Will at the White House
Please excuse me for not blogging sooner but it's been an incredibly busy month of travel, racing, organising myself and training! I've just completed another block of races, three in three weeks this time - one in Paris and two in America.
My first race in Paris () went very well. I finished third behind Alistair Brownlee and Javier Gomez in a tight sprint finish after racing together the whole way. I was especially happy with my swim coming out of the water for once right with the leaders, something I have been working hard on.
A couple of days later I travelled out to America, my first stop being in Washington DC to compete in the third . The Americans always put on a great show and what an incredible venue for a triathlon! The race course took in all the world famous monuments and memorials.
Our hotel was right in the centre of town so before the race we enjoyed hanging out in the restaurants and completing laps of the White House on our training runs. I actually got to see coming out of the White House with his entourage of black SUVs.
The race itself was again dominated by Alistair Brownlee's incredible form, as he took in this sort of event and certainly made the race hard for everyone else. Incredible talent!
I rocked in 10th which is moving in the right direction for me. However the only after-race beverage I had was a protein shake as it was all about recovery in time for event just six days later!
Des Moines as a city was a stark contrast to Washington, but it was nice being somewhere a bit more chilled out and cheaper! This was a race like no other. With $1m up for grabs everyone wants to win this one but there is prize money for every finisher!
Unfortunately I just didn't have the arms or legs to get the job done after pushing extra hard in Washington so I finished 11th and 55 seconds down on the win, which was not bad considering how I felt on the day.
I'm excited by this block of racing as it shows me I'm not far off a great result. If I am being honest I feel I am a bit over raced and under-trained at this point but these are all very important lessons learnt.
I now have a big block of training and a lot less racing so I expect to jump the gap to the front of the race in time for my big race at the on 15 August in Hyde Park.
I feel very privileged to be able to call this my job but don't get me wrong it can be an extremely hard lifestyle. Everyone in the sport strives to be the best but it's not peaches and cream all the way to the top.
It is especially tough dealing with the constant peaks and troughs and getting your head around the bad sessions and races. I have realised that everyone I'm competing against out there is so passionate that they're almost desperate to do anything in their power to win!
Will races in the in Kitzbuhel, Austria on Saturday.
Hey there. I'm Will Clarke - a professional triathlete living in Loughborough. In 2007 I finished in the top five at the World Champs, I was British national champion in 2008 and went to the Olympics in Beijing. I look forward to giving you an insight into my career as it happens. It's a hell of a journey!
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