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03/09/08 - what now?

After a very negative last post I thought I would write and let you know whats going on now!

I took a big blow at the Olympics, It left a hollow hole thats for sure and I still feel really gutted two weeks down the line!

Once the race was over in the village I really tried to enjoy the whole experience. What a great games it really was...The stadiums were incredible, the organisation was 2nd to none with 50,000 volunteers. The food hall...We really made the most of with a couple of great nights out at the Bud Bar, (free entry and free bud) It was the first time in a couple of years what I saw everyone out relaxing and having a good time. Great reward for all the hard work. We watched a fair few events. We went to the track 3 nights running. The Bus goes from the athletes village, underneath the track where we get out and walk in for free and sit right at the front with out accreditation! �300 seats for free!

Since I returned back I have tried to crack on. However Its very, very half hearted. I have set myself up with at least one race every weekend to help me see the season out. Its really a shift of focus though. The Olympics takes so much out of you that you really cant go hard anymore! So I'm just trying to enjoy it and use the fitness I got from the Olympics to get me around! I don't intend to swim another 5k swim set or run over 1hr for a good while!

I'm going to take a good break this year, probably a month off as well as this quiet time now to refresh for the next Olympic cycle. I'm looking forward to having my chat with Dan about the plan, what went wrong, what we need to do now...

The first thing I'm going to do is really work on my swimming, were going to take my stroke to bits and do technique for a good while. I believe I can swim as fast as I ever have just off technique training and then bung the miles ontop when it's good. The good thing is I know I can get fit and strong so I'm trying to be smarted with it now!

I want to thank everyone again for their support on email, facebook, text message. My friends even got their party on BBC look east all dressed up as Olympians at 3am!

Cheers

Will

24/08/08 - What happened?

Well, thats it for another four years. Im really glad its over now, it's a big weight off the shoulders but it's really not how I pictured it and I'm desperately dissapointed with the result that I got out of it, it's left a big hollow hole!

As I have been reporting in my earlier blogs, everything was going going how I could have hoped and I got to the start line in great shape.

In the swim I just feel like I didn't really have it. I was relatively slow off the start line, and got a real beating in the first 100m. I still thought I was doing ok but my goggles were steamed up and I really couldn't see what was going on so I ended up missing the break in the swim...

At first I thought this was no major problem as this happens a lot and usually I can chase and get back on. However I was about one of 10 people in the whole race who missed the swim break and this put me in trouble. After 15k of chasing with Gemmell, Colluchi, Vidal and Serrano eventually we got on the pack. This time, I was in trouble though, I had to work hard to get us up there and for the remainder of the bike I just wasn't recovering fast enough, I knew I would be in trouble now, especially as all of the best guys were in the front pack saving their energy while I spend mine to bring them back.

Onto the run, I just didn't feel good enough to keep at the front and after 2.5k, I started to get time put into me. I was hoping by the run I would be feeling great and will be mixing it up at the front in the top 5. It was just too hot for me though and the bike took too much out of me. I tried my hardest though and finished up in 14th, 1.5mins behind Jan Frodeno who put in an awesome performance to win it.

It was very motivating to get a result like this however. I have learnt heaps from this race and one of those things being you really have to be bullet proof to win. This time round, my swimming was not good enough. I have never really focused on it enough for long enough. I have always realised it's not as good as it can be but there has always been more important aspects to focus on like my running and biking. I'm excited to start the winter. It will see a shift in priority, my swimming will now become a big focus. I'm sure I will be doing some really big swimming blocks but first of all working on my technique. I will always have Beijing on my mind and the fact that if I had been swimming well enough in Beijing I may have been pushing for the podium.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me through this, you have all been amazing. Especially my family (including Clare+Lola) Coach Dan Salcedo, Manager Richard Downey, my sponsors for getting me there on all the best equipment and my friends watching at silly o'clock.

Will

08/08/08 - Korea so far..

It's been going very well out here so far. We are a week and a half down and this time next week we will be travelling to Beijing and settling down in the village! Exciting times!

So not really been up to much really, just basically getting the speed work done which is taking quite a lot out of me and recovering from it. Dan's pushing me a lot harder then I expected out here, I thought I would be climbing the walls for two weeks before the games but in fact I'm pretty tired and got a rest day today! Should be easy all the way in now I would have thought:)

This week I managed to fit in 3x track sessions. Including my Beijing special which involves 2 tough hill climbs in each lap and running fast over the top. Lots of fast swimming and 2x HARD motor pacing sessions behind Dan on the moped! Its been pretty enjoyable and my good form has continued to make this trip even more exciting for me. The track sessions went well, I ran as fast as I ever have and maybe a bit faster! (hard to tell with the heat and hill reps) I also swam my fastest ever 100m rep in training the other day and motor pacing is feeling good, we got up to 70KPH on the flat and we have been keeping up the miles to ensure I'm strong enough for anything in Beijing!

Thats all I have to report really, think Clare and I are going to go to the beach today for our first day off since the Spanish camp!

I look forward to updating you on the Olympic Games village vibe:)

Will

31/07/08 - In Korea with a lot of confidence now:)

Hey everyone.

Well it�s the middle of the night in Cheju in Korea, I went to bed at 8:00pm and just woke up at 12:30am! Not a good start, think I�m going to try to do the first nights sleep in two parts. I had a reasonable journey, at least this time we got to fly business class so managed to get in some good food and got myself comfortable enough to sleep on the flight.

I am delighted to report that at the weekend I won the Corus Elite National Champs in Wales this weekend. My first senior national title breaking Tims 4 year in a row record.

Again I didn�t really back off at all going into the race as I have bigger ambitions. When I arrived back from Spain I went straight to London with very tired legs to race the Great Capital 10k. It was amazing to run in a star studded field and race some of the Worlds best Kenyans. I did a good job, the effort was there, I ran 30:30. I was leading still at 2k and felt fantastic and comfortable but unfortunately didn�t really have the legs after Spain to finish it off well at all. I was happy to finish around some of the best 10k runners in the UK though and also only 1.15 mins behind the fastest Kenyan. The boys were saying to take off a minute from my performance as it was such a slow course so it showed good form especially with very tired legs.

I kept up the hard work right till Wednesday evening with some decent intensity and volume and after my performance on the track where I was at least a couple of seconds slower then usual per 400m, we called it a block.

I had two days really easy going into Nationals, I needed to freshen up enough from the work load to race hard enough to get the benefits. I knew that everything had gone really well for me, but to be fair it has all year (in training). I was looking for a good work out, but deep down, if it was possible I wanted a confidence booster in my last race before the Olympics.

The swim went great, I was a little bit down after the 1st lap but I saw the gap and shut it down as quickly as possible. I came out of the water with the main bunch and worked the first 5 laps of the hilly bike course to try to get a breakaway going and make in interesting, however when I realised the only guys I was dropping are the athletes who won�t give me any hassle on the run I stopped trying and saved my legs but I was really pleased with how strong I was riding. I managed to get myself 1st onto the run course and from here I took control of the race, It was a great feeling because I felt like for the first time I had enough form to surge and run at a sustained hard pace. It got better through the race, I just kept winding it up through every lap and eventually I was running on my own and putting time into the other guys. I think this is my best ever race because about 100m before the finish gantry I had about 30 seconds on 2nd place. After about 20 seconds of celebrating my run split was 30:50 so to be honest I couldn�t be happier getting on the plane with this sort of form. That race was just what the doctor ordered.

Will

24/07/08 - Spain

Spain was fantastic, great weather (sun everyday) good terrain, nice hotel, great company, decent food, all we needed really. ...Dawn Brook and I got in great shape out there. The volume was reasonably high, but the intensity was really high. We did 3 run sessions a week and 2 of those were really tough ones! We ran just over 100 miles running in the week. About 12 hours of riding and we pretty much swam every day:)

If I dont go well in Beijing now, then I'm not sure whats up. Feel in really good shape now and very happy with how this block has gone. Not sure what else we could have done.

Just been biding the time today. Packing the huge amount of Olympic kit that we got given and doing my jobs before we head off.

Got Nationals on Saturday. I feel good about it, as long as my legs are functioning! Its going to be very hit and miss as we have all finished what should have been a really tough block. Ali Brownlee, Stu Hayes, Tim Don, Olly Freeman, Amos, Fraser and many more are all racing. Im looking forward to it and It will be a good chance to test out my form and get a solid hit out. If it goes well it's really on for Beijing! If I don't I wont read much into it, as long as I get it all out on race day thats all I can do. My training is going great so (hopefully) it's just a matter of time before I see that form.

I will write again from Korea where the speed work starts!

Bill

09/07/08 - French GP and Prep stuff:)

When I came back from America, got myself recovered and put in what felt like a massive 9 days, the hours were not too bad�just 30. However it felt very tough because there was always a very intense session on each day. This really kicked my ass into shape. On the last day of this little block I travelled to Paris for the Beauvais French Grand Prix. When I arrived at Racing Club I did 1.5hrs running off the flight and when we got off the bus at Beauvais another 30minutes with some sprints to gear myself up for my race. What I hoped would be a vast improvement on how I have been currently performing especially as it was the 2nd to last race before the Olympics!

It was a massive improvement, but also a very stupid race. My swim was terrible, this is standard for me when I am training full on. I was at the back (pretty much) I was looking back all the time on the swim and I couldn�t see anyone. Giving me my dues though, I felt terrible I couldn�t produce the power in my arms and wasn�t even swimming how I would on a bad day! When I was splashing up and down though I thought, I�m not tired here at all. I just cant swim faster!

Onto the bike I had a lot of work to do, there were a lot of groups forming ahead of me and the power was really down today. I felt good enough though to catch and I did some really strong turns and with the help of some others we got onto the lead packJ I was lucky today I think! However the course is only wide enough for 2 athletes on bikes all the way so unfortunately I was stuck at the back wasting more energy then my rivals out of the turns. I also got into transition at the back with my GB Olympic team mate Alistair Brownlee. So giving some very fast athletes a good 10+ seconds on me before I began. I now have to run 14:48 for the 5k to win, Tim and Gemmell only have to run 15:00minutes this is a big difference! However I hit the run and I felt brilliant! Ali and I set off on a mission swapping turns. We were going past other athletes so fast, Tim and Gemmell were miles away though and they looked to be going well and trying to stay away from everyone else. Ali and I were running so fast for this first lap though that I thought we could catch them and we did after a 3k. After dropping Moulai who won the Dunkerque FGP and 2nd at Euros qualifying him for the Olympics and then Freddy Belaubre. It was just Gemmell, Tim, Ali and I left and then the attacks formed and I came off worst in 4th place but it was very tight and was great to have one the fastest runs of the race and I�m not sure but it felt like I was running at my fastest ever as well even after all the energy sapping mistakes.

I was really chuffed with how I felt today. The race didn�t come together too well as I raced it so tired but I think it shows I�m in great shape and still have lots more to come. I also think I was a bit soft at the end, after all the bad races this year I haven�t had a chance to really hurt myself in the last 500m like I needed to today to get the win, It is difficult when you are running so fast because you don�t know your limits, the legs are not the limiting factor for once, its your head and how much you want it! I guess I wasn�t really expecting to run like this so I wasn�t prepared for the last 500m effort. I still think I had a bit left to give at the end. You can guarantee this won�t happen in Beijing though!

Clare and I are off to Spain now for our Olympic Prep Camp with Hollie, Tim, Fraser Cartmell (Nessy) and DaWn Brook along with all the support staff. Should be great I�m looking forward to coming out the other end 100% prepared!

I�m off for a Croissant and hot Choc in Paris.

Bill