Active Women’s Weekend with Libby Trickett

Earlier this year, I had the absolute pleasure of taking part in the inaugural Active Women’s Weekend which coincides with the Mother’s Day Classic, which is both a fundraiser for breast cancer research and a tribute to mums all over Australia.
 
The idea behind the weekend was that women and mothers should be celebrated, and what better place to celebrate and relax than in the paradise that is Hamilton Island! The weekend was full of inspiration, plenty of free events to promote women’s health and fitness and a chance to socialise with other like-minded women. Including myself, three-time Olympian runner, Eloise Wellings, Founder of Running Mums Australia, Nicole Bunyon and Editor of Women’s Running Magazine, Sarah Joyce.

What a weekend it was! Here is a look at what we got up to and in sharing my experience, I would encourage everyone to come along in 2017, as it was so worthwhile.

Day One:

We arrived on Hamilton Island. Flying in over the water is absolute magic. You realise that we as Australians are so blessed to live with paradise on our doorstep. It’s so incredibly easy to get to. We flew straight from Brisbane into Hamilton Island and were welcomed with direct transfers to our hotel. It’s impossible not to relax immediately when you arrive, especially when you receive such a warm welcome from everyone.
 

The participants of Active Women's Weekend enjoy sunset yoga at the Yacht Club.

On the schedule, we were told that we could attend a Sunset Yoga session on the Keel Deck. This obviously took my relaxation to the next level and got me ready for our first dinner on the Island at Romano’s. Yummy modern Italian food, which was absolutely delicious!

Day Two:

I slept in while my hubby Luke took our daughter Poppy to do parkrun. This was bliss! Then on their return, we set out to explore the island in our golf buggy. Afterwards, we set ourselves up on Catseye beach. Where we soaked up the sunshine, splashed in the salt water and played sand castles with Poppy.
 

The running class puts the participants through their paces. Photograph by Kara Rosenlund.

In the afternoon, I got to experience my very first Running Technique session, which was hosted by Olympian Eloise Wellings and Women’s Running Editor, Sarah Joyce. As a novice runner, I found that their guidance and instruction was fantastic - it’s even inspired me to eventually run a half marathon! This is something that I never in a million years would have thought I would want to do.

They took us through drills and skills, which were easy to follow and I have already felt an improvement in my overall running technique.

Eloise Wellings, Libby Trickett, Nicole Bunyon take questions from Sarah Joyce at Chatter that Matters. Photo By Kara Rosenlund.

In the early evening, one of my favourite parts from the entire weekend was the "Chatter that Matters" event. Myself, Eloise and Nicole Bunyon formed the panel for the chat and Sarah acted as host with questions from a board range of topics.

It was an opportunity for us to answer questions regarding our experiences as athletes, businesswomen and mothers. I know I personally got wonderful insight into Nicole’s and Eloise’s experiences. I walked away from the evening feeling completely filled with passion, desire, warmth and inspiration. It was a fantastic element of the weekend.

A tasty selection of the food at TAKO.

Dinner that night was at TAKO,  a Mexican, Japanese and Korean fusion restaurant - the perfect way to finish off such a lovely day.

Day Three:

 
MOTHER’S DAY!

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect location to wake up and celebrate my very first Mother’s Day... and I couldn’t have asked for better people to spend it with! Having my husband and my daughter with me at such a lovely location and in the company of all the amazing people on Hamilton Island.
 

Luke, Libby and baby Poppy take part in the Mother's Day Classic at Hamilton Island. Photo By Kara Rosenlund.

We started off the day taking part in the Mother’s Day Classic. I did the 4.2km course and there was also the 6.7km course for the keen runners. The course was just beautiful, had such a community feel and finished up on the stunning Catseye Beach.

Later that morning, myself, Eloise and Sarah hosted the Strength Training for the Active Woman event. We had a really great group of women attend which was fantastic; especially considering the incredible turn out there was for the Mother’s Day Classic (which they had all taken part in). We put the ladies through their paces. We showed them everything from great stretches for their bodies to the strength and core exercises, that we all personally use in our own training regimes.

Libby enjoys showing the participants some of her techniques and also learning from the other women.

The next session was the partner up session, which was a panel discussion where the spotlight was on our husbands. They were asked how they keep up with us, the importance of communication in relationships, how we all juggle our sports with our kids and how they help to keep it all flowing.
 
Following on from this discussion, Eloise, Nicole and I were back up talking. We spoke about the mental tools that we use to help keep us motivated, passionate and focused. We then finished off with a wonderful relaxation meditation led by Fran McGowan. This was a wonderful way to finish off a brilliant and action packed Mother’s Day with gratitude and relaxation.
 

The fantastic pizza at Manta Ray.

We then had dinner at my absolute favourite restaurant on the island – Manta Ray – where we ate some amazing pizzas and chatted about what a fantastic weekend we'd had.

It was exciting to be heading home with new inspiration and lessons from the activties I'd been involved in. The entire weekend had been flawless and it was an amazing way to spend my very first Mother’s Day. I am really hoping this becomes a family tradition and I can’t wait to be back next year! 

Libby, Luke and Poppy enjoy some family time before heading home.