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)

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

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

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 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.

These four weeks are about continuing all the conditioning miles with an emphasis on bringing a bit of quickness to the table.  I am racing Singapore in 5 weeks and will have to be up for the 90km bike ride- I’ll be doing some long rides but trying to keep in the faster efforts and accelerations that need to be in place for the beginning of the season. . Consistency is the key for me and I’ll be sure that I keep the drills and massage going to make sure I can cope with the overload.

Two weeks at home was essential to get on top of the sponsorship situation for this year.  I also attended the Essex Legacy Awards to receive my grant that so needed and am so helpful for.  The awards target prospective Olympians from Essex and give us the opportunity to work with Essex organisations and schools to bring the games to youngsters.  I really look forward to helping at these events.

Because I manage myself it is really difficult co-ordinating the sponsorship side of things because you are always reliant on someone else to get back to you.  A lot of it is chance and timing.  I did however have a good photo shoot and ride with 220 which will be published next month and also managed to fit in two brilliant training days with rutuffenuff2tri.

Rutuffenuff2tri is the joint venture of my self and training partner Emma Davis.  We ran (!) a run day and a swim day a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved it.  There were only a few people on each day so those that attended got mega attention on technique and skill development. It is difficult to fit in regular camps as the season approaches but we will definitely be doing more one off days and we are scheduling in one for early April….(email me for more info).

Anyway off swimming now – 50m, outdoor sunshine …hardly a chore …speak to you later x

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.

Emma Davis is the best Irish triathlete of the last few years.  we have raced a lot and during Emma’s injury free 2008 she was a force to be reckoned with regularly running in the 36min zone at the end of hard races.  If Emma comes out front pack she has the ability to govern races on the bike as she is technically excellent and can run fast.  We work under the same coach now.  Our talents are very different and as such my competitive nature is kept in check. I think it helps that we race for different nations too.

I am an aerobic machine and need to develop more kick and change of pace whereas Emma is probably more inclined in the opposite direction.  Our programmes will vary because of this physiological difference in our makeup but living and training together provides a solid environment that a routine based program thrives on and I have no doubt that both of us can progress in 2010.  We live down in Surrey now and I swim with Leatherhead.

The camp will be 10 days of solid base block miles especially on the bike, to set up for the first five week cycle of training.  Jen Hewitt an international time trial specialist and Martina McCarthy a 2000 Olympian 400m runner help to add to the value of the specialist areas along with myself, Emma, Aileen and Kerry Spearing.  It will be good, hard graft.

Just some good news to add – I have been granted an award from the Essex Legacy 2012 Trust which identifies and financially assists Essex ambassadors in the years running up to 2012.  It is an amazing help and will be a massive help in making the correct decisions and allowing me to concentrate on racing and not finance as much.

I have also been incredibly privileged to begin a relationship with Alpine Selection a management company that has inside interest in the pursuit of excellence and in London 2012 as they manage Westfield shopping centre in Sheppard’s Bush and the new centre to be built in Stratford.  I hope I will be a great ambassador for them.

Right have to go and get ready for biking…..let’s get the program on track from the off….

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

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.