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)

Triathlon is a life of up and downs and round and rounds and after a disappointing World Final, a good party and a week of hard core penance it was time to race again at my favourite French Grand Prix … La Baule – the final. Gone are the days that French Grand Prix were practise races, the professional nature of the team structure in France and the unique way the country funds sports development and competition mean that 80% of the worlds best triathletes race on the French Grand Prix circuit.

So, six days after meeting last time we were off again. The beach start and less predictable nature of a sea swim makes it possible for us Poissy girls to make an impact on the swim and spilt the field;- Bebe Abraham and Jessica Harrison and myself were together at around 400m and it looked like this tactic was working. Sometimes, for no apparent reason things come together in races – it can take only a tiny occurrence or person to influence a whole set of results good to try and be that person-making a positive action to dictate a race. I train really hard and it is my aim to make sure that that attribute I have … to push myself … comes out when I race.

Suddenly in T1 I had 20 secs on the chase pack and was exiting transition with youngster Lucy Hall … an excellent British junior swimmer. Yesterday that was enough to break it. I led for near on the whole 20km on the bike with little Lucy getting a helping hand to pull away. Not an easy hand though, I was killing myself and I’m really impressed Lucy hung on in there and stayed on my wheel. Lap 1 was 30 secs, lap 2 – 50secs and lap 3 – 65 secs between us and the chase pack which included including the Beauvais girls;- Hewitt, Dittmer and Holland, my teammates Harrison and Peon (who were saving their legs to run hard counting on me to secure a win), along with Samuels, Moffat, Davis Riveros Diaz, Sweetland and Jackson … a pretty scary name list to have chasing you – riding solo – I can tell you!

The championship hinged on this race and our places and with Hewitt ultimately running a 16min 5km I had to shift. But I did it … I won with about 30secs in hand with Hewitt 2nd, Moffat 3rd. My Poissy girls suffered with fatigue from a long season; we finished a brave 2nd place in the team competition. There have been so many injuries in our team this year and also clashes of priority in such a hectic international calendar that although Poissy love to win we kept our honour there for the club and its sponsors.

I also won the drugs testing race to produce 90ml of urine … despite premature attempts by Miss Hewitt and Miss Moffat We all desperately wanted to see the men’s race unfold and I was lucky enough to just be done in time to see the Brownlees and Gomez cross the line hand in hand. It was brilliant, to see the top three men in the world of triathlon at the moment, crossing together and working as a team. Even though their green trisuits are pretty minging ☺

I have some late season races to come still so will keep blogging whilst a few of my compatriots take their well earned breaks and we all get ready to hit it again next year. I’m glad I have finished the summer season on a high and obviously that I learned from my mistakes last weekend … that’s very important to me because as they say ‘you’re only ever as god as your last race’.

Thought I’d mix my blog up a little this week … partly because it’s late (whoops). Partly because I’m very tired and finding it hard (more hard than usual) to string coherent sentences together and partly because variety is the spice of life (they say ).
Good things that happened in my little head
• I won again … this time in Almere near Amsterdam – an ITU Premium Points race.
• I led out the swim, drove a two up with Radka Vodikova off the front and ran the fastest run split. A great training race with a good bonus scheme incorporated within it haha. It’s perfect preparation for Budapest Grand Final next Sunday, I’m very excited (I seem very excitable full stop nowadays which is good – I think!)
• I moved up the mountain! I can already feel the advantage of the extra 50m in altitude … it could be the beetroot juice … my good mood but I’m putting it down to height .
• My mum has figured out Skype which is good because I can followthemummyswallow – and her amazing triathlon adventures. She is a full-on star and hard as nails. My poor dad has been riding around France this holiday with her and has, no doubt, endured some hard core ‘Jan racing’. Competitive? Us Swallows? No … Need to big up my sister Joanna’s victory in ‘Outlaw Ironman’ actually…10.45…a brilliant first ironman-distance victory. She is not me, no. Yes, she does have the same initial… Tricky, hey? JOANNA not JODIE!!
• My new pad has an amazing room and a spare room and lots of space to spin. (That’s body spinning not cycle spinning – that would not be in my happy column as is bores me a little)
• Bekstar (Keat) won her 2nd Ironman in as many weeks … this time in Louisville. I can cope with her being away as long as she’s winning
• There were shops in Almere … REAL SHOPS! – So it would have been rude not to indulge in a few shearing items (the must have of the season ) and a few more greatly deliberated good investment products
• I can download up here! Not only do I have season 6 of Grays Anatomy but new tunes everyday. Eliza Doolittle is making me very cheerful atm.
• In Almere, I actually got to catch up on Eastenders … OMG absolute pleasure, I have missed it so much. I also had MTV which is responsible for so much crap in the world but is such a pleasure when you live in the mountains!
Bad things this week in my little head
• The weather in Holland is worse than Britain … really awful. It poured every day I was there, they actually had to stop the age group race. The wind was so strong in our race I thought we were running backwards at points.
• Travelling home from Holland without a shower sucked. I was stuck in drugs testing when I should have been packing my bike and getting the train to Amsterdam. Actually, I am very lucky the drug testing was at the venue because the train carriage was ‘hempisised’ -most definitely…wonderful, wonderful Amsterdam hey?!
• Tiredness … arms, legs, head, feet. Never a pleasure but a sign of happiness to come I guess – I actually can’t believe I raced only on Sunday, it feels like a month ago!
• My organisation has been pretty bad this week … sorry sponsors. I’m back on top now and will set out my dates and calendar for you this weekend.
• A few more friends and training partners are off competing this week and I will miss them, no doubt. Lots and lots actually, but we are all about racing and getting what we want out of life and I must remind myself it’s not all about memememe Batman and Robin and Catwomen will look after each other just fine, I’m sure.
Ummmm… That’s it! not much to complain about hey? Not much at all. Don’t get me wrong triathlon life isn’t a life of milk and honey but for a quintessentially jaded troublemaker it’s a pretty good pathway at the moment ☺
Thanks for the read guys, the support and the loyalty. I know who I’m working for everyday… Essex Legacy, Sigma Sport, blueseventy, Instant Offices, Corporate Property Advisors, Computrainer and Asics – thank you ☺
Jxx

PS quote of the week – new feature – made me laugh a lot….
‘Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wild Life.’
Muhammad Ali

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

Right, so it’s 5am and I’m writing a blog… Another race, another sleepless night and sore tummy

This time I’m in Tiszaujvaros, Hungary for the famous world cup. This place is remarkable, I first came here to compete in my first Olympic distance race at the World Students Games in 2000. Then it had a definite east European vibe with utterly charming people and a huge love of triathlon within the town. Nothing has changed. The town rallies around the race and there have been endless parties since Wednesday when I arrived. Lying in bed last night nursing a sore tummy, fireworks, singing and laughter was all I could hear… Not usual verbs associated with triathlon? Well, visit the World Cup here then

Since Alpe d’Huez I’ve been getting on with training at home in Leysin and trying to keep my head down. The last thing I want is to lose concentration at this point in the season or to let a few good races get to my head. I arrived into Budapest on Thursday and was particularly appalling at patiently enduring the three hour bus ride into Tizzy. I seemed to have developed really bad travel sickness in the last few years and buses in Hungary aren’t good with that.

The race was a split transition and I’m lucky because having gone to the long course races I’m kind of used to that. I did see a few girls setting up their bikes in T2 when the lake is 8km up the road… A two lap, still water swim course, 8km into town, the 7 x 5km of a ‘loopy loo’ bike circuit, finishing with a 4 lap run around town.

Having briefly assessed the start list I was aware that Sara McLarty was here. A top US open water swimmer who, although she does not yet have the run to finish races on podiums, does have the ability to upheave a race dynamic and split the pack on a swim. I wanted to swim on her feet but was also aware that her comparatively low ranking meant that while I was at one side of the podium, she was at the other. Crossing the field runs the risk of sweeping the field across to me on her feet, then I would have to get round them; this is kind of what happened…. and I didn’t swim fast enough. I came out in the lead group – with McLarty off the front.

Angry at myself and at the other girls for doing naff all work I drove the group with a few harsh words (I’d lost my voice by the second lap;)), credit to my fellow Brit for trying to work with me to chase/keep away form the next pack but our attempts failed with about 8 girls sitting on, waiting to be outrun by the better runners behind??, I don’t know, I don’t really understand!

Anyway once the packs had merged I was confident for the run but was fully aware of the ‘whippets’ within the group and the importance of a good T2. I led the last bike lap out and entered T2 well, unfortunately there were two dismount lines, and I jumped on the first one so lost 10m but regained this quickly out of transition.

I lead the run for the four raps and from a pack of 6 we dispersed until, when I checked, at 7.5km , there were three left (we passed McLarty at 2.5km). I front ran into the wind because I felt it important to break the field and assert my authority on corners and lines on the run. Sapunova tried to break with 1km to go but I tailed her closely, towed her until 100m to go and just lacked the speed to break her. I finished second with frustration on my face but a smile in my heart; this is my second podium in a World Cup and my first since 2003. That’s a long wait!

Celebrations last night took the form of an incredibly weird but packed arena watching a kind of Bruce Forsyth comedy/singing sketch – it was truly horrendous but fun and a good end to a great day. Thanks to my sponsors; Sigma, Instant Offices, Corporate Property Advisors, Essex Legacy and Asics for helping me continue my triathlon goal of the 2012 London Olympics. Next stop Geneva in a week.

So… After watching my amazing mum race at Hyde Park (under 3 hours, yay!), a lovely run with Michelle Dillon and Jodie (number 2) Stimpson, a swim at Imperial College and lunch with my old crew from Battersea and good friend Daley T I got to witness Alistair Brownlee throw everything, and indeed consciousness, at the men’s race. It was an absolutely unbelievable last km, Alastair missed out on this one, but damn, he is one tough cookie and will undoubtedly come back to terrorize his elders many more times. Stuart Hayes was also a complete toughie and made countless attempts to break from the massive pack on the bike. He succeeded in lap 7 and ran himself into a very commendable and brave top 10 finish.

Monday I flew back to Geneva to be greeted by my gorgeous training partner Rebekah Keat. Bek finished second in Roth last weekend and is the coolest and most talented training partner I have ever had. It amazes me we can be friends with how we make each other hurt sometimes; haha.

So… Her with an ironman in her legs and me suffering 48 hour DOMS, we travel to the French Alps and line up on Wednesday; 110km from the top of Alpe d’Huez.
Now, I don’t profess to know any details about this race. My coach texted me on the Friday before London and asked if I’d like to enter. ’Of course,’ I replied – what a bloody martyr

All weekend I’d been getting hints about the race and its challenges but, to be honest, I tried not to listen, I even squinted my eyes as we drove up the 21 switchbacks. My philosophy is pretty simple, just go hard – if that’s up a climb so be it, everyone has to climb the same. The fastest, toughest person will win, and it can’t be as steep as the ‘Athens hill’ (the Athens Olympic hill has never been matched in incline in any race or training I have ever done. It was, in fact, ridiculous but I made it up there 6 times with a hole in my Achilles so I figure I should never doubt my resolve).

2.2km swim, 110km bike with three cols (ending at 2,000m in Alpe d’Huez), 22km run at 2,000m.

I raced how I love to. I hammered the swim with one of my best friends, Harry Wiltshire, and we exited with a large gap on the rest of the field. I was pretty fired up and darted up the first steep incline out of transition. Harry was very funny… ‘Calm down Jodes, we’ve got 110km to ride’…very funny moment when Harry discovered my racing testosterone (if girls get that!), and my foul mouth to boot… Sorry Harry ;} (he said it made his day afterwards!). I raced off only to follow the lead car which had decided to take a different route to the marked course.

I had to turn back and then was a bit behind Harry. The lead men caught just before the first Col which climbed around 20km. There were two descents and another two 20km climbs. It is hell! This course is unbelievable… Beautiful, tough and truly amazing. If I’d had time to observe our surroundings it would have taken my breath away – unfortunately the inclines and descents did that in a different way. It was absolutely thrilling.

The last switchbacks on Alpe d’Huez were not as thrilling, just long overdue, but by that stage I had a large cushion of time on the other girls and just had to run and look after my sugar levels. I won by a 30 mins in 6 hours 20mins. Bek Keat finished second, no mean feat after her Roth effort. Mentions to James Cunnama for his win, Scott DeFilippis on 3rd, Harry Wiltshire 5th, beautiful Lisbeth Kristiansen 5th, Tamzin Lewis 6th and big congrats to Emma Smith on 9th and getting in the prize purse – yay!!.

A great Wednesday it was and hopefully a sign that we’re finally getting to grips on releasing my potential. Next stop is Tizzy World Cup, so I’m back in the mountains enjoying training and loving life … yes guys, even when I have ‘that’ look … haha. Just gonna reiterate to all my sponsors how grateful I am and acknowledge my friends and family in how much support you lot give.

Just a quick note on Jodie’s behalf to say that she won today’s Alpe d’Huez long course race (2.2k swim, 115k bike finishing up the famous climb and then a 22k run). And she didn’t just win… Unofficial time was 6:20:07 with the second placed athlete, Rebekah Keat, at 6:48:56 – 29 minutes behind her! Stephanie Reymond of France was third in 6:58:35 with Alexandra Louison in fourth just edging out Lisbeth Kristensen who was fifth.

It’s 6am and I can’t sleep… It’s always the same after races, full of adrenaline and hyperactivity in the head. Especially late races, your mind doesn’t get a chance to switch off. My tummy doesn’t either; tummy cramps through the night as the long-awaited dinner finally makes it through an empty, tired intestine … It’s not pleasant – let’s move to happier thoughts

London World Series 2010; 7th place! I’m pretty damn happy at that. I have been in the mountains for seven weeks now and we have turned things around. I was so nervous going into yesterday, the only person I have to compare my standard to is Nicola Spirig (currently the most consistent racer in the world), so it’s sometimes difficult to know where you’re at in terms of the whole field.

The announcer was encouraging before the start ‘we have accumulated here the highest standard in Olympic women’s racing ever assembled’, and we probably did. Looking round my 25-strong lead bike pack there was not one girl who can’t run under 35 minutes on her day and that’s forgetting that the likes of Norden, Riveros and Snowsill were back off the pace.

I think the swim was a fairly solid effort by the faster girls and was the catalyst to keeping away on the bike. Poor Jess Harrison, my Poissy team mate, managed to lose a shoe in the transition zone and still managed to race a solid bike leg. I was trying to encourage her (having been there before – Stockton 2002 haha) but she wins the bravest soldier prize yesterday hand down! We built a growing lead on pack two, on the bike which is new, different and very much welcomed. There was far less gazing about and some consensus among us I think that it was for the greater good to put some wattage down at least.

I had a good T2 and was out in the pack of leaders: Spirig, Findlay, Roberts, Jenkins, Moffatt, Swallow, Holland and Murua. After 3.3km Moffatt had gone and there was acceleration. I couldn’t hold them and got slightly detached, soon Holland and Roberts followed and by 6.6km Bennett had caught us and Kate Roberts dropped off. The last lap was a battle but I ran 34:50 which is fast and I know there is so much more space to move forward in. It is not like I’m hitting the ceiling yet so I’m very excited about the Olympic racing coming up.

The spectators, my sponsors, family and friends were fantastic for us Brits today; hopefully we rewarded you with a little entertainment. Special well done to Helen Jenkins for her third spot, Nicola of course on her silver and on Paula Findlay of Canada on her first major win.

Anyway I’m off to Alpe d’Huez to race up a mountain No rest for the wicked. Let’s see how the boys do today, and my training mates to who are riding to the Alpe d’Huez race – see you there boys

All done and dusted, silver medal yesterday and a really good experience of the longer type of racing for me.  See, I used to think Olympic distance was long when I was a 400m swimmer and 5km runner.  Last year 70.3 was mega-long and now it’s 4km-120km-30km.  I guess that shows progression – one day Ironman will be on the agenda.

This was always going to be a training race – a process rather than a goal and I approached it as that.  After a crash on the previous Saturday I only confirmed I was going to compete on Wednesday with a pretty sore shoulder, but I did the test set and was so relieved I could come.

The swim course in Vitoria was flat, clear and fast.  I started well, went straight into the lead and stretched out. I didn’t feel my sore shoulder at all in the race, I was apprehensive because my new blueseventy Helix is pretty streamlined and obviously in wetsuits you have to counterbalance the pressure of the rubber on a sore joint but I was cool – adrenaline as always kicks in and I caught quite a few elite men which gave me a target to concentrate on.  It’s getting a little bit hard swimming on your own on a single lapped course. I swam the 4km in 53mins – about 3 minutes ahead of the next girl – but on my own as the course was completely clear.  Having someone up front helps in pacing and for me I particularly like to chase, but there was nobody.

Now, as I said it was a training race and I rode my road bike with my draft legal tri-bars.  This was always going to be tough against hard competition but coming from Switzerland I had to race on what I had.  The second girl, medallist at Hawaii last year came past at around 70km to go and she was quick.  I couldn’t stay with her but on a time trial bike it may have been different. She was very strong and has been around a long time and is obviously a tough competitor.  There’s a challenge for the next one

With around 50km to go on the bike I could feel a shearing pain in my lower back.  The problem with road frames and time trial positioning is that my position lies too short so I’m kind of scrunched up like a pretzel for a long time.  We are going to work on this now but, as I said, it’s all part of the process at the moment.  I tried to keep pain to the minimum by working out of the saddle as much as possible.

I definitely lost time from this but when I entered T2 my legs felt remarkably fresh, although my back was screaming.  Virginia had 7 minutes on me, mostly gained in that last 30km, but  I  just wanted to get running.  I gained two minutes on the first 10km, another 1min on the second 10km and she held on for the last 10km – but I guess that may have been a certain knowledge that second was on the cards.  I ran for first for a long hard way though and felt that in my back at the end.  I could not sit, bend or squat (so the drugs testing delivery was a slight issue!).  It was so worth it though and another major medal – European silver this time, with the knowledge that there is a lot more time to come off.

A good day at the office.