a proud pic of me with my new Cervelo P3! First time riding a TT bike and boy does it go fast! I’ve also learnt a few things whilst I’ve been here so I thought I’d put it together in a ‘triathletes survival guide’ of some do’s and don’ts.

Do:

1. Bring an umbrella, handy for the sudden torrential downpours and to shade yourself from the blasting sunshine too
2. Smile as much as the Thai’s do
3. Say hello to the children you pass while out riding or running, they love screeching hello back!
4. Eat Masaman curry as much as possible, it’s mouth wateringly tasty!
5. Take a stick with you to scare off the dogs
6. Enjoy riding the wonderfully smooth and never ending tarmac roads
7. Get medical insurance
8. Go on a day trip to one of the islands
9. Enjoy regular £5/hr Thai massage (but be careful it’s not the happy ending kind!)
10. Laugh at the finding nemo hotel bedsheets and strange towel duvets
11. Absorb the energy from the rich, deep green tropical forests
12. Check-out the awesome countyside and lovely people
13. Be prepared to eat rice 3 meals a day
14. Get an air-con room
15. Respect the Thai culture and religion of Buddhism: wear a T-shirt when trekking up all the steps to Tiger Temple
  
Don’t: 

1. Drive/ride/walk on the wrong side of the road
2. Run late for a training session or a time that Brett has set for leaving the shops as you’ll be left to walk home
3. Play with the wild animals
4. Book the hotel late otherwise you’ll be on the top floor
5. Assume the drivers or motorcyclists will obey the normal traffic rules, in fact assume they wont
6. Drink the green pool water
7. Do a flip turn and hammer your leg on the randomly positioned shelves in the pool
8. Ask for help from shop assistants if you can’t find something – it will take way too long and you will feel guilty if you walk away when they are doing their best to help you
9. Leave food anywhere in your room otherwise ants will be teeming in every corner
10. Rely on the internet to work
11. Run on the track in monsoon season as the flood waters will fill the track: you might start running in lane 1 but by the time you finish you’ll be in lane 8!
12. Do not get angry or frustrated with the Thai way of doing things – things will work themselves out much better if you can avoid it.

Follow me on future blogs where I will report on how my season is going and you can also find out more about how I’m getting on through this website or follow me on twitter @emmaruthsmith