By now it’s just myself and Paul McKee left. Stuart and Nick went home last Wednesday and Brian went home on Friday. Things have continued to go very well. During Week 2 we continued to really step up the speed endurance sessions while still maintaining one good strength endurance session. Again, I have been doing most of my sessions with Paul McKee. During the week I could gradually feel a bit of zip coming back. We have intentionally been doing a lot tougher strength endurance sessions so it’s good to feel that the speed is still so close to the surface.
It was good to get the second week under our belts as it was always going to be a tough one. It’s been great out here as we have discovered a really great local massage therapist called Francois. We have all seen him about twice a week and he has been a big help in keeping tight stiff areas loose so we are able to train hard everyday. I only wish I could bring him home! Also, the University where we train has a high performance centre where we can get some recovery ice baths. The temperature is thermostatically controlled so it is pretty high-tech compared to the ice baths I am used to! All these recovery aids are important, particularly when you are trying to up the quality of the training sessions. That is always a vulnerable time when it comes to picking up niggles.
On our second day off (last Wednesday) we had hoped to visit Robben Island. This is obviously a hugely important and symbolic place for South Africans and we were looking forward to seeing what it was like. Unfortunately, when we got to the boat we found out that all sailings had been cancelled for no apparent reason. Apparently this is quite common as it was mentioned in the paper. We were very disappointed but at least we have another reason to come back next year! Fortunately we did finally get to the top of Table Mountain. It really was some place and had some phenomenal views. I would highly recommend it! It was good that we got something touristy done during our 3 weeks here. Some people think we go away on a holiday but that really is far from the case. Everything revolves around our sessions so it’s a nice distraction to do something a bit different once in a while.
The first running session of Week 3 was an important one for me in particular. It was a speed endurance session but with a higher overall percentage so I could really let loose a little for the first time since last summer. It went really well and was a nice icing on the trip as a whole. I hit some times that were nicely comparable with last year so that’s a good confidence boost. Once I got that session in it has been a little bit easier since. Today I had a “mess around” in the blocks, as Stuart calls it. It was my first time in the blocks since the end of the season so it was weird but the session was good fun as there was no major pressure. I always enjoy coming out of the blocks in training so it was good to get that feeling back. The weather has been a little crazy down here for the last 3 days. Yesterday and today it topped 40 degrees Celsius. We came down here for the warm weather but that really is taking it a bit too far! I don’t think I have ever trained in temperatures this high but it is good preparation for Beijing!
Finally, the training group got some good news a couple of weeks ago as we heard that Allan (who had to stay at home) opened his indoor campaign with a new personal best and Scottish Record of 7.52. Not only that, it is also the fastest time in the world this year! We all knew he was going well but it still an amazing time and puts him 3rd All-Time in the UK. He got a lane in the Glasgow Grand Prix yesterday but was disqualified for a false start. It was disappointing and I am sure Stuart let him know what he thought of it! He will be doing a full indoor season so it will be interesting to keep track of his progress.
Again, I have been doing most of my sessions with Paul McKee. During the week I could gradually feel a bit of zip coming back. We have intentionally been doing a lot tougher strength endurance sessions so it’s good to feel that the speed is still so close to the surface.
It was good to get the second week under our belts as it was always going to be a tough one. It’s been great out here as we have discovered a really great local massage therapist called Francois. We have all seen him about twice a week and he has been a big help in keeping tight stiff areas loose so we are able to train hard everyday. I only wish I could bring him home! Also, the University where we train has a high performance centre where we can get some recovery ice baths. The temperature is thermostatically controlled so it is pretty high-tech compared to the ice baths I am used to! All these recovery aids are important, particularly when you are trying to up the quality of the training sessions. That is always a vulnerable time when it comes to picking up niggles.
On our second day off (last Wednesday) we had hoped to visit Robben Island. This is obviously a hugely important and symbolic place for South Africans and we were looking forward to seeing what it was like. Unfortunately, when we got to the boat we found out that all sailings had been cancelled for no apparent reason. Apparently this is quite common as it was mentioned in the paper. We were very disappointed but at least we have another reason to come back next year! Fortunately we did finally get to the top of Table Mountain. It really was some place and had some phenomenal views. I would highly recommend it! It was good that we got something touristy done during our 3 weeks here. Some people think we go away on a holiday but that really is far from the case. Everything revolves around our sessions so it’s a nice distraction to do something a bit different once in a while.
The first running session of Week 3 was an important one for me in particular. It was a speed endurance session but with a higher overall percentage so I could really let loose a little for the first time since last summer. It went really well and was a nice icing on the trip as a whole. I hit some times that were nicely comparable with last year so that’s a good confidence boost. Once I got that session in it has been a little bit easier since. Today I had a “mess around” in the blocks, as Stuart calls it. It was my first time in the blocks since the end of the season so it was weird but the session was good fun as there was no major pressure. I always enjoy coming out of the blocks in training so it was good to get that feeling back. The weather has been a little crazy down here for the last 3 days. Yesterday and today it topped 40 degrees Celsius. We came down here for the warm weather but that really is taking it a bit too far! I don’t think I have ever trained in temperatures this high but it is good preparation for Beijing!
Finally, the training group got some good news a couple of weeks ago as we heard that Allan (who had to stay at home) opened his indoor campaign with a new personal best and Scottish Record of 7.52. Not only that, it is also the fastest time in the world this year! We all knew he was going well but it still an amazing time and puts him 3rd All-Time in the UK. He got a lane in the Glasgow Grand Prix yesterday but was disqualified for a false start. It was disappointing and I am sure Stuart let him know what he thought of it! He will be doing a full indoor season so it will be interesting to keep track of his progress.
