THE jetlag is gone, my suntan is returning nicely and I’m in full swing with my training – so you could say I’ve settled back in here in Southern California.

I returned from six weeks away in the UK and Europe and it was so great to see everyone here and get back into my usual training routine.

Obviously I love being back home with my family in Swindon, but I love being here too. It’s very much a home from home and I’m lucky to have a second family of sorts, comprising close friends, training partners and my coaches and mentors, who provide highly valuable support, guidance, love and friendship.

After my success at Ironman Mallorca last month, which was my first attempt at the full distance, I said to my coach almost immediately that I wanted to race another before the end of the year.

Given that I was most certainly still high on adrenaline and caffeine at that stage, he suggested I give it at least a week before making any swift decisions.

I gave it a week – and the conversation still sounded the same.

We looked at the race calendar and there were two viable options: Ironman Arizona in mid-November or Ironman Cozumel, in Mexico, in late November.

The Mexican option held all the advantages in our book: it gave me two further weeks preparation; the course suited my strengths more and (well, this one was just me) I’d have a ready-made holiday right there after crossing the finish line.

Cozumel just happens to be a seriously stunning Mexican island located in the Caribbean, about 12 miles from the mainland and 50 miles south of Cancun.

I’ve raced the 70.3 event here in the past and loved the vibe of the place. Decision made: Ironman number two is happening in Cozumel.

Since making that decision, I’ve been gradually ramping my training up. The race takes place on Sunday, November 29, which is five weeks away.

This means I’ll have three weeks of solid work from now and then a two-week taper, where training volume begins to drop as I prepare my body and mind.

After the race I plan to spend five days chilling and recovering on the beach before flying back to LA via Miami.

December will be a relaxed period of downtime for me where I just remain active but do little training to allow my body and mind to really rest and recover from the season.