Hi everyone.

I’ve been getting settled back in the UK for a week now and I think I had a fairly good trip back  after my race in Sydney. I’m just getting settled back into a routine now. Training changes now I’m home to fit in with all the various groups here. Takes a while to get used to it again. Like Tuesday night track session followed by early morning swimming…ouch!

It’s great to be home after being away so long.  I’m not sure I’ve seen the sun yet which is a bit annoying but hey…that’s England!

I had a decent race in Sydney. I was happy with my form there. It is hard to race well at that time of year because it certainly, for me anyway, takes till July to REALLY find my legs and start bashing out the big performances. Unfortunately though even though 8th place in the World Series is a very solid performance, it does not help much in getting my place on the Olympic Team and it’s going to require a position much closer to the podium to get me on that start line racing for myself.  I’m told that if no one is competing on a podium level or close to then there will be selections focused on finding someone for a supporting role (domestique). Which I’d also probably apply for if I didn’t get selected.

We’ll find out if I’m good enough in just over 2 weeks time. Till then it’s hard down doing everything I can do to get on the start line in as good shape as possible.

Thanks everyone for your support, I’ve had many nice emails/twitter messages and facebook messages and it really means a lot and keeps me motivated.

If you’d like to read more about Sydney World Series, please tune into my blog here.

Things are starting to wrap up on the Gold Coast and we’re coming into the start of the race season again.  I’m looking forward to getting home, It’s gone amazingly out here and I wouldn’t change one day.  It’s really important to get in a big winter in order to go well for the whole season.  It’s where the foundations are laid and is also the only time where you can really make big changes and improvements.  With a bit of luck on my side, I think it’s going to be a great year. There really is nowhere like home though and I’m looking forward to getting back to my new house which i’ve hardly spent any time in and falling back into a routine in Loughborough.  Traditionally we’ll come home from here, take a week easy and then really start to come good for the European races. Bring it on!

This year I’m really excited to be working with a few more sponsors and I’d like to welcome along GE, Focus Bikes and Huub for the journey! I’ve just received my new Focus Izalco in the custom Team EJOT Buschutten colours.  It looks great don’t you think? I’m also looking forward to getting suited up in Huub wetsuits, I know a lot of great work has gone into their suits and i’m told they’re really fast!

It’s been a great weeks training since Mooloolaba, the race usually knocks you about with the tough run course so i’m lucky that I blew hard on the run because it meant I didn’t pull up sore at all!   It was really fun to catch up with friends from the circuit and soaking up the atmosphere on the Sunshine Coast. They really put on a great show, I’d recommend the event to anyone!  Unfortunately for me I always struggle in this one.  It’s really early for us Europeans to be ready for a race in March and you’re always a bit rusty still.  Even if you have spent the whole winter 2hrs down the road! After further analysis I also think that the course is not suiting my massive stride length, I’d prefer a hard bike and a flatter run course but hey…I hope it sets me up nicely for Sydney in a few weeks time. 9th place is not a bad start anyway.

So Sydney next, it’s the first World Championships Series race and it’s one of those vital opportunities to prove ourselves to the Olympic selectors.  They’re going to be looking for an athlete who can get among the medal zone from now until June so I’m hoping I’ve done enough to be that sort of athlete!  It’s going to be hard as always with the usual suspects like Tim Don and Stu Hayes as well as younger guys improving faster then anyone as you do at that age.

I hope everyone back home’s enjoying the spring weather, not long till the season starts now! it’s going to be a great year.

Clarkey

p.s. If you’d like to read more frequently about my adventures please check out my Real Buzz Blogs which I update weekly.

]]> http://will-clarke.com/mooloolaba-gold-coast-and-olympic-selection/feed/ 0 http://will-clarke.com/geelong-itu/ http://will-clarke.com/geelong-itu/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:21:13 +0000 Will http://will-clarke.com/?p=1029

Hi everyone! Hope they winter is not too cold for you!?

Things are going great in Australia.  The weathers been beautiful, the training environment has been motivating allowing us to keep on pushing and the quality of my training since I’ve been here has been consistently high. Happy days!

This weekend we headed down to Geelong (Victoria) to race in the first race of the year.  It was also the Aussie Sprint Championships so a strong field assembled full of Ozzies to get their foot into the door of Olympic selection and also guys like me looking to get fit for the first races of the year.  We stayed a bit out in a rented house with Jimmy Seear, sister Maxine, Liz Blatchford and Clare.  Was a room with a view as we were right on the ocean.  Made me pre race preparation swim and runs nice and easy and allowed us to go into the race chilled out!

I had a great swim coming out right on the front line of athletes. We pushed hard over the technical bike course but I mostly aimed to just stay a few athletes back so I’m not wasting too much energy pulling big turns but also not getting strung out around the corners.  I hit the run fast after a great transition and put up to 10 seconds into everyone but just before the last lap I was joined by my good friend and great athlete Laurent Vidal and he out kicked me on the sprint finish to win the race.  Doddsy rounded off the podium meaning that the Australian Sprint Championships didn’t get an Ozzie on the podium so we packed our bags and got out of there sharpish!

I’m happy with that start to my campaign, it was my first race, in early Febuary (not my kind of time of year) and that run speed soon comes once you have a few races under the belt.  It’ll get better and better over the next few months after more of the same back here on the coast.  I’m excited to see what the rest of the year holds. Whatever happens it’s going to be a great year!

By the way, ladies. I know what you’re thinking…Valentines day’s been and gone but if you want the high resolution picture emailed to your account for a background or a blown up poster then please just let me know.

Stay safe guys and gals

Hey everyone

I haven’t blogged for quite a while unfortunately mainly because it’s been quite a hectic period for me and I’ve been blogging a lot for Realbuzz which takes up a fair bit of my blog concentration!  So please check out the archives on that if you are interested.  My blogs can be read here.

So, what have I been so busy doing.

Well, obviously my training comes first, and it’s been going pretty well.  I’ve been hitting out some solid sessions in all 3 sports. Doing a fair bit of running with an amazing group we have down the track with Ryan Mcleod, John Beattie and James Wilkinson among the other lads.  We must have about 10 Sub 30min guys there right now! Swimming is going quite well swimming on my own as well as 3 times a week with the squad in the morning for the big swims and cycling is ticking along with various different groups.  It’s all been a bit too inconsistent for my liking though and consistency is the name of the game so. With all the media commitments, sponsor days and Christmas festivities, I decided by the start of the year i wanted to be out in Aus so I booked my flight to Australia and here I am…pumping the miles on the Gold Coast, getting in a consistently hard rhythm that’s going to set me up nicely for the season. gone! So far i’m not hurting too bad from the Jet Lag and it’s been awesome. Amazing weather and fantastic group to mix it up with.  I just came back from a criterium bike race with Courtney Atkinson and Stuey and some other Gold Coast roadies.

In other news Clare and I just moved house into Barrow Upon Soar which is 3 miles out of Loughborough.  It’s a nice village, with great community feel and the running is awesome straight from my door so we’re really happy with it!  This year we hosted Christmas and New Year for our families in our new home.

I’m really excited for 2012, it’s probably going to be the biggest year of my career in terms of ‘this is our chance to shine’ and ‘making it happen’. I along with everyone else is desperate to make the British Team in the 3rd spot so it’s going to be a scrap for it.  I feel like I’m in a great position after last year and I believe in myself to do it with a podium finish from 2011.  So I know when I am fit I can be racing at the very front but I’m going to need to prove it again in 2012 .  Come the first few races of the season I’ve got to be close to my best ever shape to give myself the chance.  British Triathlon wont take an also ran to London, they want a genuine medal contender, and we need to prove we can do this in the first 3 races of the year in Sydney, San Diego and Madrid.  If no one is capable of this then they’ll take a Domestique to pull together all the energy into the Brownlees chance.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year!

Will

I hope you all had a great season this year! I certainly did and I enjoyed some nice relaxing time off to recover the body and the mind!  I holidayed in Ibiza for 3 days and then 2 weeks cruising around Florida with Clare in a convertible for our more chilled holiday!  I definitely wouldn’t call 3 days in Ibiza a holiday, I was more nackered then I’ve been all year!

I started back training this week with Stu Hayes just ticking through 2 or 3 sports per day and I’m sure next week it’ll ramp up again to almost full training so we’re currently enjoying not training particularly hard right now.  It’s nice to do some good training with good feel in the legs without the feeling of being totally smashed all the time!  So far I feel really good, I know that as you get older it’s a lot easier to get fit especially if you have a big base from all the years of  training that you’ve backed up.

I got some good news this week, It’s not confirmed yet, but I should be back on World Class funding this year so it definitely makes things easier for me when I am preparing in Australia this year.

I’m really excited for the year ahead and it’s a massive year for us Brits!  I know that everything I do on ‘the road to London’ will determine the outcome at the Olympics.  I’m very motivated to make sure that I lie down at the end of the year and can put my head on the pillow and say that I did everything that I could and I’ve got no regrets!  I know for certain that this will be my only chance ever to win an Olympic medal in my home country and on that note…I had better get my bike ride done!

Morning everyone I hope you are enjoying this extended summer we are having here in the UK!  I’m pretty chuffed, apart from our holiday we usually miss out on weather like this as by the time it’s time to take a break Autumn is well and truly under way.

I’m having a great break so far.  I really look forward to this part of the year as it’s just for me a complete change in lifestyle and something I’ve mostly missed out on in my life.  As much as I love competing and training 6hr a day I also like to wake up knowing that I can do whatever I want today.  I can eat that pizza hut for lunch if I fancy it, or I can go out for a drink in the evening with my friends!

I just last week got back from a 3 day trip to Ibiza.  I was out there with my friends from school that I hadn’t really spent much time with since leaving 10 years ago.  My time with them was just like it used to be though, I really enjoyed catching up.  I didn’t want to go longer then 3 days as I knew that 3 late nights is my limit before I start to crack, and to be honest my predictions were perfect because I was very tired when I got home.  Actually when I was on the plane back to Stanstead most of the flight were people in their 20’s – 30’s all fast asleep.  That’s what nights out starting at 2am does to you!

Clare and I just put an offer in on a new house that got accepted and we’ve managed to sell ours as well so all going smoothly we will be in a new house just down the road in Barrow Upon Soar by December.  It’s so damn complicated though to sort out, I can’t wait till it’s sorted!

We are also off for our holiday on Monday to Florida for two weeks. We are cruising around everywhere south of Orlando in a rental convertible.  I’m looking forward to relaxing after my exertions from the season and also from Ibiza!  After this it’s back to it and i’m getting very excited about preparing with a new focus already.  The break is doing it’s job!

Cheers.

I am back home now after a tough past month of training and racing, but my season is now finished now and I’m really excited to relax and recover after my best ever year.

Since my last blog it all started to slip through my fingers a bit!  I picked up a bit of a niggles in my legs in Lanzarote that I just couldn’t shake off however with lots of physiotherapy and massage plus a heap of exercises in front of the TV I could keep it under control and I could run probably half of what I normally do which for me is no where near the amount I need to do to be at the front.  I could however work hard on my swimming and cycling so I thought it’s possible I can capitalise on this!  I think at one point I was swimming and cycling the best I ever have.

So I hit a German Bundesliga in Grimma, Germany.  I got there in a bit of a state though because I had a day of rest before my travel and my 12hr travel day full of delays. When I got there my leg has seized up and I couldn’t even train again before the race.  In the race I worked to my strengths though and got a 35 second lead to start the run with.  I managed to hold on for 5th which was a decent performance all things considered and my team manager was happy.

Post Bundesliga, I had a mammoth journey to get to Korea for my last phase of preparation ahead of the World Championships Final.  I had to fly from Leipzig-Frankfurt-London-Shanghai-Cheju (Korea) all in one day! pfff! Long day that was but I landed and surprisingly felt decent getting off the plane.  Cheju was beautiful and I had a great time training and hanging out with the Brownlee boys, David Macnamee and our support crew Ben Bright and Emma Deakin.  It was very hot out there and we trained pretty hard so I was able to go into Beijing with some gas!

After our hot weather training camp in Korea, who would have thought that in Beijing we could have 15′C and pouring rain!? It’s the 4th time this year in a World Series that we’ve had horrible weather! By Mid day we heard the worlds TAKE YOUR MARKS and the race got under way.  I felt fantastic in the water exiting right up there in the mix. Onto the bike I could tell that I’d have a good hard ride today, my legs felt great and I spent the whole 40k covering all attempts to break away and controlling the race.  On lap no.3 we got to the top of the climb and I looked over to find we had a break away with 6 of the strongest riders in the sport.  Perfect!  We rode mega hard for the next 5 kilometres but unfortunately someone bought the rest of the field back up to us again and it wasn’t to be! I’m not sure that my run was ever going to be good all things considered.  I was pretty tired running around but I was happy to limit my losses and I finished the World Championships Series in 9th place which I’m really happy with.

So now it’s holiday time!  I’ve been in a routine now without a break for 10 months pumping out somewhere between 32hrs – 26hrs every week so the body is suitably tired!  I’m going to take about 6 weeks off training but knowing me I’ll probably do the occasional session for fun.

I’d just like to thank EVERYONE who has supported me this year, whether you are Michelle Dillon who has turned my career around, my very patient wife Clare who has to deal with my roller coaster mood swings and Sundays where she barely sees me because I’m doing 6 hours of training. My support team, my family and friends, and anyone who follows my journey, especially you poor buggers that have cheered for us for 2hrs this year in a cyclone!

P.S. As I left it so long this is very brief!  If you want to read more please check out my latest Realbuzz blogs here which I write weekly!

]]> http://will-clarke.com/seasons-done-pretty-much/feed/ 0 http://will-clarke.com/london-world-series/ http://will-clarke.com/london-world-series/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:56:49 +0000 Will http://will-clarke.com/?p=989

Just got home from London.  What a fantastic weekend.

14th wasn’t the result I was hoping for but I’m happy with my effort.  I was 3rd best Brit which I’m happier with as it hopefully looks favourably towards me with the Olympic selectors.  To be honest the race didn’t suit me yesterday, It’s not how I’ve been training.  The run was too fast for me and the bike was WAY too easy! I’ve learnt a lot though and should I qualify I’ve got a really good understanding of how to be successful on this course.

We were staying in a nice hotel just on the fringe of Hyde Park.  It wasn’t an ideal build up for me though…the Air Con didn’t work so the room was very hot and 2 nights before the race (the most important nights sleep) I couldn’t sleep and finally dropped off at 5:30 am.  This worried me massively because I know how crucial sleep is to an athlete and 3hrs sleep makes me feel very lethargic.  The doctor gave me a sleeping pill so the next night I was fine but the damage is already done.

As no.2 World ranked I had the chance to start next to Javier Gomez so I had an awesome line to the first buoy.  I got a lot of beats at the turn but I ended up exiting right up there in the mix and once on the bike we had a gap to the chasing pack which was nice!

My plan was to conserve as much energy on the bike as possible.  Unfortunately a group of 4 slipped away from us containing Alistair Brownlee and some other big names but a good result was still on the cards.  The bike was mega easy which is bad for me because I rely on the bike damaging some peoples legs but not this weekend!

The run was incredible. It was so fast, 25 athletes ran under 31 minutes.  I wasn’t hanging around either but my 30:30 was only good enough for 14th. This was Olympic Selection for most of the athletes so everyone was in great form and gunning! I’m neutral about this result because to be honest I was always targeting Beijing in 1 months time more so then London. My preparation wasn’t ideal with quite a bit of races and a bout of insomnia but I really enjoyed the weekend and it was a pleasure racing against such an enthusiastic crowd! Thanks to everyone for coming out.

1st Alistair Brownlee GB 2nd Alexander Brukankov 3rd Johnny Brownlee

So, it’s been quite a week!

I’m starting to feel a bit rock and roll recently after my new found skills in Hamburg!  I’ve picked up my new BMW 5 Series GT from ELMS Cambridge.  The locals call us the mainies now because we’ve been spending our evenings driving up and down the main street in town beeping the horn!  It’s an awesome car and I feel very lucky to have it…thanks to my sponsor Elms for freshening me up.

I’ve recently been asked to write a blog for a blogging site called realbuzz.  I’ll be contributing weekly so make sure that you ‘favourite’ realbuzz.com and tune in for more stories of the crazy life of a professional Triathlete! First blog is here…

Lanzarote was a good trip in the end.  I came straight from Hamburg and got stuck straight into hard training.  As I said earlier, I was still buzzing from Hamburg so that carried me through the first week….then I cracked and had a day off. All in all though I couldn’t have asked for more and Conor Murphy was a brilliant training partner.  He’s an Irish athlete who trained with me while we were at Loughborough University.  He then left and became an accountant for 3 years, failed his exams! Then decided to have a crack at making the Irish Olympic team.  He’s doing bloody well and I think he can do it! Exciting athlete and just shows what you can do if you really want it.

So this week for me it’s all about resting up, doing the last minute training preparations, relaxing the body and getting ready for a big race in London.  I can’t wait, it’s going to be such and exciting event.  Get ready to see all of the Worlds best Triathletes, all in their best form fighting it out over the Olympic Course for Olympic Selection.  If you are gutted that you didn’t get any Olympic tickets come and see this show.  Women Saturday @ 08:36, Men Sunday @ 13:06. And if you can’t get to London then watch LIVE on the BBC

I also had the best bit of fish I’ve ever had in Lanzarote.  Check it out in El Gulfo…Out of this world.

I’m currently out in Lanzarote doing a big block of training ahead of London World Championships Series. I pulled up pretty well from Hamburg all things considered and went straight into hard training out here.

Club La Santa is an awesome place to train, Conor Murphy an Irish athlete joined me for my biking and swimming so I’ve got some company.

Waking up most days feeling totally smashed, we’re really jamming it out here, but there are probably only 4 more hard training weeks left of the year as Beijing (my last race isn’t far away now!)

6 days left out here till we go home and rest up for the big one! I also get to pick up my new BMW from Elms Cambridge, a 5 series GT. Boom, can’t wait.