Needless to say I have got straight back into training as competing in the distance events means that every second in the water is valuable and I must cover many more metres than the sprinters.

The past few weeks have meant that I had to make some very difficult decisions about my training regime.

My time in the British Swimming Offshore program in Australia had come to a natural end, having already graduated from school out there and finished the program.
Fortunately, expert advice was on tap at the Olympic orientation day that was held after the World Short Course Championshipsin Manchester.

In the immediate future, we decided that the best place to prepare for the Olympics was back in Australia for ten weeks, before returning to England for a meet in Liverpool.

Unfortunately, this was a bitter-sweet decision; I love training on the Gold Coast; its tough but the conditions are perfect.

However, to make this viable I had to withdraw from the World Open Water Championships in Seville, Spain, which I qualified for at the South African Nationals in February.

This was a personal blow but sometimes you have to make sacrifices for even bigger goals.

I am also missing an invitation to see a Chelsea match and a presentation that was arranged by King of Shaves as part of their Young Blades programme.

I've now been back in Australia for a week and am continuing my training under Offshore Head Coach Chris Nesbit after spending two weeks at my home club, Hatfield, under Nick Juba.

I'm no longer staying in The Southport School boarding house but in an apartment a short distance away with team mate Chris Fox (Wolverhampton) who qualified for the Tri-nations meet in Canada.

This means that we have to get up a little earlier each morning, around 04:30 to cycle to morning training sessions with bikes on loan from the Offshore Centre.

This will help build up my aerobic base and act as a warm up before each training session.

One of the benefits of being in an apartment will enable me to tailor my diet appropriately, which was previously difficult with school meals.

The next step is to organise the weekly shopping, and learn to cook. I've brought my first couple of cookery books and am planning a gastronomic extravaganza. Watch this space.