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Posted on Tuesday Feb 7 10:32:00 UTC 2012
  We had our honeymoon in Laguna Phuket Thailand before our wedding as we knew the best time to take a break was over Christmas before training really began. The last time we were there was in 2002 for the triathlon, we enjoyed it so much that we wanted to go back to relive our experience and we once again had a fantastic time. We stayed at Laguna Phuket which is tucked away from the hussle and bussle but that is what we preferred. When we came back to OZ we were ready to get back into work, you know you have had a holiday when you have that feeling
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. I use Maxifuel Products which are great and work very well in all conditions.
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 and enjoyed the day drinking coffee all day, which we all know makes you very dehydrated. So when i got home in the evening it was time to try and play catch up on the hydration but it 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 nightmare. The only reason for this was dehydration. I was fully rested and didntt feel tired just thirsty on the warm up. So even if you have a rest day make sure you keep sipping on the electrolyte drink with water and stay off the coffee.
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, So I hope everyone is training well no matter where you are in the world, make the most of a bad situation and stay positive as thats what I am trying to do when things get a bit tough out here.
I just want to say a big thank you to all my sponsors for 2012 Team Dillon Coaching, Speedo UK, View Hotels, Maxifuel, BMW, Scott Bikes, & Oakley. Your support is pricless, here is to a great 2012!
Catch up soon.
Stu
Posted on Sunday Nov 20 10:12:00 UTC 2011
I would have to say 2011 was the toughest season of my career yet and to be honest I’m glad its behind me but I definitely feel like i have learnt a lot about my body this year which will help me in the future. After winning my first ever World Cup Super Series event in Kitzbuhel in 2010 i felt motivated to train hard from the start of my winter block training, but this actually turned out to be a bad move and resulted in a very tight hamstring and tendonitis in my right knee which was just the beginning of what was to come. I managed my injury the best i could throughout the winter, i was using voltaren anti- inflammatories to get through most of my key sessions and I was also having lots of massage treatment. Then i discovered i was allergic to voltaren which made a lot of sense as i constantly had gut problems on a daily basis. So here i was using anti-inflammatories to help me train through my injury yet i was making myself sick at the same time i got really run down and had to take a whole 2 weeks off my important winter block training. So I was starting off the season with not the winter block of training i had hoped for with injury and sickness and taking valuable time off. Over the season i did see a number of, physio’s, masseurs and doctors while i was training and racing but no one really had the answer to help me move forward so i knew then and there it was going to be a long season and it hadn’t even really began. Despite this i did have some great races which showed towards the end of the year when i started to hit some form when i placed 3rd in the Hy Vee Des Moines 5150 final which is the unofficial non drafting World Championships, as you can imagine i was very pleased considering i had not been able to push really hard in most of my key sessions in training. After the race though i did not pull up the greatest, i had a major tooth ache which ended up being diagnosed a tooth infection which needed root canal surgery, so disappointment crept in again and therefore there was no making it to the start line for Beijing ITU triathlon world cup final which is one of my qualifying races for Olympic selection. I have now just come off a much needed 3 week break feeling refreshed and I am back into light training. I also have a great strength and conditioning program which is sorting my leg out, so i am feeling in high spirits and i am very excited for the 2012 season. I know although this year will require a lot of hard work and dedication as per usual, I can’t help but think it might be a little easier than last year. We also have some new members in Team Dillon for 2012 and if things go right I have every chance to make the British Olympic Team this year which would be wonderful. Michelle and I are also getting married on the Gold Coast in January which is also very exciting, so 2012 is definitely going to be starting off on a high so lets hope it stays like that the whole way through. Bring on 2012 I say!!!! |
