I arrived here in Daegu on Sunday after an overnight flight from Paris. I had been looking into upgrading to Business Class during the week but they said it was over €800 which was a bit too expensive for my meagre budget. So I decided to leave it and try again at check-in. By then they were asking for €3000 so that idea was fairly quickly shot down! Anyway, I got to the gate in Paris and the girl says I have been upgraded because the flight was overbooked….and it was free. Result!
Anyway the flight was good and I wasn’t too stiff when I got to Seoul thanks to the extra space. My coach, Stuart, was with me and we had to get two trains from there to reach Daegu. In fairness the Korea transport system is amazing and the trains were really comfortable. We arrived at the village around lunchtime and it was just a matter of staying awake as long as possible to try to beat the jetlag. I managed till around 9pm, which wasn’t so bad!
The village is very good in fairness. The apartments are pretty spacious and brand new. It’s great because there are training facilities on-site, making things easy to organise. The first few days were all about settling in, and gradually bringing the intensity towards what I’m used to at home. Yesterday was my first proper workout and I felt really good. The track was a lot busier than it has been yesterday, as most of the athletes have come in at this stage. There was a good buzz about the place though, and training was enjoyable. At this stage, it’s all about low volume, decent quality and plenty of recovery between sessions. So far the weather hasn’t been as hot as I expected, though it is still quite humid. Should be perfect sprinting weather anyway! A couple of days ago I went down to the stadium for a look. I did a bit of a session on the warm-up track and had a peek inside the main track. It brings back a few memories for me as I was here in 2003 for the World University Games. I ran very well back then (2nd place and a PB) so hopefully that’s a good omen. The track is fast with a swirly wind, which will make qualifying more of a lottery. I had a day off today so looking forward to getting out and having a pop out of the blocks tomorrow for the first time since arriving.
Finally, a few days ago we all learned of the tragic death of Rob Heffernan’s mother. Both Rob and Marian travelled back home on hearing the news. My thoughts and the thoughts of all the Irish squad are with them at this time.
Anyway the flight was good and I wasn’t too stiff when I got to Seoul thanks to the extra space. My coach, Stuart, was with me and we had to get two trains from there to reach Daegu. In fairness the Korea transport system is amazing and the trains were really comfortable. We arrived at the village around lunchtime and it was just a matter of staying awake as long as possible to try to beat the jetlag. I managed till around 9pm, which wasn’t so bad!
The village is very good in fairness. The apartments are pretty spacious and brand new. It’s great because there are training facilities on-site, making things easy to organise. The first few days were all about settling in, and gradually bringing the intensity towards what I’m used to at home. Yesterday was my first proper workout and I felt really good. The track was a lot busier than it has been yesterday, as most of the athletes have come in at this stage. There was a good buzz about the place though, and training was enjoyable. At this stage, it’s all about low volume, decent quality and plenty of recovery between sessions. So far the weather hasn’t been as hot as I expected, though it is still quite humid. Should be perfect sprinting weather anyway! A couple of days ago I went down to the stadium for a look. I did a bit of a session on the warm-up track and had a peek inside the main track. It brings back a few memories for me as I was here in 2003 for the World University Games. I ran very well back then (2nd place and a PB) so hopefully that’s a good omen. The track is fast with a swirly wind, which will make qualifying more of a lottery. I had a day off today so looking forward to getting out and having a pop out of the blocks tomorrow for the first time since arriving.
Finally, a few days ago we all learned of the tragic death of Rob Heffernan’s mother. Both Rob and Marian travelled back home on hearing the news. My thoughts and the thoughts of all the Irish squad are with them at this time.