What's life really like for a professional triathlete? Do they just spend all of their time training, eating and sleeping? Helen heads to Girona to spend a week living with British professional Laura Siddall to get a unique insight into pro triathlon life. Plus Helen interviews former pro cyclist Christian Meier to find out why Girona has become such a hub for endurance athletes.You'll hear: 07:30 Start of the training audio diary with Laura Siddall and Helen as they take you behind the scenes of Laura's training programme for a few days17:10 Helen joins in Laura's Sunday sessions - an 'easy run' and an 'easy' gravel ride. Helen's heart rate was sky high and she was struggling for a breather, while Sid was at conversational pace!23:10 Helen heads to the 50m swimming pool in Girona where it's FULL of ITU athletes!24:30 How many showers do professional triathletes have? And what's in a typical protein shake after a workout?28:30 Laura encourages Helen to hire a road bike and do the famous Els Angels loop from Girona, while Laura herself heads out on a 5+hr ride.43:54 Start of the interview with Christian Meier, a former professional cyclist from Canada who has been living in Girona since 2008. He explains why Girona has become so popular with endurance athletes.47:45 "As much as we are blessed with good cycling route, the running is equally as good, if not even better. It's insane how many good athletes there are here. Way back when I first arrived, cycling didn't really exist here, but it's really exploded and the people here love to do their sports."52:42 Christian talks about La Fabrica, the first boutique coffee shop in Girona which he co-founded with his wife, Amber.1:02:05 What is it about coffee and cyclists and triathletes? "It's the social side!1:03:25 Christian talks about making the switch from life as a pro cyclist to life as a trail runner. "I just got hooked and started running more and more and got really inspired by that ultra running world.1:10:00 Christian talks about Chance, the running brand apparel he has set up which is focussed on making a difference environmentally.1:14:58 An update from Helen and Rich as they train for the Highland Ultra, 125km 3 day event from Beyond the Ultimate.Find out more about this week's guests Laura Siddall InstagramChristian Meier InstagramLa Fabrica coffee shop, GironaChance Running - running apparel from Christian MeierLike what you heard?Let me know! Connect with Inside Tri Show across Social Media, just search Inside Tri Show or click on the icons belowSponsors of the showLong Range Fuel are phenomenally tasty nut butters from Resilient Nutrition, enhanced by cutting edge science, to boost your stamina, keep you calm and alert and bolster your resilience. Get 10% off by using the code insidetri10 or go direct via this link.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices