Hi guys,
I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year — 2026 is well and truly here!
I must admit, as much as I love Christmas, it does fill me with a slight sense of dread each year as an athlete back in training. This is purely down to the fact that so many people seem to get ill, and this year was no exception when looking across the board. Fortunately, I had one of those seemingly rare Christmases with the family where no one got ill and everything went to plan — a true blessing, as I feel this only happens about one in every four years these days. The “Welsh flu” seemed to hit everyone in early December, so for once we had a clear run for the festive period.
As I do all the cooking (mainly to save my mum’s sanity) over Christmas, my main objective is always to nail dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. All I can say is I made a paella any Spaniard would be proud of, and I knocked the Christmas dinner out of the park. For me, the key is always getting the gravy and roasties just right — and they were otherworldly, if I do say so myself. In fact, I may have peaked after 20 years of doing it. The secret to getting real depth of flavour in the gravy is a touch of Marmite and a drizzle of truffle honey for sweetness. That tip came from a three-Michelin-starred chef, and it works like an absolute dream. But my real indulgence is the great bottle of Burgundy I save for myself whilst cooking the Christmas dinner each year and this year was no exception. Big thank you to HB for supplying such a fabulous ‘Chef’s treat’ for me. I live for that moment all year long.
I also managed to get some great training done. It was way too cold to take my bike outside this year, as the wind chill factor was around -8°C on some days. So I spent most of that week at David Lloyd Cardiff and the Cardiff International Pool. As much as I love the club where I’m based, there’s nothing better than a change of scenery to lift motivation levels. It was also interesting to see the club open on Boxing Day — when I arrived, there were about 50 people queuing to get in, and it was quite the stampede when the doors opened. How times are changing.
What always astounds me is that even while maintaining roughly 13–15 hours of training per week over the two-week Christmas period, I still managed to put on nearly 6kg (although that may have started with the mince pies back in early December). Did anyone beat that?
Trust me when I say it doesn’t phase me one bit. I feel like I’ve more than earned the right to let go. It’s a time of year when I really do want to enjoy myself and let my usual discipline slide for a short while. I know I need it, I feel better for it, and it gives me the motivation to get back into shape and find my healthier eating routine when January rolls around. I’m happy to announce I haven’t eaten a single packet of Revels or Milk Tray this month, or touched a drop of alcohol. I’ve already lost 4kg, and my muffin top and love handles have noticeably reduced. Amen to that.
For many, January can be one of the hardest and seemingly longest months of the year. There’s the post-Christmas comedown, a loss of fitness, weight gain, and we’re stuck in the coldest, darkest, wettest part of the year. It’s the time when motivation levels are at their lowest for a lot of people. So if you’re feeling like this, be reassured — many others are too, and it’s completely normal.
My message to anyone struggling this month is simple:
JUST GET THROUGH JANUARY!
If you’re reading this, you’ve made it through the worst of it and there are far better times ahead. I love seeing that sunrise and sunset dial get earlier and later when I check my phone. It makes the mornings more manageable, and the daylight throughout the day starts to stretch out. This eventually means less time spent indoors and more time outside. As much as I love Zwift, I’m craving those long 5–6 hour bike rides without feeling like I’m dressed as an Eskimo. And if it means less time cleaning my bike, that’s only a bonus.
I’m not usually one to have a moan but I thought I’d make an exception for January — it’s funny the behaviours you see with the new influx of gym and pool users this month. I’ve heard many a frustrating (and funny) story, and it can sometimes test the patience of regular gym and pool users.
So, the things I’d like to put in Room 101 for January are:
- Breaststrokers with a kick so wide they could easily take someone’s head off (I know a swimmer who was knocked out cold by this last year)
- Swimmers who ignore pace signs and do breaststroke in the fast lane
- Swimmers that stop me swimming (by standing my way) because my wake is making their hair wet as they breaststroke next to me (while I’m already sucking the lane rope)
- Any swimmer that jumps straight into the pool and swim head on to the solo swimmer already swimming in there
- Anyone who exfoliates in the sauna
- People who don’t sit still and relax in the sauna
- People who try to sweat out a cold in the sauna while coughing and spluttering their germs the whole time
- The guy (with a full-on cold) who blew his nose into his hand and then wiped it on his stomach like it was the most normal thing in the world (several times)
- The man I had to climb over in the sauna who was doing the splits on the floor in a pair of skimpy Speedos
- People who play music out loud on their phone in the gym when there’s already music playing
- People who don’t put their weights away after stacking 300kg of plates on the leg press. And, in fact, anyone that doesn’t put their own weights away!
- The 20-minute wait to get on the leg press or leg extension machine
If you’d like to add anything to Room 101, feel free to email me and I’ll happily include it.
So there it is — I already feel better for getting that off my chest. Good riddance to January. Normal business for athletes in training is slowly being resumed, and it only gets better from month to month. Race season will be here before you know it, so get excited about the good times ahead.
There’s not much to report race-wise this month — it’s all quiet on the Western Front until February. However, I did want to give a massive shout-out to one of my athletes who launched her new triathlon coaching business last week.
Vicki Hill Triathlon Coaching is finally up and running online with a fabulous new website. I’ve been lucky enough to coach Vicki since 2017 and know what a great coach she’ll be — her level of experience is unsurpassed. She’s also a smart, caring cookie and will be a very welcome addition to the female coaching world.
It’s also nearly launch time for the amazing Wildpool swim shoes, which I’m very proud to be an affiliate of.
In short, here’s a bit about Wildpool:
- Proper support, not just padding
- Built with orthopaedic cushioning to support your feet on rocks, docks, slipways, and every cold-water scramble in between.
- Ridiculously comfortable
- Soft, flexible, and lightweight — the kind of slip-on you forget you’re even wearing, in and out of the water.
- Serious grip where it matters
- Designed for wet, uneven terrain, giving you confidence on slippery surfaces without feeling bulky or stiff.
- Fast-draining, quick-drying design
- No soggy shoes post-swim — they drain quickly and dry fast so you can keep moving.
- A water shoe you’d actually choose to wear
- Clean, modern design that looks good beyond the water. Functional, yes — but cool on purpose, not by accident.
- The link below gives you special access to the shoes on Kickstarter — limited pairs left!
- To get 20% off, please use this link
