Always an Injury before Championships

Miracle required!

As I sit here at my desk looking at the calendar in front of me and the scrawl I have written on it…. 5 weeks to go! 5WEEKS, that snuck up!

I get both nervous and disheartened, we all know the story it affects is all and for some strange reason it seams to be affecting me more and more of late. After competing in Aarhus, Denmark back in July at the European Masters Championships (Outdoor) I was confident in my position and what I had achieved, a 49.72 and a 22.63 was exactly what I could have hoped for and a position I had worked hard to get to following an injury that indoor season.

And so it seems the cycle would once again repeat it self!

Shortly after returning from Aarhus my body once again broke down with several injuries, a reoccurrence of the one from the indoor season and a new tear in my left calf. Both of which set my back from any kind of lower body training until the end of November.

Trying to get back to fitness and speed whilst being in the UK with terrible weather and minimal indoor facilities has been a hard slog so far. And a battle that might prove itself one too far for the coming European Indoor Championships in Madrid, Spain.  Competition that I have already committed to!

Having raced already indoor over 60 and 200 I found myself struggling not only to be competitive but to recover from the races!

I made the decision to stop racing for a few weeks and throw myself into some seriously hard training, whilst also committing myself to a spa recovery session 3 sometimes 4 times a week. I’ve even been doing two hill sessions a week.  All in the hope that myogenic muscle memory really does exist and can exert its true and full force in-time for Madrid.

My expectations are well and truly lowered now, but as always I have faith that I can pull it the bag with the dedicated training I’m undergoing and thankfully I do have 3 weekends of races building up to the championships that ‘fingers crossed’ will also awaken my muscles inner power and ability.

 

As a side note, as a coach I am finding myself more and more drawn to the success that my athletes achieve, with many PB’s already attained for them over this indoor season culminating as a I write this with one of my athletes currently being ranked 2nd in the country for 200 u20 age group, and he will be competing at the senior nationals along with the u20 a weeks after.  It is this very reason I continue to love the sport and refuse to them have all the glory J