Having read all the reports, listened to the live commentary, the interviews, the tweets, the messages I think in conclusion me and Brett did good ☺

I’m back in England now (which seems to have become Greenland weather-wise) and finally have some time to relax a little and be a little more ‘normal’. I decided though after a day I hated it so I’m on detox, planning, action mode already … if you want to become more productive in your life I would recommend winning a World Championship ☺

People have asked me what the difference has been since I moved to Leysin and to Brett. The simple answer (and it’s not that simple, believe me. There have been reasons for not being myself.) is that I’m back to being myself. I’m not a triathlete as such but a reinvented swimmer. We’ve got back to the values I held close (and absolutely loved) as a kid. The hard miles, the long hours simply completed and forgotten on leaving the changing room. I train hard and I leave and I try not to talk triathlon if I can very much help it. I trust my coach implicitly; I don’t worry, I don’t question, I just do it. We train to become the hardest trainer in the world.

I am inspired by the performances of my training partners. Caroline Steffen’s silver at Kona, James Cunnama’s gold in Florida Ironman and Nicola Spirig’s win in Texas. All were achieved through hard work, endeavour, ambition and courage.
I wasn’t a rabbit on Saturday, I was just me going hard. I didn’t think about being caught, I wasn’t scared of anything because I was in the mood to put up with the pain. I couldn’t have swam or ridden any harder and I just wanted to show you guys what I can do and what we are about. Honest work; left on the road.

I rode a road bike because I had competed in the Korea World Cup en-route to my camp in Thailand and could not carry two bikes. I rode in a vented helmet because it was hot. They were the circumstances … it wasn’t any point about sponsors, time trial gear, cockiness and it wasn’t my ‘mean’ coach. It was just how it was. For all the comments about how I ’should’ be on a time trial bike, all I can say is I matched the fastest bike out there and we like to leave a little in the bank to improve

I also ran the fastest, and it was me that came out the water first … just to let Ironman Live know. If you type ‘Jodie Swallow’ into Google you can get my background up and my 5k track time and recent races hehe!

I’m so happy to be World 70.3 Ironman Champion I’m just letting it soak in before I hit 2011 preparation. Thank you especially to Sigma Sport, Rob Bailey, Instant Offices for seeing me through the harder times. I am very proud to be an Essex Ambassador. Thanks to Essex Legacy 2012.

Big cuddles for all my training partners at TBB… Especially to Bek Keat, Nicola Spirig, James Cunnama, and Amy Marsh… Not sure I could have done it without you guys to impress in training ☺ Motivation … it’s a funny thing xx

Jodie Swallow wins in Tongyeong - Image courtesy ITU Media/Jero Honda

Tongyeong, South Korea – 16 October 2010: Great Britain’s Jodie Swallow closed out the World Cup season with a dominating performance to win the Tongyeong ITU Triathlon World Cup.  Using a solo breakaway early on the bike, she held her lead right through to the finish to win her first career World Cup title more than 90 seconds.  Triple Olympian Anja Dittmer of Germany out-dueled Spain’s Ainhoa Murua for the silver.

“It’s amazing,” said Swallow at the finish area. “I wasn’t really expecting it.”

Swallow was first out of the water and also first out of T1 with Radka Vodickova and Neiske Becks close behind.  But on the first lap, Swallow decided to break away and go on her own.  Hammering it on the moderately hilly 40-kilometre bike course, Swallow built a one minute lead by the midway point.

The main chase group-which included many of the top contenders including reigning Under 23 World Champion Emma Jackson, Murua, and France’s Carole Peon and Dittmer, continually lost time with every lap.  By the bell lap, Swallow’s lead grew to almost 90 seconds and when she stepped onto the flat 10-kilometre run course, she owned a lead of more than two minutes.

Shortly into the run, it was clearly going to be a tall order for the other women to reel Swallow in.  By the first lap, Peon, Dittmer and Murua emerged as the other serious podium contenders.  The trio slowly dug into Swallow’s lead but as they entered the bell lap, Swallow was still running strong and looked to have the victory sealed.

The real battle was going to be for silver.  Past the midway point, Peon started to struggle with an Achilles injury and quickly faded back leaving Dittmer and Murua to fight for second.  Running side by side on the final lap, the German veteran kicked into another gear and pulled away for the silver, the 17th career World Cup medal of her illustrious career.  Murua took bronze for her first ever trip to the World Cup podium.

Ireland’s Aileen Morrison finished 4th while Becks rounded out the top five.  Peon struggled with injury but hung tough to finish the race in 6th position.

Tongyeong ITU Triathlon World Cup
Final Results – Elite Women
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
1. Jodie Swallow (GBR) Click here for audio interview
2. Anja Dittmer (GER) Click here for audio interview (English & German)
3. Ainhoa Murua (ESP) Click here for audio interview (English & Spanish)

I know, I know, I’m a bit late on this race report. I just waved good bye to my mum, dad and two of my group of brilliant training chums and I have been trying to spend every non-training minute with them before they go. Triathlon is weird, I guess a lot like the army, we bond and settle at base camp then get dispatched out to declare war (at least on our bodies) against our opponents in races so there is a constant movement of athletes in and out of camp.

Courtesy Mike Clyne/Tri247.com

Anyway, I have good news. I raced the ETU points race in Geneva on Sunday and came away with a pretty comprehensive win. I led out of the swim, broke in transition 1 and built that lead through the bike. It absolutely tipped down as we warmed up and remained miserable throughout the whole race… Freezing and grey. As I time trialled the six hill repeats that constituted the bike leg, it was, at times, difficult to even see the road- let alone the metal and slippy white lines that litter Geneva’s road surfaces.

The risk of falling was enough to keep me pushing off the front and by the end of the bike I had four minutes on the big pack that had formed behind me. I guess all the hill training in Leysin pays dividends and in fact I like them now … but not when it’s raining;)

Even though I was leading by four minutes by the end of the bike, my legs were pretty stiff and sore on the run – which was a bit longer than 10km which doesn’t help. I gained another minute with very, very cold blue legs and finished happy, proud of the effort and praying for the sun.

It kind of made an appearance today and so did a bit higher energy levels. It’s time to knuckle down until the Budapest Grand World Series Final in three and a half weeks. I really think I can be in great shape by then and just have a sharpener in a premium points race two weeks before the main event.
Anyway I’ll let you know how it’s going

Thanks guys, for all the support, it’s going very well

Probably had a bit too much fun on the last night…life of the party…and I think I had to demonstrate my magical singing ability once whilst I am out here J. I spent ‘Recovery Friday’ in the gym and with the Brews before they headed back to school.

This week Tom, Nat and Vicki arrived for some sunshine and miles.  Whilst I stay here training a number of people will come and go (with their bloody fresh legs!).  I like it because there is always some form of entertainment about and it keeps me laughing and smiling.  I have been on loads of style of camps as a triathlete and I think I have found the right model for me out here.

I have trained on my own, just with a boyfriend and also with the GBR team.  Sometimes, things on those trips have grated on me and that impacts on my state of mind and inevitably my training.  When it has been just me and my coach the sessions obviously become very intense and possibly training tends to seep into life.   I like to keep training as training and life as life.  This doesn’t mean that triathlon isn’t my lifestyle but when I’m with my friends or relaxing I simply do not involve triathlon.  It’s about music or work or reading or friends.  I think it is a pretty refreshing skill of mine and why if you ask me a triathlon question in my time out you may get a very simple answer!

I like inviting age groupers out here because they have different focuses in their lives to talk about and learn about.  They are definitely less selfish in their time organisation and lifestyle than me or other pros are simply because they can be (their life does not depend on triathlon).  Us ‘pros’, react to situations and setbacks dramatically because events or injury have the potential to topple our careers…selfish as it may seem, therefore, by limiting who and when I train with I limit the negativity and worry in my life.  I look forward to days and the future when I can be less selfish-I really do.

Age groupers are also ironically far less set in their ways and willing to learn.  Their nutrition is often far less routinely strange and they definitely consider more.  It reminds me to eat for recovery and for fuelling at the right times.  Saying this, I try and encourage a little less analytical approach to training – I was bought up on the motto ‘JUST DO IT’ (think it was an Asics quote haha), and much of my success has been on this principle.  Repeating this used to help me through awful swim sets and it is fairly rare you get a moan from me in training since then (bar biking-there has definitely been moaning whilst cycling!)  My personality is fairly straightforward and I transfer this into my training.  I try and steer away from the cloudy bullshit and get down to the work.

Talking of me (as usual!!) when presenting recently I compiled a pyramid of the structure of a professional triathlete.  I’ll write about it in my next blog fully, but in it I refer to TRAINING, EGO AND TALENT being the highest building blocks to success.  I believe these are equally important in producing performance and continuously work at maximising each of them.  Just a thought ……talk to you soon

Jx

I am so happy…after 5 days of riding at 8 mph pushing 400 watts (yes that actually happened!) I have a day without my bike…I have even lent my wheel to Robin J Granted I have a 20km run out to Famara …and a swim but then we have a gorgeous night planned to say adios to the ‘campies’ and spend a few hours in the discotheque.

The disco in La Santa is a funny place…its one of those time free zones where you look at your watch at 11pm and then the time 10mins later is 3am….its the same EVERY time as well – same music, same people, same bad behaviour haha . I hope to have some proper restraint tonight. This has been my hardest week for a long time and I don’t really want to spoil the progression in any way. We shall see my resolve!

I did my talk to the group last night and it seemed to go down really well. It always feels extra special to be congratulated on something other than sport. I am very honest in my talks as I would rather people judge me on the true facts and not half of them….I hope they got something out of it.

Meanwhile I’ve managed to get on top of my website inactivity and also got a couple of blogs going so you can be updated a little more.

Training meanwhile has been fantastic…I completed my treadmill test set very well and therefore have my marker of where I am at and I’m pleased. I do need to concentrate a little more on the speedier side of training as I enter the last week of my five week cycle conditioning phase so I know that the next few weeks is going to be tough.

I’ll be sad to see the back of the Brews but each week I am privileged to have a new set of friends to train with and make me laugh. Talking of laughs I’ll let you know how it goes tonight J

I am soooo glad to be out here in Lanzarote again!  Something has been up with my temperature radar all winter and the cold of the Surrey hill bike rides has been getting at me.  For some reason, I assumed that when I got back from La Santa in January it would have warmed up but that was never to be and last week and the week before I just felt stiff and a little under the weather.  Maybe I have S.A.D syndromeL.

I am helping out on Robin Brew’s tri camp for the second year.  Robin is an ace coach and probably one of my top 5 people to be around.  He is very positive yet definitely has a no shit attitude surrounding morals and training.  He treats everyone the same, as long as there is effort going in.  I am living for the week with the family – Liz (super mum) and Jamie and Tom along with the rest of the coaching crew.  It’s quids in for everyone and is a real antidote to and my normal, fairly quiet, environment.  The kids are a hoot….truly hilarious.
(more…)

After two weeks of relative rest, (we did run every day but in very non-structured way), I flew out to Aguilas in Spain yesterday to join my coach Chris Jones and his Irish squad for a kick up the ass back into training.

It has been grim back in the UK last week and to be honest without a little graft to get fit on the bike I would have been liable to run rather than bike as much as possible.  It’s not the cold I mind it’s the cold rain and the wet roads and slimy leaves.  When you feel tired and the training mounts up going away makes me that little more focused and switched on so it’s like a reset back into phase one of training which starts on the 14^th of December.

I moved house in my break.  During my 9 year triathlon career I have always craved having a permanent training partner but have never come across an opportunity for that to happen.  I did train with Julie Dibens down in Bath for a year but because of the differences in age and lifestyle it wasn’t as solid as I would have liked.  In my swimming days I loved being part of a club environment that also incorporated individual attention and trained with a guy called Eddie Clements at Killerwhales where indeed the best of my swimming times were achieved.  Working, hurting, resting and driving each other forward.  We both won junior European medals that year.

(more…)

Check the link below

http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/O_Donnell_Swallow_top_ITU_long_course_Worlds_1090.html

Since I was young my life ambitions always centred on the Olympic Games. The notoriety of those five rings and the pride held in Britain’s champions are what first attracted me to the world of competitive sport. As my career has progressed so has my understanding of professional sport and the opportunities it offers. With the ending of one dream, begins a blooming of another. …America and London beckon. In 2008 I have the chance to nurture my name as a top professional triathlete….Of creating the ideal platform to build a professional portfolio to build year on year up to and into London 2012.

Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, LA and Dallas make up the lifetime fitness series, big stage venues for big stage challenges. I can’t wait! Combined with my involvement in the French Grand Prix Series for my new team Poissy, and of course the British classics Windsor, London and Nationals 2008 is going to be very exciting!

My Sincere thanks to those that continue to ‘followtheswallow’ and have enthusiasm for my success. I would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in sponsorship opportunities, presentations, mentoring and consultancy services or bespoke training programmes.