My 2013 triathlon – the only one I plan to complete this year – is two weeks away and I feel unprepared for it, which comes as no surprise since my training program started terribly late. However, I feel that I may surprise myself this year.

My confidence is higher than it has been in some time. I don’t know why, but who cares.

I’ve done very little swimming but am optimistic this will be my best swim ever. It’s probably down to the fact that I know my limits and can therefore adjust accordingly. Two years ago, after a year of intense training, I decided to swim in the middle of the pack. It turned out to be a disaster and something I won’t repeat anytime soon..

This time, I’ll start from the side – it means a slightly longer distance, but I believe it’ll save me time in the long run.

Biking – my strongest discipline – won’t pose too many issues. My lack of time in the saddle may not help improve my time. And I can either nail the running part or drag myself along to the finish line – won’t know until I start running…

Last year, I completed the triathlon in 1h19m38s – it would be great to shave a few seconds off that time, especially considering that I completed the last kilometres with an excruciating eye injury (Only you can injure your eye, of all things – Ed). And who knows, I may repeat my staggering 2007 run, which I had completed in 21m20s – my fastest ever.

Previous times

2012: 1h19m38s

2011: 1h21m28s

2010: 1h18m41s

2009: 1h15m27s

2008: 1h16m50s

2007: 1h13m44s

2006: 1h24m36s