I HAD been hoping to fill this column with tales of glory from my race last weekend, the Ironman 70.3 US Pro Championships in St George, Utah, but alas, it hasn’t worked out that way.

I had a very tough race and a challenging time - from beginning to end - and finished 17th.

I struggled in the swim, finishing three minutes or so off where I might normally, and found it tough to get into a rhythm on the bike.

I eventually did, which is all credit to me and my mental toughness and focus.

As soon as I began running, though, I knew something was really wrong with my body, particularly my stomach. I would spend much of the 13.1-mile course going in and out of the run course toilets. Not fun.

There were times when I truly wondered if I’d actually make it to the finish line but I’m made of tough stuff and dug deep to keep myself going. I thought of all my family back home in Cricklade - especially my six-year-old nephew Alex - and continued as best I could.

You’ll be glad to hear I’m feeling a whole lot better now and have done some thorough analysis of what went wrong with my coaching team and support network.

I’m working closely with Dr Stacy Sims, co-founder of Osmo Nutrition, my nutrition sponsors, and we are close to figuring out the source of some of the race day problems.

I’m now enjoying a few days’ break in La Jolla, near San Diego, resting and recovering before retuning home to LA and resuming training. I have an exciting June lined up and will be racing Escape from Alcatraz in San Francisco on June 1 followed by 70.3 Kansas on June 8.

I’ll then travel to Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada, for a team training camp before racing 70.3 Mont Tremblant at the end of June. The 70.3 Worlds will be staged there come September so we are all keen to train and race on the course in preparation for that.

Right now, however, I’m going to return to my book here in La Jolla and enjoying switching off for a little while longer. Huge thanks - as always - to all of my sponsors, especially Swindon’s Morris Owen Chartered Accountants and Virtua UK.

I’ll bounce back from this with my usual vigour and gusto. If you believed in me before, keep believing. The show ain’t over.