I am a competitive girl, I’ll give you that.  My life is bookmarked by winning things, beating people, being the best.   I’ve been nervous watching ITU in the past, especially last year when my Olympic dreams ended.  With injury problems and Ironman racing higher on my agenda, I could not prioritise the Olympic Games as it needs to be prioritised.  This year though, as my injuries heal, my personal life excels and my belief in my prospects renews I can enjoy ITU races for what they are.  My friends being amazing.

I finished ITU racing in October 2010 with a win in my final World Cup.  I raced ITU intermittently for ten years.  It would be fair to say that I know my stuff when it comes to these girls.

In my opinion, the race last weekend in San Diego was the main indicator of the state of play heading into the Olympics.  The events after this date are somewhat non-indicative as many limit their racing in preparation for London.  There will be some girls still on their way back from winter problems that will be ready by London -ladies such as Lisa Norden.  They, however, face time pressures in an already pressurised arena and have sacrificed the privilege of confidence that Helen, Erin and Nicola can now embrace.

Helen- once our little Welsh Junior has become a star, my favourite for gold at the Games.  My good friend Nicola Spirig accompanies her along with Emma Moffat, Laura Bennett, Andrea Hewitt and Erin Densham – my call for the medals.

They are all so, so similar.  Not similar in personality (although I must say- I would be hard sought to find such an amenable group to converse with).  They are similar in their consistency over many years – their approach to victory and their reaction to failure.  Importantly, I would not have put Erin into this group before I witnessed her second victory of the year, under pressure, in Sydney.  She may now have served the internship of trauma and experience that allows her to use her immense talent undisturbed.

2012’s crop of favourites is a stoic, mature group.  They are all consistent of emotion and steady of mind.  Each has a life partner and is in solid, positive relationships.  Whether their high levels of self- esteem was precursor to accomplishing such successful supportive relationships, or whether relationships of such a sort nurture self-esteem, is debatable.  What is not is that the self-confidence of these talented people has developed steadily over the years and has amounted to creating a group of complete racers.  I would trust any of these girls to deliver a result at an Olympic final.

Newer champions like Paula Findlay have their work cut out against this group.  Youth and injury is not a good combination of circumstance going into an Olympic year and I worry that injuries of the mind cause a higher, longer havoc even on a recovered body.  Likewise, inconsistency of coach, turbulent home life and injury niggles do not offer the steadiness that these girls have procured for years now.   I think that the natural order will be followed.  After all the young, singletons are on their own against two person teams.

I must admit to feel sad that I can’t predict a fiery erratic heroine to destroy the storybook.  I love to watch ‘Emotional Underdogs’, (a term of endearment to one such as myself), like Loretta Harrop working from the doldrums of pain and anger to usurp the smooth life riders.

I just don’t see it this year. Stick Emma Snowsill into the equation and things could be different.  She can destroy a field with the right mind set and a medium fit body.  It remains to be seen if the Australian Triathlon selectors have the insight of mind to trust their champion.

I can only come to the conclusion that this year logic and rational is the victor and that maybe I must concede that long term success primarily comes from security and consistency.  I hope that my predictions are proven true.

Firstly, I hope that that the medals prove that results do not only come from hardship and anger but can come from commitment and desire.  I am certainly in a far closer place to this nowadays than when I tried to race these girls and may not be willing to return to dark days of inner turmoil to fuel my battles.

Secondly, I hope that National Governing Bodies begin to realise the effects they can have in placing too little importance on the self-esteem of young talented girls and the personal consequences and trauma this causes.  I hope they can begin to nurture self-esteem as a compliment to performance and not a result of performance.   I have seen far too many junior champions sacrificed from the sport because of low self-esteem amplified by early success and the subsequent fall down during injury.  If we could protect their psychological development, these girls would have longevity of career.

Thirdly, I believe Helen Jenkins deserves gold in London.  As an athlete she is complete.  As a person she is even more complete and there would be no better justice served in a somewhat justice free world than to see such a balanced pair (in Helen and Marc) claim Olympic Glory.

Jodie

After the Abu Dhabi triathlon I felt nothing but positivity about 2012.  Having surmounted a credible challenge to the world’s top Ironman bikers I was now on track to begin to unleash my run potential and become one of the fastest runners on the circuit.

A running Jodie is per se a happy Jodie so when I was diagnosed with an oblique stress fracture on the fourth metatarsal I was pretty devastated.  A melodramatic adjective?  No – exactly how I felt.

I have been competing in international sport since I was just 13 years old.  It is all I know and everything I care about.  Lately, I have begun to feel that as I near the summit of the comeback mountain- my body breaks down once again.  The peaks of my career are high but the troughs can feel low as a lion pit.  Training and racing is all I’ve ever known – take that away and it is like switching off a life force.  ‘The higher you climb the further you fall’.  Damn right -and I admit to having scars to prove it.

Once injured the attack comes….Why?  What did you do?  Did it hurt before? Why were you so stupid?  Why does this happen all the time? When will you be back?  .Then the advice comes…Do this.  Do that. Everything you do is wrong – your attitude, your workload, your body, your age.

There you are lying on your back and the punches keep coming.  Confidence bruised by injury can become a head f*&k in itself;  A body once trusted and believed in becomes doubted;  A training regime once successful and progressive suddenly seems over ambitious and ‘crazy’.  This is a very vulnerable time in the life of an athlete.  Possibly a career ending time.

I have bounced back the quickest psychologically and physically I have ever done from an injury.  Five weeks later I am running comfortably, in shape and have maintained good base fitness.  I did this because of my commitment to my goals, my dedication to training and decision never to limit my dreams.  All things about that could be skewed to negatives that caused me to get an injury.  I questioned and questioned and questioned and then I saw – this injury wasn’t my fault.  Once I accepted that I could move on and recover.  Sometimes, (and I have never ever used or liked this saying before) ‘Sh*t just happens’.

So sh*t happened and I dealt with it.  I use my strengths in my favour because when they shine, they really shine.  I have faith in my body and my program and will begin my season again in June- and I’ll do my best – I can absolutely guarantee that.

I begin a slow build up to Ironman Frankfurt now.  An excellent test of progression ahead of my main season goal; World 70.3 Champs in Vegas.

Jodie x

Much is being reported about Olympic selections, retirements, London goals, athletes with injuries and the usual bumph.   I post just a quote that inspires me when I feel pressure, feel criticised, misunderstood or selfish.  This is why we do what we do.

‘It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows enthusiasm , the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.’

Theodore Roosevelt

Just returned from having a two week MRI on my recovering foot in the hope the bone edema was better and I could get back to it this week.  Conversely the MRI showed a stress break that wasn’t visible amongst the soft tissue swelling initially.

I am seeing a sports doctor shortly to initiate a recovery plan but at the moment the following points are most important:-

• Stress fractures heal well – usually a six week job
• I will be in all probability be able to cycle and swim very soon
• The fracture was cause by a change in the torsion of the small bone due to orthotics in my bike shoe
• I will have to postpone Ironman South Africa victory until next year
• My challenge has never much been swim, bike or run better.  Just to stay healthy and to deal with injury.  This will be my challenge in the coming weeks and it will be harder than any physical test for me.  It happens to the best of us.
• I appreciate all my sponsors, family and James’s support and their continuing faith in my ability
• I will be publishing a list of intended races and revised aim for 2012.  Primarily my goal will be to win back my World 70.3 Championship in September

Anyway- today I am sad, tomorrow I will probably also be sad but in 3 months there is a very high probability that’s I’ll be happy .  I will keep battling on to become a champ!

Thanks

Jodie

Abu Dhabi is a strange race.  Firstly it is at a peculiar time of year- stranded between very early racing in 2012 training and the late 2011 season. It is an independent race with no points or loyalty structure and the weird combination of a 3km swim/200km bike and a 20Km run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jta9vLXPWX8

Aside from its peculiarities it has a good prize purse and good elite athlete provision with flights, hotels and meals.  In business and many other sports it is customary for employees to be catered towards on business trips but this is not the normality in triathlon, especially with the emergence of the Ironman Corporation’s strong hold on race management.  Events no longer are allowed to pay athletes to attend and in most cases have even stopped providing accommodation for their front field finishers.

I am also the newest member of Team Abu Dhabi and as such took the opportunity to represent my sponsors in our state of the UAE.

Conditioning wise, going into the race, things had begun to fall into place.  I completed the swim leg at South African Xterra for charity the previous Saturday and emerged with large time gaps on the lead men.  My cycling has had hours and effort put into it and although I continue to struggle with my saddle, my new Stork time trial bike had won me around.  My Running had been developing with gains and speed more evident each day.  Whilst running is still building it is not at its optimum but the aim was not to peak my run by March 3^rd, considering my injury last year.

I exited the swim two and a half minutes in front after struggling with the lack of guidance in direction.  The desert sun is strong and the buoys too far apart to feasibly sight without the help of a lead canoe.  I had a lead canoe for half a lap which disappeared when I began to catch the backmarker men whom had a three minute start on the ladies.  I am the only girl for whom this is problematic because I’m always leading and I will address it in consequent race directives. …. Anyway, I went a little off course.

Heading out on the bike I felt good, I always knew it was going to be a lonely day out there I just hope it will be solitary for as long as possible.  I lead on my own for 100km when the pack of Butterfield, Steffen and Neath caught me.

We cycled relatively together – we are allowed 10m gaps between bikes legally, and split some of the workload.  I say some because this share was not equal between all and this dynamic would later lead to the key moment in the bike with 35km to go.

The split happened in two phases.  Neath emerged to the front of the pack having been a regular attendant at the back.  At this stage the course was littered with age group athletes on various different courses and different phases in their race.  It was the narrowest part of the course and more difficult to stay as one entire 40m entity.

Neath used this to break and when Steffen failed to be able to respond to close the gap I took the role to chase.  Unbeknown to me Butterfield was resting up behind and spurted past at the end of my effort.   I had blown my legs with the extra 50 watts I had had to insert to keep Steffen and myself on and whilst she could bridge I had played my card at the wrong time.

I know the reasons why I made the choice I did.  Steffan had done a good amount of work once the group had caught me.  She had left the correct distance between athletes, she had been fair and I have respect for her as an athlete – in my moment of toughness I martyred my race when I should have been monitoring my competitors.  Lesson well learnt.

Decisions made in that 15mins determined the race no doubt and without that blow the podium would have been feasible for me.  Whilst the run was a hang.  I felt fine heart rate wise and though I hate losing it was a complete pleasure to be able to race. 6^th place was what I had in my body and in my tactical ability that day, I want to go back and try something different next year!

Whilst many feel that my tactics of ‘all or nothing’ cost me podiums I still believe that this is the way I will win races in the future.  It did not pay off here I was simply not long term fit enough to do it for 200km, there was a unique group of girls coming out the swim and working together and it was also a wetsuit swim which played more of a part than anyone could imagine.  It is not a case of ‘Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda’, in my eyes.  It is another experience in the bank to draw off in the future – when I’m out the front on my own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT_JaHSVpYo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoquqS_IwA0

Just thanks to my coach James Cunnama, my friend Julie Dibens, Dan Hugo, my family and to my sponsors Team Abu Dhabi –Stork, Pearlizumi, Powerbar, Xentis, SRM, and Computrainer for your confidence in me.

Footnote

Last week has been a mixed bag of fortune.  James and I have been doing some amazing photo shoots, finally beginning to create a brand within our sport that hopefully will market ourselves and our sponsors.  I have done a little of this kind of thing before but it seems my body has matured itself, recently, into a bit of ‘hot stuff’.  It was incredibly enjoyable and the finished photos will feature on a front cover soon!

Badder News

On Saturday I came from my brick session with a pain at the top of my foot.  I have had an MRI on the area and it is confirmed as a grade 3 bone edema.  This is bleeding within the bone marrow and is a result this time of a pair of cycle orthotics that I had been experimenting with; ironically, avoid excess strain on my planter fascia.  At the moment it is a waiting game and I am keeping off the foot.  I can’t factually tell you how long the healing process will take but the foot is improving daily and we think the prognosis may not be as bad as initially thought.  As you all know I will do my utmost to promote recovery and get through another bump in the road in becoming the best in the world.

Jodie x

Are Champions simply usurped?  Is glory really that short lived?  Everyone knows that no-one remembers second place-do we really remember first?

Championship wins are special to me.  They are about targeted excellence; – precise, focused excellence, timed to perfection.  Champions and their Championship performances live long in my mind because of the feelings they evoke whilst I bear witness.  In fact I am obsessed with Champions; I want to know their personalities, their values, their motivations.  I want to compare them with myself, compete against them, be measured in their company and feel with friends.  I care little for Champion’s imperfections, yet I study their flaws and I respect them more for overcoming them.

I have been lucky in my life to mix with many Champions- to be friends with many Champions- even to be able to count myself as a Champion (occasionally).  I’m asked whom I admire, whom I aspire to, who is my idol?    I never had an idol growing up – I couldn’t relate.  Without the personal chats, inside knowledge or the understanding of the trials and challenges Champions face.  Being a child Champion is easy – it’s about talent and drive.  Talent and drive are sometimes the limiters of older Champions, it is their reinfinement that becomes the higher skill.

I am honoured to be the friend of ‘Master Champions’ and I aspire to be like them– every day of my sporting life.

My Idols :- Daley Thompson, Simon Lessing, Craig Alexander, Chrissie Wellington, Alistair Brownlee, Michelle Dillon, Michael Johnson, Michelle Jones, Emma Snowsill, Serena Williams

This is a pretty thought out, exclusive list for me at the moment.  They are my Champions and I admire them for entirely the same reasons, without exception.

Attributes of a Champion

• Confidence in their program

In my experience nobody wins much if they have not carefully planned goals and a carefully planned way to get there…..that is stuck to.  It may be an amazingly scientifically sound programme or a scruffy draft of ideas but Champions plan and carry out.

People continue to question some of the most successful programmes and coaching methods in the world.  Opinion is given whether asked for or not.  Champions believe in their schedules – wrongly or rightly-but successfully -and belief is very close to the key to a successful program for these individuals.

• Understanding of their body

Champions know their bodies.  They know when an injury is from overuse, from instability or just a niggle.  This can be obscured by opinion of doctors, physiotherapists or coaches – everyone will give an opinion on injury.  This is where champions remain strong.  They ignore the opinions given that injury provokes, they avoid the mistrust in training and therefore avoid any loss of confidence.  An experienced champion must trust their intuition further than any outside opinion; an inexperienced one must master their judgement precisely.  The Champion body heals but it will take longer if the Champion mind also has to heal.

• Tolerance of fatigue

Champions can suffer.  Yes, they are talented but that makes nothing easier – simply faster.  Talent is an overused term, often confused with dedication, perseverance and obsession.  Every Champion I know trains ridiculously hard.  Even former Champions.  Some Champions become former because their tolerance to pain dilutes- with age, waning enthusiasm or with memory.  When you win a World Championship you are training insanely.

• Ability to select information

In my experience, a former, current, or future Champion will always question progressive training methods and different ways to carry out their training to provide the maximum gains.  That is not to say that they adopt new methods lightly – in fact many rarely change their approach.  However there comes a time where the sport changes, technology develops or competitors progress and this is when a true Champion rethinks and evaluates.  If something is not good enough then it must be improved.

• Focus on the controllable

Champions are self-focused.  Sometimes oblivious to others.  Drugs, competitors, courses, weather are kind of irrelevant because the champion attitude is to know that all things are equal on the field of play.  Intellect, beauty, wealth, even ethnicity- is irrelevant, only preparation makes the difference.  Champions’ performances are projections of their ambition, ability and focus. Universal soldiers that desire glory at any pain cost.

Champions appear to have an ‘air’, I’ve seen it, I’ve been it probably – it is an aura of preoccupation, a vacancy mistaken for arrogance.  Fools are those that mistake focus for rudeness – the Champion has not even absorbed enough of their environment to contemplate rudeness.

So that is my philosophy on being a Champion, I hope one day I will master the art like my idols.

Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.

- Muhammad Ali

I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.
Muhammad Ali

J xx

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.

I’m out in La Santa, Lanzarote at the moment with many of the British team as we try and get into gear to lay down some work for 2011. It’s been a pretty successful set-up , fairly December-like, and although I have had a few ‘bang my head against the wall’ moments – they have been rare and mostly about being tired more than anything else. We have been graced with the gorgeous presence of Matilda Sophia Don and her mummy Kelly who have been a wicked distraction to training (and evidently writing blogs ). She did her first 400m round the track at 9 weeks but is now been strongly coerced towards tennis or golf by her dad.

Most of the work has been fairly simple same-as-ever solid training, do the distance, work hard, go home. I have missed out on a couple of karaoke nights with the Leeds gang but I think us oldies will join them on Saturday for a Christmas send-off. I need to do a duet with Holly as I’ve heard she has an amazing voice … we were thinking of ‘Big Ego’ by Beyonce (not related to anyone here on camp, promise Guesses on Twitter.

The best thing on camp so far I think may have been mine and Helen’s ‘jinxed‘ attempt to chase Adam Bowden down up Tabayesco … we would have made it if her pump hadn’t fallen on the last switchback. We were close. I think you can tell from this exciting story how thrilling times in Lanzarote have been!

The best story on camp is from little Johnny Brownlee on our run yesterday. He told me he and his big bro came to get me and Anneliese Heard’s autograph at the Nationals in Salford in 2000. Liese was in a grump ‘cos she had been second so the boys were a little scared and Al too shy to ask so brave Johnny had to do it haha!! Apparently my autograph had a smiley face so was their favourite … how sweet is that… Al was 12 and Johnny was 10. They are both still stunningly cute and Al seems to have lost some of his shyness

Seriously, there has been a lot of time for reflection out here and my eyes have been opened to the risk of brain malfunction by a few conversations I’ve had. I really don’t want this to happen to me and thus need to get my brain back in gear. I think it’s time to start using my brain fibres before triathlon talk takes hold. I don’t mean coaching or blogging by the way, they count as triathlon spin offs. I’ll have you know I used to be fairly intelligent Maybe some serious writing may be the way forward … hold that thought … I’ll see what I come up with.

Race season planning hasn’t been confirmed for me yet and I’ll talk it through with Brett very soon and let you all know. Meanwhile I’m going to South Africa on Boxing Day to get back up to speed and take on 2011. New Year’s resolutions won’t be triathlon based this year because I’m finally happy with my set up. Maybe I’ll just stick to the old ones; I must stop spending money on shoes I can’t walk in (I bought some amazing gold KG ones at the airport but I don’t think the discotheque here can really justify them), I must be more tidy (not gonna happen), I must be more tolerant (probably not gonna happen), I must not fall for inappropriate men… Haha!

Happy Christmas dudes, enjoy xx