In September I called time on the injury which had become too debilitating to endure.  It is outrageous to think that my foot hurt every time I stepped for almost a year…outrageous for a ‘normal’ person –incomprehensible for someone trying to run marathons, track sessions and up mountains four times a week.

Injuries are very individual things but if I can give one lesson when it comes to the buggers it would be this…..Trust Your Intuition.  If it feels tight- then loosen, if it feels hot then cool it, if it aches then warm it.  In ten years of professional sport I have diagnosed each injury correctly from the offset.  My foot injury needed hands on treatment.  It was past the point of rest and passive therapy was ineffective.

I have been working with an amazing therapist here in Stellenbosch -Francois Retief.  The treatment is painful in the moment but incredibly relieving after each session.  Francois is open minded, versatile in approach and definite in action.  I don’t believe I would be fully training now without his help.

At the end of 2010 I was World 70.3 Champion and in great physical shape due to Brett’s coaching and support and our combined work ethic.  My 2011 was spoilt by injury which occurred from what I believe was lack of maintenance of my body.  The workload I perform is necessary to create champions but I have learnt the hard way that this workload has to be supported by both precaution and reactive therapies.

In October I made the tough decision to leave Team TBB when my contract ended at year end. Hard because I leave Brett, my best friends; – Bek and James and some superb sponsors in Cervelo, 2xu, Louis Garneau, Cobb Saddles and Avia.  My decision was made easy by believing the certainty of what my body is capable of when it is injury free and this must be made prime in my preparations for Ironman.

To be completely honest it is scary.   I have waited to announce my departure to honour my agreements with my sponsors but this leaves me sponsor less with a completely clear vest.  The future is exciting and bright but also unknown.  There are many new relationships to form, as well as old ones to maintain .Ultimately progression prevails and I can’t wait to race again pain free and happy.  Once this is a given then Hawaii 2012 beckons and I will attack it in the 100% way I do.

In the coming months I’ll be racing South Africa 70.3, Abu Dhabi triathlon and Ironman South Africa.  James and I are based here in Stellenbosch with amazing facilities and terrain for training, great training partners and each other.  My website www.ifollowtheswallow.co.uk will be revamped and hopefully new sponsors will step on board, embrace my ability and join me for my exciting journey to Ironman glory.

I need to thank Team TBB; its sponsors, Cervelo, 2XU, Avia, Cobb and Louis Garneau.  Thank you to Alex and mostly to Brett.  Cheers to the future-gold, achievement and happiness.

Jodie x

After living with James for so long a love for his taste in music has silently crept upon me.  I find myself mumbling Springsteen, Clapton (even Air Supply ) far too often and thus last night I did the dirty deed.  I stole his music files.

I was so much looking forward to my new playlist and it was the honey in the bitterness of waving goodbye to my boy in Aigle.  I get to run home accompanied by the old rock classics.

So I set off up the mountain (yes-don’t ask ).  Press play…….Fine, OK…….Hang on is it on repeat? ….shit, it’s the only bloody song on there.  The ipod has been restored to owning a title of one song.

http://youtu.be/TbfYAYNFOos When Love takes Over………..x 16

It actually could have been worse….it could have been Air Supply, surely I would have been crying by round 5.

As I ran on, I made up new lyrics for my coach.  ‘When foot takes over, oh yeh, you know u can’t deny’……-you can replace foot with knee or toe or head or bum etc depending on your injury.

He has been saying it all along.  I’m such a lucky athlete.  I have lots of great tools, I live in the mountains, I have all I need, the kindest, most genuine friends, an amazing boyfriend, a great family and yet I let a sore foot cause mayhem wherever it is planted.  Swimming pool, cleat, treadmill, and pavement have all suffered the plague of my foot injury.  I’m really sorry.  Foot took over.

Anyway end of chapter, lesson learnt.   Everyone knows it’s coming right because the smile and the attack are back.  And everything is rosy again.   Next time I promise I will do my best to make sure that an injury will never determine my mood.  In the end it’s an injury and it will come right.   Work and talent will shine as always and titles shall be reclaimed.

If you are injured-remember that, it’s so easy to forget.  And don’t steal music

J x

Triathlon races are funny events-funny, weird.

The first triathlon I ever did was in 2000 in Windsor. I don’t remember much about the race except I remember thinking it was all a little odd. Everyone was making such a big deal out of everything…..what they should eat on the bike, their taper, number belts, elastic laces, lubricant, Vaseline, shaving …it all seemed a bit……. well…. silly. In my then boyfriend’s words, ‘all a bit too camp’. We were both seasoned athletes and had spent our teenage years equally clad in lycra and muscle. We were used to athletes, but there was something different surrounding the intensity of the people in triathlon – or at least the ones who presented themselves to us…an apprenticeship to serve, a snobbishness, a somewhat reverted elitism.

Ten years later and I’m converting to Ironman but nothing’s changed. Again, as a double World Champion, I enter race venues wondering if I’m missing something in the big picture. I’m the stranger, the novice in an elite, (slower than me) world. When I answer questions surrounding training and racing in an honest manner I get hit back with more scientifically constructed acronyms and research. No matter how hard I press the ‘Just do It’ slogan (ironically a running slogan) the brick wall of understanding remains tall.

I am now labelled ‘the blunt one’….with the hard work philosophy, ‘the simple one’, ‘the maniac’. Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah – how wrong an assumption to make. I’ve had enough of beating around the bush about it it’s all a load of bull.
This will be no ordinary triathlon blog. Call it the anti-forum for its lack of b*ll*x. There may be little science, lots of mood swings, fashion and shopping talk….wait even…. MAKE-UP ADVICE….so un professional for a pro triathlete to care about such trivialities (as demonstrated by Amanda beard, Sharron Davies,Flo Jo, Blanka Vlasic, Brooke Bennett, Summer Sanders, Denise Lewis, Jess Ennis etc, etc).

I’ll talk bras, I’ll talk saddle sores, hey I’ll even talk periods if you like (not exclusively of course I’d be a very shite agony aunt). I will give the real story on blood, sweat and tears, because being a Jodie Swallow ‘Normal’ effects training just as much as training effects being Jodie Swallow ‘Triathlete’ (I am the same flippin person!!!!).

I’ll be me, who knows if my ramblings will teach you anything about performance, I really hope so.

They played the national anthem and I had my own flag and everything!!!

Everybody, in life and in sport has difficulties and dilemnas and mine are no more difficult or severe than everybody elses but I will allow myself that the past year and the year after the olympics were incredibly draining and upsetting for me, for different reasons and it is after these bleak times that the good times seem so great. Never have I felt as happy as when I win now, never do I feel as thankful as when I remain uninjured and never have I partied and smiled so hard when the results do roll in. I value the good times more now as they are rare in elite sport and are equally matched with disappointing times.

Ultimately I raced the way I know how….I built a minute on the 3km swim, pushed hard on the bike building to 8 minutes and built to 11 mins on the run. I finished in 4hours 7mins. Rebekah Keat of Australia was second and Delphine Pelltier of France 3rd.

The swim was one of the toughest I have ever done. Although the men started 90 seconds ahead there was no chance of even seeing them as the sun beamed down the swan river and the wind hurtled wave after wave at us for the 1800m straight out swim. A number of times I had fear I could have passed the bouy or be totally off course. Occasionally I passed a white capped male or stroked a jelly fish but that was the mose contact I seemed to have for the whole thing. The last bouy was a little confusing and i was briefly steered back to the correct turn by a surfboard. I came out about 1min ahead of Lucie Zelenkova and Pip Taylor the next girls.

I hurtled through transition and felt amazing running so i kind of knew it would be a good day. I simply eyed the little mens group ahead of me and pace judged off them. It was the right thing to do – I didnt hold them but my focus forward made me push harder and although isolated from then on (just passing age groupers on the course), I had already set a precedent pace and so the little women’s group chasing dropped back first 3.30mins after lap one and building to 8 on lap 4. The bike was tough – it was incredibly windy out there and there was no let up. I just concentrated on fuel and water and pace for the 80km and occasionally a little rocky soundtrack stimulus!!

I entered transition and hurtled out. I felt fresh and good and knew I’d be ok – I slowed myself down and settled and was joined on the third lap by kevin clarke a old friend and so had stirling company on the run leg. I actually ran equal splits – the first 5km lap just 4 seconds faster than the last 5km. Total run time was 1 hour and 18mins in blistering winds and 32 degree heat.

Flag in hand I savoured the moment down the shoot. It felt amazing and I am so glad I pulled it together.

I have worked hard over the years and so have people around me. Special thanks to my previous coach Livio Salvador-Aylott for helping me build a foundation to build from and also to my coach of two months Chris Jones. I am even more assured that we can reach our goals now.

Next up is clearwater 70.3 Worlds. No doubt I won’t fall under the radar at this one but I feel good and hope I can pull a better one in three weeks.

The party is done, the rest day almost done and I remain here in Perth for a while training up until Clearwater on the 14th of November…….Be there or be square