I had a bit of a break recently when I went to the Gold Coast, but there was still plenty to do with sponsor commitments and the like.

I was looking forward to it, but as is always the case when you haven’t been sick for ages, you inevitably fall ill on holidays, which I did.

After that I was off to the AIS for a relay camp. They recently spent millions of dollars on the pool and it now one of the most technologically advanced centres in the world, including cameras which take shots from 360 degrees.

We went to the camp to work on our changeovers and really got something out of it which will help us match it with the US relay teams. They have practice every week through their NCAA swim meets and the like, whereas we get together 2-3 times at most before a big event.

You can lose up to one second on bad changeovers, which is why it is key to get it right, and after the camp I really feel I improved on my entry and timing.

But it wasn’t all work, if you look at my MMS you can see we had a bit of table tennis going on. The three to beat in the squad are Ashley Delaney, Eamon Sullivan and Pat Murphy.

I’ve come back to Melbourne and got back into training and am continuing to swim well. It’s funny how routine life becomes, and how much time I spend wrapping myself in cotton wool and on a physio’s table getting massages.

While you may think that sounds like fun, they aren’t really the relaxing type and I frequently end up with elbows being pushed hard in uncomfortable positions.

Training is unglorified but I know through putting in 70-80km a week I am driving myself back to the top the correct way. However, I know I couldn’t do it without the help of friends and family, especially Candice.

Obviously other people do it differently, and in the wake of Marion Jones’ confessions this week I think she should be stripped of her medals and they should go to the woman who finished second.

The focus now shifts to Beijing and I don’t think those games will be any dirtier than any in the past. Some cheats will get caught, they always do. But I don’t think there will be more drug use.