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No slowing down
Posted: Friday March 31, 2000 06:08 PM
Currently ranked No. 9 in the world, Australian triathlete Miles Stewart began competing in triathlons in 1985. Since then he has won a World Championship and World Cup title. The triathlon will make its Olympic debut in Stewart's home country at the 2000 Games, and the 28-year-old plans to be there. Check out Stewart's diary each month on CNNSI.com March 31, 2000Robina, Queensland, Australia Another month has flown by, and all good news to report. I went in to Manly, the last race of the series, with the series under my belt. People were talking about how I would be taking it easy because there was no reason to kill myself for another first place now that I had the series. Yeah right! I've never entered a race thinking about finishing second. The harder and faster the race is, the more I want the victory. This was without doubt one of the best races of my life. A group of guys, great athletes, all giving 100 percent, pushing themselves until they had nothing left to give. For me it's what triathlon is all about. If you saw the race you'll know what I mean. It was surge after surge, first one then another. I could see people suffering and dropping off. I held on until there were just two of us, then suddenly, I was alone out front. The crowd was going wild. I realized I had it -- three consecutive wins. I crossed the line, took a few seconds to catch my breath, kissed my wife Kate then turned and ran back onto the course slapping hands with a million people. I can't describe the feeling.
Last weekend was the Australian National Championships. I went into the race pretty relaxed, planning to use it as a hit out race for Sydney to find out what was going on and what needed work. The race panned out pretty well. The surf was choppy, but I managed a good swim and finished in the lead pack. The bike was fairly up and down with a group of 12 coming off the bike together. It took just three kilometers to shake the group down to just two people -- Chris McCormack and myself. We raced head to head for the whole run until the last 500 meters. It was yet another sprint finish victory for me. I took out of the day more than I had hoped! I managed a win and didn't have to hurt myself too much to do it. I also discovered a few areas I can still work on between now and the selection races. Everything is on track and going according to plan! So there you go! The Australian National Champion! It's a shame that doesn't give me an automatic place on the Olympic Team! But now, back to the quiet routine of training, sleeping and eating, then some more training. This is the bit that people don't see. Everything I do now is geared toward the selection races in April. Just three weeks to go now -- early nights, long training hours and as much rest as possible. Every morning I wake up and think about what I can do that day to make my chances of selection for that golden Olympic team better. I know when I'm on the starting line I will have done everything in my power to be in the best shape possible. The rest is up to fate. So keep those questions coming and I will talk to you again next month and tell you whether I made the team or not. Keep your fingers crossed. --Miles
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