Keeping it Real on the Track!

25 October 2006

Pre season training is almost over. There is another week to go, and surprisingly, but not surprisingly, I feel very good.

It's just piecing together very well, I am really happy and I am a lot more mature than I was last year.

At the moment we are doing a lot of pre-season stuff during training so basically still doing hill runs and long work. Just got back on the track last week and I am doing a lot of long stuff like 600's on the track just getting my body reacquainted with running in a circle, you know what I am saying, back to facing my shadow. All I can say is that, the best part of my day is going to training, which I am really happy with.

I am learning more by my self during this period and me and coach spoke about my target time last year compared to this year, and I am really on my target times for my winter training. For instance, my best 600m time last year was 1min 30sec but I have already done that now, so I am well ahead of where I should be. All coach and I can do is bring it back and slow things down again because we are already so far ahead. It basically goes down to having that rest and not going to Europe, it allowed my body to be a lot fresher coming into training and I am really enjoying myself to be honest with you.

After the games I was really battling to train due to everything going around me. But I am really happy because I feel like I have separated the "BS" from the stuff which I want to concentrate on and the goals that I need to obtain, and that is kind of exciting for me. I am looking forward to going back to America. And that's putting it down, that's being real. I am a lot more mature in my training, which I think helps as you get older things get harder but other things also get easier and that is what I am finding. You can never get too old or too wise. You can always get wiser. I am really loving my training and that is the main thing.

November 15 is when I am planning to head back to America. I feel like I am way ahead of the game. So when I get back I know what I am in for. My new training partners, I don't think they know what they are in for. It is exciting for me because now I get to be a leader, not just one of the students, it's kind of exciting in that sense - I have more confidence in myself. I am very optimistic about it I think it is going to work really well. I know most of them and they are level headed, hungry and determined athletes like myself and I think that this could be good in a sense because there is not a lot of "BS" but this can also be bad because there is a lot of competition going on within the group. But I think everyone is mature enough to know that if we all work together we all benefit. It comes down to race day and who's got it going on for themselves. I think coach knows how to handle the situation with Maurice, John Drummond and Arto all in one group, I'm sure he will have everything sorted.

I will be back home for the Nationals coming up in March and I am pretty confident that I can shake things up. I've got some tricks up my sleeve which I might showcase come March. Coach does not think that this is unrealistic. I am glad that he has that confidence in me. Coach really believes that I can be world champion. He does not just say these things lightly, some days I wish he did just give me that reassurance, but he does not deliver, but it's just one of those things, as you get more mature you're more confident in yourself and your abilities, you rely less on the reassurance.

Next week I am doing the Celebrity Drive for Rally Australia. I leave tomorrow for Perth. I am not going in to loose. I am going to win. You got a go in with that attitude. Can't loose in my home town! Can't loose a car race! How can I show my face around town again! It's a wrap for me. I better make sure it happens. I should have called Tony Evangelou and got him on the case. I have already had first hand experience in a V8 Supercar so I guess I am well on my way to victory - I can thank Dexion for that!!

Until next time, take care
John

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