So I have been out on the Gold Coast now for two weeks and instead of the usual “balls in the wheelie bin” sessions – it feels like it has been the balls have been in the wheelie bin 100% non stop!

Things have really been ramped up this winter, which is exactly what I need to step my performance up this year. The sessions have really been pushing me to the limits not only physically but mentally too. I’m cycling behind Stuart and Michelle on the easy and not so easy rides at the minute, but I can feel myself getting stronger but when I am getting stronger so are Michelle and Stuart! So I am playing catch up at the moment, but that’s what I need so bring it on.

Even though I am not running, swimming and cycling super fast at the minute – I am loving training out here . . . I mean how can you not when the sun is shinning and you’re doing what you love for a living.

I am doing my training in the swimming pool and running with Stuart, which is great to have a athlete that pushes as hard as you in sessions. He really drives me through the session when I am hurting and its great to have some one there going through the pain with you as well. But what makes the session even better is having the coach on the side lines that knows how each session feels and really understands and gives you the motivation to get through them.

Michelle is not only getting me through the hard swim and run session but in the bike session she is training herself, which is great for me as now I have not only Stuart’s skinny ass to chase. She is training for the National Road Race Championships and she is going very strong.

We did a session around a place called Nerang and it’s a two and half minute circuit, with half of it up hill. When I have to go hard, to have Michelle next to me shouting at me to dig in – it just makes you push that little bit more. It just shows how strong she is when she is still shouting at you when were both cycling up the hill! But I love it.

I had a quick look at my diary today and noticed that it is only eight weeks till Mooloolaba World Cup. . . . so I best keep working hard!!

Eight weeks is nothing when you think about it and I have never raced Mooloolaba but I have heard so much about it. I am really excited about racing even though I have a long way to go until I am ready.

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Patrick (the awesome guy who is financially helping me out A LOT this year) works for the Hyatt Hotels out on the Gold Coast and he was kind enough to give me and my family a gift to stop at the Hyatt in Birmingham. It was a chance, before I leave them for 18 weeks, to spend some quality time with them. It was a fantastic night where we had gorgeous rooms, had a fabulous meal and I mean a fabulous meal, the absolute dogs lol and most importantly I got to spend some time with the people most important to me.

I want to say a huge THANK YOU Patrick; we all had a fantastic night.

Xxx

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Today I had a new experience I ran my first ever 10k running race – which wasn’t after a 1500m swim and 40k bike. I’ve got to say I think I prefer to run it off the bike than fresh -weird I know – but I find it easier to run off a bike than not.

So I ran the Cambridge 10k alongside Stuart, Bex and Michelle who also raced – which I loved! To be racing against the person I look up to the most is an experience in itself and even though Michelle doesn’t run very much anymore she is a force to be reckoned with! As she showed when she ran in – what she called a Boxing Day fun run. But she would never not take a running race seriously.

The Cambridge 10k was a great course, quite open at times and cold until you got into it but what fun!! I didn’t run the quickest time coming in with 34.51 but for December it will do. Will Clarke won the race in 30.05, Stuart ran 32, Bex ran a 41 and Michelle who has done no bloody running comes in with a 37.38 – I don’t know how she does it off no running. It was a good day at the office by all.

I stayed up in Loughborough to see in the New Year with Michelle, Stuart and Bex. We went out for a really nice meal and stayed off the pop. It was definitely more fun watching everyone get wasted. I was in stitches all night and I also got the joy of waking up the next morning feeling fine J.

I want to wish everyone all the very best for 2010 and I hope all of your wishes come true.

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God I love Christmas, it’s the time of year where I get to spend the most time with my family. However before I start the Christmas countdown, I have been having some great sessions up at Loughborough with Michelle. The balls were defiantly in the wheelie bin and a true reminder of what I am so excited about in Australia.

The flights are booked and I’m leaving on the 13th of January and I will stay on the Gold Coast, until I race the Mooloolaba World Cup. I’ll then be moving onto the first of the World Championship Series in Sydney.

I’m finally finishing off the last hard week of training (which I can’t believe has been a 6 weeks training block already) Michelle has then set me an easy week over Christmas, which on one hand I am looking forward to – as I know the 27 day countdown to Australia will come very quickly – but on the other I’ve never taken a easy week over Christmas, so I know having more time on my hands may be challenging.

Talking of having more time on my hands, I did my final day at Oldbury College Of Sport today, where I have worked for 4 years. I am sad to leave all the great people that I work with there, but training has got to the point where I just don’t have time to work. So from today I am a full time athlete! It is scary but exciting. I won’t have any financial support from British Triathlon this season so I will be racing to earn a living and keep myself afloat – so I best knuckle down!

All the staff at Oldbury College of Sport have been great to me, both whilst I was a pupil and as a member of staff. Without their support over the past few years I wouldn’t have been able to progress and improve. It was sad to leave the staff as they are all motivational, hard working people and Oldbury College of Sport is definitely “the best school in Sandwell!”

So I’m leaving the best school in Sandwell, but as John [Martin] always says “he doesn’t want to be the best school in Sandwell – he wants to be the best school in the Midlands.” So as he moves forward with the school, I’m looking at moving forward with Team Dillon for 2010!

Now it’s on with Christmas week J Santa is on his way so I hope you have all been good. Be careful out there whoever is training in the snow over Christmas.

Merry Christmas and all the best for 2010!

xxx

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So I have been back into training now for four weeks and have just started to get some intense sessions into my training programme now. They’re not the full “balls in the wheelie bin” sessions yet but they’re definitely getting there.

I’m pleased to say that I’ve never been swimming, cycling or running stronger at this time of the year before – which makes me really excited about the forthcoming winter training block.

My flights have now been booked for Australia, and I am flying out on the 13th January, which can’t come soon enough. Michelle has been plotting some of these full “balls in the wheelie bin sessions” ready for touch down on the Gold Coast – which I can’t wait to get stuck into!

Before I start getting into all the intense hard core training sessions, we had a bit of a blow out and amazing Team Dillon Christmas party in London. Most of Michelle’s athletes came and had a brill meal at Chelsea Football Club before heading off into London where we carried on celebrating everyone’s great seasons.

I drank far too much – but hey it’s Christmas (nearly!). I also got to meet some great people on the night and we all had a blast!

And a big thank you to Michelle for organising and hosting such a great night.

I want to end this blog in passing on my respects and sincere condolences to Peter Holmes’ family. It is a tragic loss to anyone and everyone who knew Peter. He was a great guy and will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.

R.I.P Peter Holmes

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Hello again, I’ve been back in training now for just a week – after doing absolutely nothing for two weeks! This is the first time I’ve actually taken any time off and done NOTHING, and to be honest, I needed it!

I really enjoyed not having to get up early and being able to eat junk food (I loved my trip to the Chinese, Chippy and Pizza Hut) but I soon missed the training. A week and a half later, I started to crave the training but Michelle was strict on me and made sure I finished my full two weeks off – ready to get back into training again.

As some of you have probably know I had a small article in the 220 magazine, which was about me not being on the World Class Programme for the 2010 season. Whilst what was written in 220 was true, in that I am not part of the funded squads this coming year – my end of season review with British Triathlon went surprisingly well.

They were extremely pleased with how my season had gone and I have ONE person to thank for that – Michelle. The review also covered my coaching plans and again they were more than pleased with who I was working with, well how can they not? With the huge improvements I have made this season it’s a no brainer really, especially when you consider we haven’t even been together for a full 12 months.

Working with Michelle has changed me as an athlete and as a person. She has not only opened so many doors for me in triathlon but has done so much more for me on a personal front. The best coach and a friend rolled into one.

So although I’m obviously disappointed not to be on programme, I am confident that my decision has been supported by the BTF and I am more than confident of achieving what is needed for the up and coming season. The most difficult part is the obvious drop in the cash based funding, which will have a big impact on things – however we are working hard to try and put things in place to help support me over the coming season. Naturally this is extremely hard with the current way of the world, but I’m hopeful and grateful to the people that are looking to help me get through 2010.

I am really looking forward to the winter and the 2010 season ahead. Getting a full winter training schedule under Team Dillon – which I missed out on last year – will move me up a level for next year and Michelle keeps sniggering at some of “balls in the wheelie bin” sessions that she has got planned. . . . BRING IT ON!

Back into training this week saw me swimming like a brick, cycling like I had had a flat tyre and running like an elephant – which Bex and I were finding highly amusing. The swim sets we were doing together felt like we were at altitude, but we’re slowly starting to get some sort of fitness back and feeling a bit more human in training sessions as the week goes on.

I am looking forward to those “balls in the wheelie bin” sessions which at the moment, are just not coming soon enough. But as I am awaiting the hard stuff, Stuart still has one more race left – the 70.3 World Championships. I don’t know anyone who trains harder than Stu and he is more than deserving a cracking race, so. . .
GOOD LUCK FOR NEXT WEEKEND STU!

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My last race of the season was the Barcelona Triathlon, I flew in for the race on Friday evening with my training buddy Bex Milnes. We arrived on Friday night at the Princess Hotel where IMG had provided me with some great accommodation (thank you very much!). We woke up on Saturday and did the usual race prep day and really just got ready to race on Sunday.

Race day:

At the minute I just can’t seem to get away from these early morning starts, as in my past two races, I have set up transition in the dark! Barcelona was no exception. We were setting transition up at 6.30am and then after a run warm up we went down to the swim start and was faced with some great waves yet again. It was Bex’s first sea swim so we headed out and I gave her a few tips on how to handle the waves. But avoiding drowning was the main topic of conversation before the start!

This race had a twist, as we started at the same time as the men – so it was a slightly rougher swim than normal – but as a bonus we could also draft off the men on the swim and the bike, which would equal a fast day at the office.

The gun went and we ran in from the beach hitting the waves head on, I got an okay start and found some feet quickly before the first buoy, there was a group away and I was in the second bunch.

Into T1 and Vodakova (who I had been told was nifty on her feet) was just in front of me but I had a good transition and headed out onto the bike as the first female. I tried to get onto two men’s wheels that were just up the road but they were to strong and I just couldn’t catch them.

I put my head down and just went to time trial mode but found Vodakova attached to my wheel – but I didn’t panic and just kept working hard. She came through as much as she could but after lap one of three, a male came past – who we had beat out the water – and I jumped straight onto his wheel and stayed there really until the end of the second lap. A bunch of what looked to be proper cyclists came flying past (who were in the team race) and I jumped again latching onto them and they took me into T2 BUT. . . . Vodakova remained on my wheel.

Into T2 and I knew I had been running strong, so I was confident I would run well. I ran out of T2 with two other men; not looking back I went out as hard as I could and I didn’t let off. I kept running hard and one man dropped off and I ran in front of the other male elite until 8k where the bugger came past me and managed to get a little gap. But I held the gap until the finish line where I tried to sprint him – but couldn’t quite get past. Damn it!

I won the race today, not sure of the time but was chuffed to finish my 2009 race season on a high note. To be honest I’m really lucky as most of my 2009 season has been a high and I’m so lucky to have the family, friends and coach that I have to help make this possible. ‘Cloud 9′ I think it’s called!

I’m now on strict instructions to have two weeks off, which will be hard on one hand but I’m looking forward to it on the other. It will get me ready to put them balls in the wheelie bin over the winter in preparation for the 2010 season.

Now it’s time to chill, rest and enjoy some well earned time off.

Thanks for everyone’s support this year – and here’s hoping to some more success in 2010!

Be sure to keep checking on my pre season preparations as we build towards a really important year.

Jodie
xxx

Related categories: 2012, Athletics, Jodie Stimpson, Olympics

So I’m sitting in the airport waiting to go home. I’ve got a 9hour flight ahead of me which is not really that long considering not long ago I took a 24hour flight from London to Australia – well when I say not long ago it was actually 6-7 weeks ago.

I raced in the Dallas Fitness Series triathlon yesterday, which was my second non drafting race and yet again I loved it!

It was put on fantastically well by the fitness series and was such a great event. I will talk you through the race. . . .

I got up at 4.00am and made myself a coffee (it wasn’t the nicest of hotel coffees in the room though), had brekkie and then down to reception where we got driven to T2 to drop off our running trainers and race belts. We then jumped on the bus and to the race start.

When we got to the race start it was still pitch black (as you would expect it to be at 5.45am) so I set up transition and went for a job warm up with Stuart, along with Greg and Laura Bennett. We then went back to the swim start to get into my wetsuit for a warm up. Even though it was a non wetsuit swim, I warmed up in the wetsuit to keep warm, because it was raining and the air temperature was still cold. Thanks to Orca, I was able to swim in one of their Swimskin speed suits that they sent over to me. A big thank you to you guys – it made a big difference!!

So I went into the water in the dark to do my swim warm up and then before I knew it. . . it was time to start. The men were off first and then the women went a minute or so after. I started next to Julie Dibens as I know that she is a fast swimmer – the aim was to try and sit on her feet and fortunately I was able to do that.

I was pleased with my swim and then went onto the bike. I know now that I have really got to get stuck into my bike and get much stronger. The women took a lot out of me on the bike, but then I ran the 3rd fastest run split and got myself into 10th place overall – so I was pleased.

The two races in America have really opened my eyes to just how much work I have got to do over the winter. But I’m really looking forward to working with Michelle over the winter and getting it done!

So my plans for the next month. . .

I’ve got one more race left of my season – it’s a race in Barcelona which I’m competing in with my training buddy Bex Milnes. I just want to say a big thanks to Bex for the past week. Even though she hasn’t been out in America with me she has been great over emails, Facebook and she has helped me out so much coping with the loss of my Nan (making me smile on a very hard day with a video pre race chat – which was fantastic! Check it out on Facebook now!!)

After the race in Barcelona I’m having some well earned time off, to spend with family and friends, eat what’s bad for me but tastes so good, to not get up for early morning training and relax.

I will let you know how my last race goes in Barcelona.

Related categories: 2012, Athletics, Jodie Stimpson, Olympics