Getting ready for Budapest!!

I had two days off after my win at Kitzbuhel and I needed it.  I never really drink alcohol only when Im on my break or christmas so when I do go out especially after a race when the body is at its most fatigue it takes me at least a week to get over it.  I had a great couple of days training after the race but on friday I came down with a sore throat which for me usually means a full blown cold.  I took lots of vitamin C, Zinc, and garlic and did three recovery days and with a bit of luck my cold went away. This was a first for me so I was very fortunate to have nabbed it before it nabbed me.
After a couple of days easy at my mum and dad’s house in London I came back to Loughborough to train with the Team Dillon squad.  We have had a great couple of weeks training and with my win the moral has been awesome in our group.  We have just been joined by Clark Ellis from New Zealand he was training at altitude recently with his national team but wanted a changed so he came to us and he’s loving it. We also had a few of Michelle's athletes Richard Todd and Jill Parker who are racing at the world champs in Budapest join us also. it's certainly made the sessions fun and great to train with a few more in the group.
My mate Will Clark is having a bad time at the moment he has had a very bad season and has just had a bike crash and needed 9 stitches in his arm. I really feel for him as last year I was in the same situation.  I crashed mid season, got very ill and then flatted at London Hyde Park which was meant to be my big come back to ITU racing. Its a really tough time for a pro athlete when things are going bad but I found if you keep fighting things turn around.
The other day our squad were given a bit of a treat, British triathlon gave us a 50m swim lane to train in which was nice so things are starting to turn around here in Loughborough.
Budapest is coming fast and things have been going well for me so fingers crossed it stays this way.
My mum and dad are driving out which is going to take them a week so they are getting ready now. They like to take there time and enjoy the scenery. I will keep you updated on how the race goes, thanks for reading my blog.

Finally My first ever World Cup Win in Kitzbuhel!

I have been racing the ITU circuit for a long time and my closest ever win was second in 2004 at the Salford event so for me to win the ITU Kitzbuhel World Champs Series race was a very special moment and I will remember this for the rest of my life.
The day before kitzbuhel WCS I was a bit more nervous than usual and it was affecting my confidence going into the race. I was talking too much to Will Clark and Clark Ellis about how we were going to bike super hard and split the bunch this started to make me feel tired and fatigued it just shows you how the brain can really effect the body.
I woke up race day and truly thought I was going to have an absolute shocker because I felt so tired and it was all nerves how powerful the mind can be.
For my warm up I did a lap of the bike course and my legs felt quiet good so this was a positive so I thought to myself it was going to be alright if I just focused in on myself.
The Water temp was 20.6C so no wet suit swim.  I went in for a swim warm up with my wetsuit on just to keep the muscles warm.  Most of the athletes do this now especially if the water temp is on the border line of 20C. 
I had a very good start and found I was swimming fast with very little effort so I knew from that moment it was going to be a good day.  I excited the swim close to the front  and was straight away in the lead group.  My plan was to sit in the bunch and on the 3rd lap attack.  On the second lap we were caught by the chasing pack. Once we were in town coming off the cobbles I attacked and to my nice surprise was joined by Greg Bennett  (Legend Non drafter) & Maik Pertzold, Matt Chrabot and Christian Prochnow these are all very good cyclist and we formed a strong group of five then I knew it was on.  We all worked very well together and to my surprise gained almost 2 minutes on the chase pack. Onto the run I felt okay but not great I race like this all the time so my body is getting use to feeling very tired I think it has also helped me doing all those non drafting events in the states last year and earlier this year.  After 7 km of the run I knew I had the win, Gomez was catching me fast but he was running out of road so finally after many many World Cups I finally won my first World cup and it was the best feeling of my career.
I went out after the race and had some celebratory drinks, It was one too many so had to leave the disco early.  I woke up the next day still drunk with a massive hang over but it was totally worth it. Now onto Budapest next and then Dallas for its been a good season so far. 

London Triathlon

I always enjoy the London triathlon and this year my sister Charlotte competed for the first time in years. Charlotte completed the sprint distance event and I am really proud of her (See picture to the left). I love the fact the elites get to mix with the age group athletes and being from London means friends and family always come down to watch.
Bakc to the race, It was a wetsuit swim this year which was a bit of a shock considering how warm it has been this summer but all it takes is one week of bad weather in the UK and the water is below 20C so the rubber was going on for the first time this year.

I had a great swim start and found myself at the front of the field and on Richard Stannard's feet. McClarty the swim specialist was off the front but at the moment he is no threat so I could relax until I hit the land.  Coming out of the swim I went slightly off course because I swam to the wrong ramp but I managed to amend this by sprinting through transition and powering the first couple of kilometers of the bike.  After about 5k I was in the lead pack with Tim, Will Clark, Atkinson and Oily Freeman there were also a couple of other athletes from overseas.  We were working well together but some of the big names were just siting on which make me realize they wanted a running race.  So after 15k I knew it was time to start racing the bike.  Once we were caught by the second pack I attacked with Will Clark. 
We stayed away for around 10k but were caught again and thats when Stannard and Matt sharp attacked which was a perfect time for me to go again.  I knew it was a suicide move for my 10k run but in order for me to win I had to make sure I got some kind of a lead. Myself, Stannard and Matt Sharp got a small lead straight away.  Stannard gave it his all but had to go back to the pack after some great turns. Richard is still recovering after being hit by a car last year. Me and Matt Sharp pushed into T2 but unfortunately only had 30 sec on the main bunch.  Onto the run I felt quiet good but knew the lead was too small.  I lead the first lap and was then caught by Will Clark, Atkinson, Tim Don and Shoemaker I could see they were really hurting from the hard bike which they don't think they expected.  Clarke dropped off and the other three left me at 5km mark.  The three of them opened up a small gap and it was enough for them to stay away and battle it out for the podium places.  Atkinson was 1st, Tim 2nd and Shoemaker was third.  I was 4th and Will was 5th.  This was my best race of the year so far and has given me a lot of confidence going into the next two World Cups Kitzbhul and Budapest.

London Hyde Park

My aim for London Hyde Park triathlon was to make the bike as hard as possible and thats  what I did.
I had a good swim for me, got to the first swim buoy inside the top 10 which meant not many beats for me today thank goodness.  After lots of tight turns I just managed to scrape into the lead pack on the bike & once onto the bike I new I just had to wait for the right moment to attack.  My best bet to attack was when the chase pack caught us and this was after two laps. So as soon as the bunch caught I attacked and got a mini lead but I knew I needed some help from other riders and finally someone came to my rescue after around 5 minutes. We spent a couple of laps away but were caught again. Once we were caught someone else went and I thought lets go again and this was the move I was waiting for.  We were a three man breakaway and after two laps we were joined by a group of six this was a dream for me as I knew I could get my breath back and wait for the run.  We had a 50 sec buffer on the big runners which was a great head start for me but probably not going to be enough for a podium. However I never really thought of this and just tried to run as fast as I could to stay away. My legs were really hurting but I found myself leading the race until the first lap on the run 3.3km.  Then Alistair Brownlee, Gomez and Jonny Brownlee caught me.  It was strange as once they went past me I was able to hold on to them for a bit and upped the pace. It wasn't long before I couldn’t keep with them and was caught and passed by the russian and a young spanish athlete. I was still managing to maintain a good pace and  with one lap to go I was holding 6th place.  I thought I was going to finish 6th but with less than 200m to go I was caught by Brad K and Jerrod Shoemaker.  They were running super fast getting ready for the sprint and I could not react quick enough to hold them off. I came into the finishing shoot happy with 8th.  I saw Aliaster and thought he was doing a victory lap but I suddenly realized he had hit the wall and was walking to the line with great difficulty due to de- hydration. I passed him and ended up a very pleasing 8th.  My next race is the London triathlon at the Docklands which is my favorite race of the year.

After the Des Moines World Cup I was off training for nearly two weeks with very low energy levels and a bubbly stomach.  During my time off I went to watch Michelle race at the national women’s Road champs which was on one of the hardest bike circuit’s ever used for a national champs.  She had a great race and finished 14th she was also suffering with the virus I had so I personally think she could have done much better.  That may have been her last road race though because of all the crashes. Michelle has 4 pins inside her back to keep her back fused together so one big knock could undo all the great work her surgeon had done to get her back training again.
I just recently had my new Focus Izalco Extreme 2010 delivered and its a great bike and recently shot a front cover with Triathlon World for the October Issue. Its an improvement on the 2009 model, its lighter, stiffer and amazes me how they keep improving on their bikes.
I get to train all day every day and rest when I need to so I can maximise my performance.  It amazes me how the average athlete goes to work every day, has a family to look after and puts in the training time.  I coach one athlete Mark Rossi and he works for a bank goes in at 7am and leaves for to go home sometimes at 7pm. He rides in and sometimes run’s home and fits in swimming when he can over the weekends.  He also has two new additions to his family & sometimes reduces his sleeping hours. He tells me he’s one of thousands of age group athletes out there that train this way so I take my hat off to all age group athletes.  You are a great example of dedication and I’m sure if started sport at a very young age like I did you would all be professional athletes and my job would be way harder.
My next race is a French Grand Prix in Paris and then Hyde Park London triathlon.  In fact all the big races are approaching so there will be lots to talk about soon. Training has been going well so fingers crossed I will have a couple of good races.
 

Des Monies World Cup 2010

I was on a massive high after the Blenheim Triathlon. Even though I was second to tim its always a great feeling to do a course PB and race in front of a home crowd.
My next race was the Des Moines Hy Vee triathlon. Before Hy Vee I always stay at TJ Tollakson parents house. They live in a huge house just outside of Des Moines and its the perfect place to stay before the big race.
A couple of days before the race I started to feel very tired and found at night I was not sleeping right which is usually a sign that Im coming down with something. However I just kept telling myself it was nervous and once the race was over I would be fine. Race day came and I found myself on the toilet way more than usual. I also had massive stomach Ache but I was still telling myself it was nerves and too shut everything out.
The gun went and I had a really bad dive start, something I must start practicing. I found myself at the back of the swim. I had to weave my way through the pack to make sure I came out in the main bunch. I came out of the water around 10th so I was pleased with my effort. Onto the bike I felt weak and this is when I knew something was wrong. I rode very aggressively going with all the breaks but they all came to nothing and these breaks were hurting me more than usual. At 38k I knew my race was over but decided I would be one of the first riders into T2. I got off the bike near the front and put on my running shoes and went for it but found I had nothing and had to settle for 31st place which is my worst ever position at the Hy Vee triathlon. Tim Don won with a very impressive 10k run split. I was glad to see him back to his winning ways as he’s had a tough couple of season’s since winning the World Champs in 2006.
After the race my belly started to rumble and I ended up taking a week off training with a lot of toilet visits.
I have a couple of weeks training until my next race in Paris for my French team and then the two London Tri’s.
My New Focus Izalco Chrono bike has just arrived so I will be taking it out for a spin over the next couple of weeks. My next non drafting race is at the end of the year so plenty of time to get my position right.
 

Blenheim Triathlon 2010

This year Blenheim triathlon was the most interesting and fastest I have ever done.  The great weather and international field totally changed the race from previous years.
The Biggest shock for me was the water temp being 20c which meant a non- wetsuit swim this would totally change the race because the swim was actually a swim rather that a float down the river.
I did a swim warm up with my wetsuit on just to make sure I kept the body temperature warm before the gun went. This worked well and stayed warm before the we started.
The gun fired and I had a good start, I lead for about 400m of the swim then I started to get a little cold and slipped through the field but still managed to get out with the lead group.  There is a steep hill to run up out of the swim and always seems to split the field up  so I made sure I positioned myself well so I got into transition with the leaders.  A lead group of 8 formed on the bike this included Tim Don, Richard Stannard, myself, Tom Bishop, Hendrik De Villas and a couple of others.  We worked well together and had a great lead, then I attacked just before coming into transition. However it didnt come to anything and was just a waste of energy for the run.  Tim and myself ran out of T2 together but straight away I couldn’t match his pace and had to settle for second. Third was Tom Bishop which was a great result for a junior.
I have one day in London then Off to the USA for Des Monies World Cup.

Its been a bit of a shock being back in the UK and I have found it very cold.  I'm wearing the same thermals that I was wearing in December and now its May.  Im hoping it will warm up soon so I can put away the winter warmers and crack out the summer lycra. Having a cold for a week has set me back a bit but Im starting to find my Australian fitness again hopefully It should take a couple of weeks just in time of Blenhiem.
I did a crit race at the Hillingdon Bike circuit at the weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I found it a little dangerous in places especially on some of the tight corners.  I finished in the bunch and stayed clear of the sprint finish. I learnt a lot from my first elite bike race and will take my new skills to the ITU pelton.  I bumped into Will Clark the other day for a recovery ride and run.  He’s not had the best start to the season for him with a 10th place at his first World Cup series race of the year but he’s looks fit and says he’s been training well and with it  being his first race of the season it will allow him to shake the cob webs out. Amongst the elite guys there has been a lot of injury this winter, I think its due to the fact that every year we are all trying to push just that little bit more to get the edge.  Im always trying to push the body as far as it can go but from past experience I know when its time to back off the gas. I will be cracking the wetsuit out soon to practice my open water swimming.  I think it is finally warm enough to do some open water practice.  Once I get into my open water routine I will swim once a week in my wetsuit this will prevent my arms from getting that ace feeling that happens if you just crack it on to race.

St Anthony's Triathlon 25th April 2010

I was 4th in St Anthony's triathlon yesterday and pretty pleased with the result.  After Sydney World Cup we travelled to Florida and during our stay we always stay at a place called vacation village.  Vacation village is in Clermont which is located in central florida.  Its the ideal place to train because of the quiet roads, great running trails, 50m pool and new running track which is used by some of the fastest athletes in the world like Tyson Gay the 100m sprinter.
It was my second time at the St Anthony's Triathlon and I always have a great time at this event. St Anthony’s is like the US version of the Windsor Triathlon.
US Pros were off first at a very early 6.52 am so up at 4 am to make sure breakfast digests. 
The swim was in the sea with lots of chop from the strong winds.  I had a great swim and exited the water in 3rd with Matt Reed the course record holder just behind me. Onto the bike I knew it was going to be hard as I have not been doing any TT training so just had to go in with what I had.  I was in 3rd place for about 10 miles and then was joined by Greg Bennet and Craig Alexander ( Hawaii Iron man Champion) we all rode together in hunt of Matt Reed who we knew was a good runner and didn’t want him getting any kind of a lead going into the run.  We caught Matt Reed but failed to catch Cameron Dye who ended up putting some time into us.  The bike took a lot out of me and I knew it was going to be a hard run.  Greg ran very fast out of T2 with Craig Alexander just behind him I tried to go with them but couldn’t.
Cameron Dye stayed away and won the race. Greg Bennett was 2nd and Craig Alexander 3rd. I had to settle for 4th but I was very happy with my result as I gave it my all.
My next race is the Blenhiem triathlon then onto the Des Monies world cup in the USA.

I Haven’t had much to say over the last couple of weeks.  Just been putting my head down and training hard.
I raced my first running race of the season at the weekend. It was the Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre 5k.  I won the race in a time of 15.04 which was a 5 sec PB on last years time.  I was pleased with this time as it was very windy and I ran the whole way on my own and a PB is always nice.  This winter I have been doing more swimming so my upper body is a little bigger which I feel when I run but the good thing is I’m doing PB’s so it can only better my overall triathlon race.
I’v have started to wind training down for my first race of the season the Mooloolaba triathlon.  I am going into each race this season with a more relaxed approach.  In the past I was always worried about how outside influence would react to a bad performance for example Federations.  Now I am back  racing for myself so It will be interesting to see if this works for me. Some people work well off pressure but most people struggle and i think I am one of them.
I went for a swim the other day in the sea to help me prepare for the swim at the  Mooloolaba triathlon.  It was just like spending 30 minutes in a washing machine.  I lost my hat and goggles as did Jodie and Bex.  We are all strong swimmers but we were no match against the monster swell. After our swim we had a chat with the life guards and they told us what we were doing wrong .  I will certainly take there information and use it at the weekend.
Michelle ( coach ) did her first bike race of the year on Sunday the DCRR Dutton open and was an incredible 3rd which was a shock to her and to all the other girls she was racing.  So I would just like to say well done to her and I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do in the UK road race season on the bike.

It has been a very up and down week.  Mid week after a couple of hard days my Glads starting swelling so I took a day off and just did aerobic training for a couple of days.  I went to see a doctor and with a very bad examination he put me on antibiotics.  By the end of the week I was fully recovered in time for crit ( bike race ) & I felt great and was the strongest rider in A Grade.  I had an average power of 315-watts for 1hr this included a dead turn on each lap and lots of change in pace so I was very pleased.  My biggest surprise that Michelle was keeping up with us and continued to the whole way.  She has plans to do some bike racing this year.
I ran off the bike and found I was flying and set new PB’s.  It just goes to show that rest after a good stint of training is the way forward and I will continue to do this in the future.
Michelle would always say to me you can’t flog a dead horse so have rest when you need it.

The Gold Coast is a great place to train but for some reason the drivers have a problem with cyclists.  I have travelled all over the world and this is the worst place for aggressive drivers.  Some of the best cyclist and triathlete in the world train here so I don’t understand why they have a problem with us.  Just recently I was doing an easy spin and a driver decided to throw two glass bottles at me they smashed and sprayed my legs.  He narrowly missed me and I dread to imagine what could have happened if I was hit.  I will continue to come back here but I will make sure from now on that I don’t ride from 4 p.m. onwards.
 

  I would just like to say congratulations to Michelle Dillon my coach and fiancée for winning 220 magazine coach of the year.  Michelle works very hard to get the most out of all her athletes and has a real passion for coaching and its great to see she has had recognition for this. So thank you for everyone that voted.

  I would also like to say congratulations to Wiggle for winning mail order company of the year. I have had many bike sponsors over the years and Wiggle have by far been the best. The most impressive thing for me is I can be anywhere in the World and they can send equipment out to me within a couple of days. They totally deserve there win and will continue to win because they are so committed to providing the best products and service to athletes all over the world.  Even the Ozzie's down at the local criterium that I race at on Saturday morning talk about how good wiggle is.

 I’ve just had a great week of training and the weather here has been fantastic. This week we were joined by Mark Statham who is an age group athlete hoping to go to the World Champs for his age sometime in the near further.  I was very impressed with his commitment to all the training sessions.  I have huge respect for age group athletes as you go to work and juggle family life around your training. You guys are special and could be great at anything you put your minds too.

 Its very hard to stay hydrated all the time here on the Gold Coast but if you don’t  you can really pay the price as I found when I failed to keep hydrated on my rest day.  I have a rest day once a week and decided to go to the cinema and have a look around the shops but forgot to take a water bottle with me. I just sat at the coffee shops I just enjoyed the day and lived on caffeine which we all know it can make you even more dehydrated.  So when I got home in the evening it was time to try and play catch up on the hydration but its was too late and the following day I struggled to stay with the pace at crit ( bike race) and the run off the bike was a night mare.  The only reason for this was dehydration. I was fully rested and did not feel tired just thirsty on the warm up. So even if you have a rest day make sure you keep sipping on the electrolyte drinks with water and stay off the coffee.

 

Back in the Sun

So I have 3 months in OZ which is a little shorter than previous years but loving every second out here.  Last year I feel I spent too much time in the sun and slightly over trained.
I found my first week here very hard because of the time change and the massive increase  in the temperature but I will never complain as I know how bad the weather has been back in the UK.

My first big session was the bike criterium to run which I quite surprised about. I actually felt pretty good on the bike considering I was only sitting on the turbo back in the UK.  This goes to show what a great tool the turbo actually is & how fitness how much fitness you can actually maintain. 
The run was an other story as I was really struggling here to hold a good pace after the bike session. It was pure pain at 20 kph & when I finished my legs gave way and michelle (coach) just looked over and laughed then said welcome back.  :-)

A big thing for me this year is getting my nutrition right during the big sets so lots of gels, electro drink and plenty of protein after all sessions.  I have even started running with a fuel belt for my long runs and I have found it makes such a difference to my performance towards the end of the run.
There is rain forecast over the next couple of days but it will still be in the high 20s. When the rain comes all the big groups of cyclist disappear around here. They have no idea how tough you guys are in the UK.

Train hard win easy.

Back Into the swing of things!

After my break it only took a couple of weeks to get back some good fitness again and to be honest I love the feeling of training for the new season.
I went to the Wiggle Christmas party which was great fun I got to meet some of the Wiggle athletes and also the people that provide such a fantastic online service.

After two weeks of training I decided to do the Cambridge 10k on New Years eve.  One of my training partners in the UK Will Clark wanted me to race so I could see where he comes from and the Miles he did as a kid.
I ran a 32.08 and I placed 4th and Clarkey ran a 30.05 which won him the race.  I went out with him for 2k only to fine the mind was willing but the body wasn’t.

The past few weeks with the snow have been tough and have been really getting to me.  Just like every one else I have been on the turbo since Christmas and luckily I am off to OZ so I can get back outside again. I feel for all you guys and girls that can’t get away to somewhere warm to train however what I did realise was the turbo is way harder than riding outside because of the constant pedaling. The only problem is the boredom, so I found some useful Wiggle cycling DVD’s which helped with my motivation and to keep me on the turbo longer. You might want to check them out at www.wiggle.co.uk.

But one thing I did find was a positive is that running in the snow is great as your legs don’t get as sore and its good resistance work. Happy training everyone and will be back soon to give you another update.

Stu
 

Dallas Triathlon Oct 20th

The Dallas triathlon was a big sock to me because it was just like racing back in the uk in May.
Myself, Michelle Dillon and Jodie Stimpson World under 23 silver medalist arrived in Dallas a couple of days before the race to be greeted with hot and humid conditions and thats what I expected it to be like race day. I went for a run the next morning and it was like an October day in the UK all the news channels had announced a cold front had come in and would be here for the weekend, so off I went down to the shopping mall to get some winter woolies this included a beanie and gloves fro race morning. On race day I was expecting a wetsuit swim with the air temp being so low but with the cold front coming in so late meant the water temperature had only dropped to 20.1C which meant a non wetsuit swim. 
During my swim warm up I put my wetsuit on just so my body temperature would stay high then the last minute before the swim start I quickly took it off.  I swam with the leaders but had to work a lot harder than normal
because of my body fat which is extremely low at the moment, this is due to a lot of mileage and racing and sometimes cant be helped.Everyone was in the same situation so I just had to put my head down and get on with the job. 
Going out onto the bike leg, Matt Reed established an early lead after laying down the pace straight out of the transition area. Then a pack of around 8 guys trailed him not far behind until about the halfway mark where Matt started to pull away from the field which included myself. 
Matt gained approx 1 min off the bike into T2 and this set him up for the win. The rest of us 8 guys which included Bevan Doherty and Greg Bennett all ran out of T2  together. I felt strong so took on the pace but Bevan and Greg sat close behind me and ended up being a big mistake as towards the end of the run they moved up another gear and moved passed me. I couldn’t respond to them and finished behind them in a close 4th place.
I was pleased with my race and I gave it everything I had to the line, that is just the way racing goes sometimes.
With it being the final race of the season I went out for a couple of drinks with the boys and had a great night. I’m in Clermont Florida now and training for the World 70.3 which I am looking forward to very much. This will be the last race of my long season and looking forward to my break. 
 

Watch Stuart's Interview from LA Triathlon here.

The Training has paid off for LA Triathlon Oct 5th 2009

The hard training and isolation in the desert has paid off.  I was second at LA triathlon on sunday and felt it was one of my best runs of the season.  This years field was loaded with some of the World’s best that had ever assembled for the LA triathlon event.
It was surprisingly a non wetsuit swim in the pacific Ocean so a bit nippy and with the Tsunami a couple of days ago the surf was bigger than it would normally be.  When I went in for a swim warm up it took me a good 10 minutes to get back in to shore so I knew when the race started it was going to be a tough swim.
The gun went and had reasonable start and I was in the lead  group but coming into the beach I missed a wave that every one else in my group caught which meant I had to play catch up on the bike. I felt average in the early stages of the bike then after 20k I found myself at the front of the pack & I knew at this point I could have a good race because my running has been going so well over the last couple of weeks.  Greg Bennett attacked towards the end of the bike and gained a 50m lead but he could’nt find his running shoes so I took the lead onto the run. I ran hard out of transition and had a small lead but was caught after 2k by Xavier Gomez, Philip Osplay and Greg Bennett. We played cat and mouse until 4-km to go then Gomez put in the final attack up the large hill which put me into second and Ospaly into third.  Gomez gained 10 sec on me and I put 15 sec into Ospaly this was the podium position. Im doing Dallas next weekend so will have a very easy week and enjoy the Glitz and Glamour of LA.

Arizona Training 1st Oct 2009

I'm been living in the Desert in Tucson Arizona for the last 2 and half weeks and its been a great experience. This place was voted number one place in triathlon magazine for training its a great place but I have been to better places. There hasn't been much to do here apart from train hard, get burnt with 100F every day and dodge rattle snakes.  I have been asking myself why I came to train on the moon but I heard it was a place that makes you into a man. I was on a bike ride the other day and watched border control cars stopping illegal Mexicans from coming across the desert into the US I worry sometimes what would happen if I had a mechanical problem as not much goes on out here where I go riding and not many cars pass by.  I also competed a 4000m swim race in Phoenix were its even hotter I was surprised they even had a lake in the desert it was a great experience swimming in between the canyons.  I finished second in the swim race by 0.3 in a sprint and guy that beat me was apparently a top class US pool swimmer but he swam off course so many times that it came down to a sprint between me and him, I would have got him but he slammed me into the turn buoy and lost abit of ground. TJ my training partner was 3rd just a couple of seconds behind me, he realized after the race he might starting  working on his sighting and open water swimming because he smashes me in the pool and found it tough to stay on course in the race.  So for all you pool swimmers out there make sure you get some open water practice in before you race again next year. I am now in LA getting ready for this weekend's non-drfating race and looking forward to it.
 

Winning Malibu Triathlon for the second time in 09. Sept 12th 2009

Its was a big decision for me not to race the World Champs this year but after talking with michelle and looking at my World cup results this year it was going to be a waste of time.  I watched the race on the net and as expected it all came down to the run so I made a good decision.  It was great to see Alister Brownlee become world champion fantastic for triathlon in the UK.
I travelled to LA a week before the race in order to aclimatise and try to adjust in plenty of time to the 9hr time difference.  It took me a week to adjust to my normal sleeping pattern and come race day I was ready to go.
The gun went and I had a great start but was hit by a massive wave so went backwards a little but after a couple of dolphin dives and fast swimming I was up with the leaders.  At half way myself and another swimmer were joined by one of the female athletes. We knew before the race she would be with us as her  PB for 1500m is sub 16min long course.  I came out of the water in 3rd place and was joined on the bike by Raelart from Germany,  we biked hard but at the 20k mark we were caught by Greg Bennett. Greg tried a couple of times to drop us but it did'nt happen so I new it was going to be a fast run.  We ran together for a couple more miles and I surged again but this time gained a big enough gap to take the Malibu triathlon for my second time after winning it last year. I am now in Arizona preparing for the LA & Dallas triathlon before moving to florida for the 70.3 World Championships.

Another London Triathlon Podium Aug 7th 2009

I always have a great time at the London triathlon. I get to see my UK training mates Richard Stannard and Will Clark and we all go out for dinner the night before the race and catch up on all the news we have missed from training in different parts of the World.

I had a very bad night sleep the night before London I just kept waking up and thinking about the race and going through different race scenarios but I’m not the only one that suffers with this problem Will Cark also does the same thing.
The Gun went and I had a great start, I was leading the front line for the first 400m and then decided to drop back and get some feet which saves up to 10% of energy.

I could see the leaders so I knew my next move would be through transition and onto my bike. I had a great transition and when I hit the bike Courtney Atkinson was just ahead I made sure I put the power down and went around the corners fast to try and get rid of as many people as possible. Will Clark and Araon Haris were the only two that made it across to the breakaway. All five of us work really well together and gained 2 minutes off the bike on the chasing pack.

Onto the run and I stayed with Will and Courtney for a couple of Ks. Will kept slowing down and speeding up and this caused me to drop off the pace and settle for 3rd. Will my team mate how I do a lot of training with in Loughborough won and Courtney was second. I Won the British elite super series which was a bonus and my next event will be Hyde Park World Cup.

Full Results

Total Time 01:45:25
Stage - Swim Open - Time 00:18:39
Stage - Transition - Time 00:01:38
Stage - Bike - Time 00:54:40
Stage - Transition - Time 00:01:47
Stage - Run - Time 00:28:42

Back into Training for the end of the season Races July 20th 2009

Training over the last week has been going well, I have been putting some extra bike miles for New York City tri as last year I lost 1 min to Greg Bennit on the bike and found the bike very testing with the hills and wind so hopefully I will be more prepared
Most of my training here has been in Iowa. I have a friend who does Ironman TJ Tollakson. TJ has been helpful to train with  as a pro Iron man athlete he has been giving me some great long distance tips for the World 70.3 champs at the end of the year.
 
TJ also sent me to see his bike Mechanic who had me set up on my Focus Izalco Chrono to try to get me as aero dynamic as possible.  I did this last year and it worked very well and now I feel I have maximum power out put and comfort ability without getting a sore back.
I am doing a group ride on Tuesday night on my TT bike which I'm not that comfortable with but I have no choice as my other bike has been sent back to the UK. The group ride is flat and fast and like all chain gangs there are big arguments at the end too much testosterone. I also have a build run in the morning then a swim and looking forward to that ride again. Next up for me NYC then the two London Races, The London triathlon and The London world cup in Hyde Park see you then.
 

My First Windsor Triathlon Win June 16th 2009

I wasnt sure how I was going to feel after having my wisdom tooth out two says prior to Windsor but as I had missed some training My coach (Pictured here with me left and Jodie Stimpson winner of the womens race at windsor)thought it would be best to try to get another hard hit out before I departed to go to the USA for Washington and Des Monies world cups over the next two weeks.

So I started and felt ok pushing the swim out pretty hard at the front with a small pack of guys. We came out together and there were about 5-6 of us. One of those was Mark Jenkins who hadn't raced for 3 years so was great to see him back and up there with us in the swim. Mark actually pushed hard with me on the bike but it was about half way where we were caught by some of the runners including the British steeple chaser Adam Bowden. Every one is talking about how fast he runs so although at the time I didn't even know it was him I was trying to concentrate on my own race.

It was at the last roundabout on the bike I decided to try to get a small break so I could get into transition first. I went onto the run with a small gap of a few seconds and hit the hard run to get a gap. at the 3k mark I had 20 sec on Adam Bowden and held it until the finish. I felt pretty strong and was pleased with my result as I have never won Windsor triathlon before. Jodie Stimpson coached by Team Dillon (Michelle) also won and broke the record so I was really happy for her and that Michelle is doing such a good job with us and making us run so fast.

My next race is Washington world cup the Des monies world cup a week later. Happy training everyone.

From Madrid to  Blenheim June 11th 2009

In Madrid World Cup last weekend I crossed the line almost in last place and then yesterday in Blenheim I won. Sometimes you cant explain some bad performances but yesterday I just had my wisdom tooth pulled out becasue it was infected and maybe this explains why I have been feeling so low on energy during my race in Madrid.

It was a very cold day at Blenham this year, to be honest I was a little concerned as Im very lean at the momnent so I new I had to push the pace to stay warm. 

I had a great swim and exited the water in 2nd place and with the run from the water to our bikes T1 being about 1km up hill I new it was a good place to make a break. i got onto my bike with about a 5 second lead so I went for it but was caught at about 3k on the bike by a pack of 10. There were some attacks from the pack but it came to nothing so I new it was going to be a fast 5km run. I got into T2 first and lead out onto the run, I was hoping it was going to be a straight forward win from there but I was joined by Jonney Brownley so we ran side by side for about 3.5k when I decided the only way I could win would be to attack on the final climb and it worked which gave me the win. 

That was my second Blenheim victory so it was a very good day for me. I realized last week in Madrid must have been some kind of virus or the wisdom tooth rotting on me and just didnt have the energy which lead to a poor performance in my books. My next race is Washington World Cup in the US then onto Des Monies where I will be hoping to have much better performances. Fingers crossed!!

St Croix 70.3 May 2008

I arrived in St Croix on the Monday about a week before the race. I wanted to get there early so I could check the course out and get acclimitised to the hot humid conditions.

Being in such a relaxed place and swimming in the Carribean every day made race day come around quickly and before I new it I was on the start line for my first half Iron Man.

For me the swim was easy, I kept myself at the front of the swim and exited secound with about nine others.  When I hit the bike my legs felt great but I new it was early days and I just Had to stay in the pack until I hit the first big hill of the day.  The first big hill was about 25 miles into the bike, it was the beast and it gave my legs a good shake up.  Coming down the beast I over shot the corner and ended up in a bush rapped around barb wire which gave me a very nasty cut on my arms.
I lost a lot of time from this crash and ended up 4 mins down off the bike.  I felt quiet good going out onto the run, my legs were very heavy but I knew It could be possible to catch some of the struggling runners from the pack I was in orginally.

After 10km I knew I was just too far back and only ran one person down so had to settle for 6th place which was still enough to qualify for the 70.3 World Championships later on in the year in Florida. This made it all worth while and looking forward to that race now as well as all the other races coming up.

My next race is the French GP on May 24th which is a sprint race and then Madrid World Cup a week later on May 31st. I will keep you up to date.

Travelling & Training 15th Dec 08

I have finally arrived on the Gold Coast and got the best week of training in this winter with Jet lag.  Me and Michelle had a stop over in Singapore at the airport hotel which had a 30m outdoor pool and a great gym with treadmill so I made the most of that and managed to squeeze an hour run in as well as a 3km swim. We then headed down to the shops for the day before flying out that evening.
 
I hit my first Crit bike race on Saturday morning and struggled but wasn’t hurting as much as I thought I was going too.  With five laps to go our group was joined by an other cyclist and he gave me a push when I couldn’t go through, and when I looked over my shoulder to see how it was it was Robbie Mc Ewen just checking out the bike circuit. So maybe he will be down next  week.
 
Xmas is just around the corner and I am visiting some friends and family so Im really looking forward to this coming few weeks. After the festive season is finished It will be time to get back into the real training and
stringer together some serious miles.

Dallas Open Triathlon  (5th Oct 2008)

With Dallas being the last race in the series and three athletes Myself, Andy Potts (World 70.3 Champion) and Greg Bennett Last years series winner that could take the overall series in one race I new the pace would be on from the gun.

It was a non wet suit swim so that was great news for Andy potts and he took the swim out extra fast, I came out of the swim in the main pack with all the main contenders including Matt reed (USA tri champion) and Greg Bennett
The chase was on for Courtney Atkinson (Australia Olympian) and Potts the two swim leaders. After 20 kilometres the main pack which I was in caught the two swim leaders and I knew it was going to be between the three of us on the run. Onto the run my legs felt very heavy the reason being I had to bike very hard to stay in the lead pack and with it being non drafting I could not just sit at the back and wait for the run.

Greg took off and left me and Andy to running together and at 5K Andy dropped me and I had to settle for 3rd place 1 min behind Greg and 30 sec behind Andy and 3rd overall in the series.

With Dallas being my last race of the season I just would like to say thank you to Focus for supplying me with such great bikes, Wiggle for all the other equipment which you need so you can race against the worlds best and Team Dillon for changing my training and giving me my best season in my career.

Los Angeles to Malibu Triathlon

(7th Sept 2008)

What a week it has been for me with two races in 6 days. I am still currently in the USA at the moment and fly back to the UK later tonight.
I flew over form London 10 days ago to race the LA triathlon which was very tough because form the start I felt flat & tired and did not have much to give during the swim and when I ran up to my bike I knew I it was going to be a tough day. My legs felt heavy and there are days when you know you havent got the zip to lift to that next level. However I pushed on and rode as hard as I could and managed to hold my position in 4th on the bike but lost 2 minutes to Greg Bennett the eventual winner who was flying that day and is a great athlete, one of the best in the world in fact. I was dissapointing coming off the bike as I knew I had riden poorly and lost alot of time to the leader and the others in front of me. Once onto the run we hit some hills and they were tough really tough but I managed to close down Brent Mc mahon from canada and held my position to the finish. Its amazing how dissapointed you can be after winning a big race like chicago two weeks earlier but made me realise I needed to take things abit easier with malibu triathlon only 6 days away.
So after having a much easier weeks training and finally adjusting to the time difference things were alot easier in Malibu and I felt so much fresher having come into transition first from the swim I immediately jumped on my bike and found my legs. Then towards the end of the bike I rode strongly to get as much time as I could on the others behind ready for the run. when on the run I knew I could win and at the turnaround I could see only olly Freeman close enough to challenge me so pushed it abit harder and made sure I kept the gap big enough so he wouldnt get to close.
I ran to the finish with a smile on my face and knew it was another win under my belt as I havent had as many wins as I have had this year. So the training is paying off for sure and look forward to my next race in Dallas in 4 weeks time.

Stu

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