Colin Griffin Blog - www.colingriffin.ie

Sorry its been a long time since my last post and haven’t had the chance to document my Barcelona experiences as of yet. The last few weeks had been extremely busy catching up on course work and now I’m just back from a weeks holiday in Egypt where I had a self-imposed laptop ban. So this will be an extra long blog and have divided into 3 parts to make reading easier.

Part 1 - Injury before Barcelona

As I had mentioned in my previous post I was training in Livigno Italy at altitude for 4 weeks in preparation for European Championships. Training had been going really well for the first 3 weeks, so much so that I was replicating training sessions I had been doing at sea-level in April recording the same times, heart rates and blood lactate readings. I was also recording PB’s on my hill sessions, which was a 16km session in total with 10km easy in the valley on the flat followed by a hard 6km effort up the hill with Heart rates in or around 170 bpm. I had been logging 200-230 km per week for those first 3 weeks. At the end of the 3rd week I had a 40km session to do to complete the high volume training block followed by an easy week at the end of which I would be returning home to compete in the National Senior Championships.

While I was doing the 40km session (which was also a race-day routine rehersal for sleep times, meal times, hydration and fuel intake etc) starting on the bike path, after 10km I was crossing one of the bridges my foot clipped a loose wooden ledge and without having a chance to control myself, I went flying, landing heavily on my right hip and shoulder. I got straight up and checked myself and was badly cut on my elbow, shoulder and hip. I was also in shock as you would expect. My immediate thought was to keep going, which I did as there was no obvious sign of injury. After a few km I began feeling sore and stiff in my right hip. At the end of the bike path I went on to the main road where I would go 15km out and back along the mountain tunnels towards the Swiss border and turn and come back into Livigno. After 30km the pain got worse and I stopped, not wanting to risk any further damage. Being 10km from my hotel I thought I would be able to hitch a lift back ito Livigno and get the shuttle bus to hotel. Nobody would stop! I limped 5km to the nearest bus stop at the edge of Livigno and waited 30 mins for a bus to come and got back to the hotel. I had left my lactate machine and spare drinks bottle under a rock where I start (which I had always done), but decided to back to hotel and get cleaned up and have lunch and collect it later. When I back down later that afternoon it was gone! My lactate machine was worth €300 and of no use to anyone unless they are an athlete. My guess is somebody was out cutting grass and seen it and threw it into the rubbish bin.

The next day I woke up feeling very sore and stiff. I was due to take a day off anyway, but decided to take 2 days off just to be sure. After 2 days off I felt better, still a little bruised but once I warmed up and got going  I was fine. That day I just trained easy, and after that I felt I was ready to do a fartlek session of 10x1km/500m Rec fartlek as originally planned. During the 4th 1km rep I felt a sudden stabbing pain in my right hamstring. I originally thought it may have been cramp or spasm so I stopped and stretched it. Then when I tried to continue it got worse so I stopped. This was now a bigger concern than the fall so I called my physio Johnson back in Limerick and described my symptoms. Obviously it was difficult to diagnose over the phone, but he though it sounded like a strain or mini-tear. As it was Wednesday and was due to fly back home on the Friday I decided to rest completely until I got home and would see Athletics Ireland physio Nessa Smyth at the National Seniors on Saturday morning. I arranged to see Nessa early Saturday in Santry before the championships started and got to work on treatment and also on Sunday morning. We decided on Saturday that it was not a good idea to race the following day over 10km. On the Sunday evening I met Dr Joe Conway Athletics Ireland chief medical officer who was just back from a family holiday and he assessed me and arranged for me to have an MRI scan in Santry clinic the following morning. The scan came back showing a Grade 1 strain of the distal bicep femoris muscle (belly of hamstring). I went back Monday afternoon to meet Dr Joe again to discuss the MRI and plan a course of treatment. Joe injected me with traumeel into the injury site to held reduce inflammation.

We decided it was best to go back to Limerick for 5 days and get treated by Johnson and continue to cross-train on the bike, do rehab exercises and by Saturday see how I respond and decide on Barcelona. I received treatment from Johnson every day which involved ultrasound, interferetial therapy and dry-needling. Every day I cross-trained on the bike in the gym in the University Arena for 2-3 hours simulating 30km and 40km sessions. After I finished training on the bike there would be a pool of sweat under the bike as it was quite muggy inside in the gym which I thought would do no harm in helping me cope with the hot and humid conditions in Barcelona.

By Friday the injury had responded well to the treatment and we agreed that I was ready to ease back into normal training. I start with just a 20 min warm-up and light drills on the Friday evening, 10km Saturday morning, 15km on Sunday morning and then decide whether to go to the Athletcs Ireland team training camp in Murcia Spain on Monday. By Monday everything had been going to plan and I managed 20km that morning in the Phoenix Park before flying out that afternoon. While I was not pain-free, I felt I was making good progress and there was a chance I could compete in Barcelona.

Part 2 - European Championships

I arrived in Murcia that evening and immediately when I got to the hotel I went straight for treatment with Catherine Craddock who was working with Nessa as assistant team physio. We discussed the plan of action for the week and a final fitness test on the Friday to determine whether I would be fit to compete in Barcelona the week after. I felt I would need to do 35km with the final 15km close to race pace and be happy with my technique and ability to cope with the heat and humidity to feel confident of racing 50km in Barcelona. As I had said all along, if I felt I couldn’t do myself justice I would not compete as I had enough non-finishes in major championhips in the previous 3 years and didn’t need another non-performance.

The treatment and rehab work in Murcia was very intense. A typical day involved getting up at 6.45am and have a light snack and a coffee, 7.30 leave hotel to go training with the others, 10 -10.30am return from training and have a full breakfast, 11.30am physio/massage, 1.30pm lunch, 2.30 pm sleep, 3.30pm an hour of rehab exercises in the gym followed by more physio, 5.30pm coffee and relax, 7pm go training again, 9pm dinner, 10pm relax, chat to Care back home on skype, 11pm bed. It was just flat out every day for a week. There would be days my hamstring was very sore and it looked like I would not be able to compete and other days just a mild pain. On the Friday morning I did my 35km session as I had hoped for and felt then that I was ready to compete in Barcelona 7 days later. I would not be at 100% fitness and would not be as competitive as I would have wished as I lack the specific high intensity work required, but I felt I was fit enough to do 3.57-4 hours in hot and humid conditions and achieve a high position as there would be plenty of casualties in the race. The one thing I was confident of was coping with the heat and humidity. 

Once the uncertainty of competing in Barcelona had been put to rest, I now had to get myself focussed on the task in hand. I felt I had handled the whole situation very well up to now from a psychological point of view and overcame my injury and got myself fit enough in a clinical step by step process. If I could apply the same approach to the race I could overcome that challenge too. I stayed on in Murcia until Monday as most of the team left on the Saturday for Barcelona. I enjoyed those few days peace and quiet and went into Barcelona on Monday evening with a clear mind, feeling relaxed and confident of performing to the best of my ability at my current level.

On the morning of the race I woke up at 4.30am for a 7.30am start. Rob Heffernan after his 4th place in the 20km three days previously, had decided to start the 50km as well so the two of us along with team management, physio and doctor got the bus from the hotel at 6am while it ws still dark. My warm-up for a 50km in hot conditions usually involves just stretching on the physio table in order to conserve as much energy as possible. As we left the call room and were led out on to the course for the start, there was already a large Irish presence out on the course to support us. It had rained heavily the previous evening and during the night which cooled things down a bit, but that meant once the sun came out and temperatures started to rise it would make conditions very heavy and humid. That is exactly what happened. I set off at 4.45 per km as planned and settled in to the third group with Rob in the second group ahead. The course was a 1km lap with 500m up and down. That meant 50 laps and 100 turns! Great for spectators to see the whole race but physically and mentally challenging for athletes. The tight turining points arealways a problem for me as being tall I almost have to come to a stop to turn around without disrupting my technique. I had picked up two red cards at 18km which was not ideal with 32km to go. One more and I was gone! I decided I had to change something so I picked up the pace a little and dropped the group I was with. I started to feel a little smoother doing that. At about 22km I caught Swedish walker Andreas Gustafson who had been dropped from the group ahead. I thought he was perhaps the first caslualty after starting off too fast. Little did I think! Andreas latched on to me as I caught him and the two of us were together. At 30km the race began to come apart up front and guys were dropping off and coming back to us. Andreas started talking to me and we both agreed if we hold our pace 4.40 per km that we could come through and finish top 12. So we both helped and encouraged each other. When things really started to get intense at 35km the Irish support on the course became more apparant. The whole course was lined in green and were shouting support from everywhere. At 45km myself and Andreas were still together, but I was starting to fatigue and the 12 days training I missed and lack of specific work was starting to take its toll. But Andreas was also suffering too, and I edged in front of him, which was good was he never allowed me to get too far away and I had to really dig deep and work to hold him off all the way to the line. I finished 11th in 3.57.58 - 2 seconds inside the qualifying time for next years World Championships in Korea. It was my first championhip finish and a solid result. The race was won by defending champion Yohann Diniz of France who took the lead from the very start. Rob surprised everybody including himself to come through and finish 4th again.

After the race I was fairly wiped as I think every ounce of energy I had went into holding it together the last 5km. I was stretchered off to the medical tent (I wanted to walk over myself to avoid a big show but they insisted on putting me on a stretcher). During the race my shorts had been digging into skin on my groin and it cut me quite badly and there was blood pouring down both legs. I lay on the bed for a good 45 mins as I got my cuts cleaned and patched up. I also forced my recovery drink into me to replenish my depleted glycogen stores. I had a bad headache too and blood pressure slightly elevated so the team doctor waited with me until it dropped back down to normal. While this was all going on RTE had been waiting for me outside for an interview for the 1 o’clock news, but I was in no fit state to stand in front of the camera yet and be interviewed. By the time I was ready it as too late and they had to go back to the stadium. When I left the medical tent my girlfriend Clare, family and a load of other Irish supporters were waiting for me outside. After a few photos and interviews we headed off to a cafe for a coffee and a sandwich.

Part 3 - Post Barcelona

Its been a busy few weeks since the European Championships. I had to catch up on 4 weeks of course work for my Strength and Conditioning course with Setanta College, which included doing two assignments. I was also involved with organising a 10km road race in Ballinamore during our festival week which was a great success. I had intended doing a race or two to finish the season in September, but I decided to train up to the end of August before going on holiday for a week with Clare to Egypt. At this stage now I’m on a break and laying out plans for the next 2 years to give myself the best possible chance of maximising my potential in London 2012. I will make some small adjustments to my programme. I have also been reviewng my season looking at the positives and negatives. The one main positive from this season is that this was the first full season that I did not have a DQ since 2001! Although I have had a few races where I finished on 2 red cards so there is still lots to work on. I will be back in full training on October 4th. I also hope to revamp my website and have a new design and format ready by November, and yes I hope to post blogs more regularly. My current format which I edit using Microsoft Publisher limits me in what I can do with the site so I’m looking to use a CMS format. Thanks again to everyone who has supported me and posted messages, emails etc. Will keep you posted

I’m here in Livigno in the Italian Alps for a 4 week period of altitude training. This is my 3rd summer here and I really like the place. At 1850m altitude with good strong hilly training routes, it is a good place for training.

I am staying in my usual place Hotel Amerikan, where they serve great food and have excellent facilities. Many other athletes train here including the some Italian distance runners squad led by 2004 Olympic champion Stefano Baldini who is preparing to defend his European Championship arathon title. Olympic 50km champion Alex Schwazer was here for my first 10 days, and now 2004 20km champion Ivano Brugneti is here. Many professional cycling squads train here also, as well as other endurance sports. The only negative aspect about Livigno is the changeable weather, so I have learned to come prepared with my winter and summer training gear.

Rob Heffernan is here with me too for most of this camp and also had Ray Flynn out here for a week to help with training and other stuff. Rob brought his physical therapist Liam Reilly out here as well, which meant I was able to get good quality treatment involving deep tissue massage and assisted stretching on a daily basis. Liam does not hold back when going in hard and deep into the muscles and I had some brusies for my first couple of treatments, but now things have settled down and have gotten the benefit from his work and am well loosened out.

After the World Cup in Mexico last month, I had a 3 week active recovery period. The first 2 weeks weeks I did very light training, just getting out for 40-50 minutes 5-6 days a week with some regular physio and massage, as well as some pool work. It was just enough to maintain a basic level of aerobic fitness and to recover from the effort of racing a 50km in tough conditions. I found though, that the biggest thing I had to recover from was the jetlag. It took me a whole week to feel normal again. I had a well planned a few days away with Clare the week I got back from Mexico and eventhough it was a nice relaxing few days, I hadn’t the energy to do much. I also got to spend a few days at home the following weekend to catch up with the family the same weekend my brother Ronan was home from London.

While at home we bagan work with some of the Athletic Club committee on a 10km road race we are having in August. Once we had a meeting to agree on a date, schedule and a course route, myself and Gregory Smyth began working on the logistical side of things. It’s an event I am looking forward to as it will be during the festival in Ballinamore in August just after I get home from the European Championships in Barcelona. It is also the 45th anniversary of Ballinamore Athletic Club this year so it will be a great occasion to celebrate a successful 45 years of our club. It has always been a dream of mine to host an international race walking grand prix type race in the town and bring over some top international competitors as well as other top Irish athletes to race. The idea would be a 5km race on a 500m circuit in the town. I had seriously considered the idea of having such a race in conjunction with the road race but as its our first time planning a road race on such a scale and a big financial requirement to bring international athletes over, we had to abandon the idea for now, but its something I would hope to do sometime in the future. Most definetely for the clubs 50th anniveristy!

I’m here in Livigno 2 weeks now and training has been going really well so far. My key sessions are all ahead of where I was on these sessions this time last year, and I appear to have got a good supercompensation effect from the 50km race at the world cup, which was exactly what I was looking for as I begin my final phase of perparation for Barcelona. I have been hitting between 210-230km per week out here with 2 gym sessions a week. One good benchmark I have here in Livigno is the my 16th hill session. This involves a an easy 10km in the valley in Livigno followed by a 6km hard effort up to Trepalle - village on top of the mountain peak above Livigno. In that 6km I climb from 1800m to 2300m. Last year my best effort out of 3 such sessions was 31.36 (5.16 per km) with lactates of 5.7 mmol/l. This week I did it in 31.18 (5.13) with lactates of 4.9! While its not directly specific to a 50km perfomance, it is a good indicator of my physiological condition and power output of my muscles.

It’s just less than 5 weeks to go until my race in Barcelona. I will be home the weekend of the 10th/11th to compete in the National Senior Championships in Santry over 10km on the track. Will keep you posted on how things progress.

I’m back from mexico this week recovering from jetlag, travel and of course a very hard 50km race.

The World Cup had been my early season target before Barcelona, and I was prepared for racing in very hot conditions and 1400m altitude. My preparation included a 25 day altitude training camp in South Africa in March, 5 weeks sleeping in an altitude tent at 4000m 10 hours at night and 2 hours in the afernoon; and a 10 day warm-weather training camp in Monte Gordo in Portugal before leaving for Mexico.

When I arrived in Chihuahua 10 days before my race, I found the conditions quite difficult for the first few days, but everybody had the same difficulty. I planned my travel so that all my hard training would be completed before I travelled to Mexico, so that I would be tapering off by the time I got there and adapting to the conditions. My coach Sandro and the Italian team arrived in Chihuahua around the same time as us, but were staying in a different hotel on th other side of the city. After training on the competition circuit we realised that it was open and exposed to the strong sun and strong wind that blew up quite regularly. Sandro and I discussed race tactics and he assured me that it was going to be very tough for the race on Saturday and that getting to 35km in an under-fatigued state would be vital and he suggested go off at 4.50-4.55 per km and even 5 min per km if conditions really bad. Having had this discussed and clear in my head well in advance of the race allowed me to relax a little and be fresh and ready for the race. The race was due to start at 8am where average temperatures are 21 degrees and finish around 12.00 where temperatured get up over 30 degrees. So apart from staying hydrated during the race, staying cool would also be crucial, so I bought a cooling box in the supermarket to keep ice-cold water stored and have it handed to me every lap during the race along with my drinks to cool myself and keep the body’s core temperature down for as long as possible. Also, I used a small dose of creatine loading for 5 days to help with water retention in the cells and maintain hytration levels.

For the first 8 days out there, it was just myself and Laura Reynolds there until Ray Flynn and Pat Ryan arrived in 2 days before the race. As I coach Laura I was able to monitor her training and adaption to the conditions as this was a whole new experience for her. We stayed in a hotel 25 minutes from the competition venue where we went to every morning to train and to another facility in the evenings, as the roads near the hotel were quite hilly and busy with traffic. The food in the hotel was quite good and having been to Mexico several times before, his was the first time I didn’t suffer from ‘Montezuma’s revenge’!. Having free wifi in my room and a box DVD set of The Wire, I had no trouble keeping entertained while also staying focussed on the big challenge ahead.

On the morning of the race I woke up at 5am having slept quite well, and feeling relaxed and ready. I had my usual pre-race breakfast with Pat and Ray with the usual joking and banter. We got the bus from the hotel at 6.30am to the venue. My coach had instructed me to keep my warm-up as short as possible to conserve energy, so I just did some light stretching in the call room and kept an ice pack on the back of my neck to stay cool. As the race started I went off at 4.55 per km for the first 10km feeling good but on the cautious side. From 10km onwards I averaged 4.48-4.50 per km and on every 2km lap at the personal refreshment station I was handed my prepared electrolyte drink in one hand and an ice-cold bottle of water straight out of the cooling box to pour on myself. For the first 25km I was back in 25th position and as expected things began to break up at the head of the race. At about 22km I received my only warning of the whole race. From 15-35km is usually the danger one in a 50km race to pick up warnings from the judges. By 35km I was moving through and in the top 20, still feeling I had an extra gear to use. Around this time the wind which had been fairly mild all morning began to blow up quite strong. Being on my own and without the shelter of a group I had to work quite hard into it to hold my rythm. By 44km when I had to face the wind yet again on that particular stretch of the 2km circuit, I started to struggle as I felt my energy been eaten away each time and began to slow. By that stage I was in 17th position closing in on an Australian and Russian athlete who were just ahead, and had a good chance of getting into top 15. I thought I might regain my rythm when I had the wind on my back but this time, I couldn’t pick it up. I started slowing to 5 min per km and was really struggling so I just focussed on holding it together for the last 5km. My stomach which had been quite good for most of the race began to feel heavy and nauseaus and at 48km I had to pass my drink. In the last 1km, I went from 17th to 21st and nearly lost more as with less than 100m from the finish thinking I might just hang on my stomach caved in and I vomitted up. I just about made it across the line with 3 seconds to spare over Molina of Spain, who reminded me at the banquet the night after that those vital few seconds cost Spain the team bronze medal from Russia on countback! 

While I was happy with the way I handled the conditions and generally performed, I was disappointed with my finishing position. I had set myself the target of a top 12, but as the event got closer and the entries came in I realised this years event would be a higher quality race as being European Championship year, most non-Europeans like the Australians, Chinese, Mexicans and other countries put their best guys in the 50km. I did feel that if I was able to maintain just under 5 min per km for the last 5km I might have got inside the to 15. But this was the first time I had been really tested in a major 50km race in tough conditions without been disqualified which was a positive. In fact I never felt stressed by the heat during the race as I felt I adapted well in advance and the cooling strategy I used worked, and I put my slowing in the last 5km down to the strong wind. Never thought I’d complain about the wind over the heat coming from Ireland but there you go.

Now I will focus on recovering well over the next 3 weeks and be ready to put in a good strong final phase of work in preparation for Barcelona in just over 10 weeks time. There were only 8 Europeans ahead of me, with the addition of favourites Alex Schwazer and Trond Nymark who didn’t compete in Chihuahua, not to mention the factor of the unknown; gives me the chance of a high placing in Barcelona in what will be just as tough conditions. Will keep you posted as I plan out my next few weeks in the lead up to Barcelona. Now time for some well earned R&R!

Just back from Italy where I’ve opened my season over 35km in the Italian Winter Road Championships near Rome. My time of 2.37.33 is a pb for the distance and almost 4 minutes faster than what I did in the very same race this time last year. I finished 4th behind Alex Schwazer who set the fastest time in the world with 2.26.16. My blood lactate reading straight after the race was 1.8mml/l, so I was working very comfortable and controlled. A lactate reading of 1.6 or less is what can be sustained for 50km with sufficient work done, so this looks very promising. Another positive was I had no real problems with the judges, just a warning for contact at about the 5km mark.

At the start of January, I went to Monte Gordo in Portugal for the Athletics Ireland High Performance training camp. After been snowed in over the whole of Christmas and having my training disrupted, it was the perfect time to get away. I did spend a few days in Belfast with Clare over New Years, where the roads were clear and managed to train fully. The camp in Portugal went very well, despite the damp and dull weather. Just to be able to train at full capacity and have a Kyle our massage therapist there to get treatment every day, ensured that I was able to recover fully and back up my strong work. These two weeks were about building my aerobic base with a lot of work over 30-35km and some steady-state work in or around 4.30-4.35 per km.

I also enrolled this month for a part time course in Physical Fitness and Conditioning for Sport with Setanta College. I felt that this was the perfect time in between Olympic cycles to have the opportunity to top up my academic qualifications and gain some practical experience. This course will be the equivalent of a diploma and will complement my degree and coaching knowlege perfectly. Most of the work is online, with some day long practical workshops every few weeks.

My next race should hopefully the Irish Indoor Championships, eventhough it is not important in terms of my training an preparation, I still like to compete at home when I can and support my national championships. So once I am happy with my training over the next 10 days, I will compete and see what I can do over 5km. Then it’s off to South Africa for a months altitude training with the other Irish walkers, which is been supported by the Irish Sports Council.  

I am writing this as I get ready to head to Italy for a short camp before Christmas. The bad weather of the last few weeks have certainly made things very difficult. Some of my regular training routes in Limerick along the river Shannon have been flooded! At least I have some alternative roads to train on. For the runners it’s probably more difficult with the river bank submerged and all the playing fields flooded.

Despite all that, my traning has been progressing well. The extra-conditioning work I have been doing has most certainly paid off. I just finished my 12 weeks of Yoga today and I now have greater flexibility and range of movement in the joints. That was the aim after all. I will contnue to do 60 mins of Yoga at least twice a week for the rest of the winter and perhaps slip in and out of classes again when I’m home. The strength and conditioning work is starting to take effect too, and already I’ve improved my shoulder posture and other weaknesses. I will be dropping down to more hypertrophy based work over the next few weeks and then we’ll take it from there, depending on what needs to be developed further.

Throughout the month of November I’ve been working in around 120-150km per week with a greater emphasis on conditioning work. With the World Cup in May and European’s at the end of July,where I will compete over 50km in both; there is no need to rush things. I will be doing two 50km races in the space of 12 weeks so may as well use this time to build a good base and ensure I am well conditioned by may and able to maximise my ability to recover in between. I recently had my body fats measured on the new DEXA Scanner in UL. The readings were much higher than the previous one and tend to read higher than the skinfold test. On the DEXA I measured 11% body fat, and with the skinfolds I was 8.5% - fairly normal for this time of year. It’s interesting re the new DEXA machine as other athletes notice their readings higher than before, but it is said to me more accurate.

Getting away to Italy for the next 3 weeks will be a welcome change from going out every day at home battling the elements. The weather in Saluzzo is usually cold, but bright and dry most of the time which makes things a lot easier. It will also give me the chance to sit down with Sandro and confirm plans for 2010 regarding races and training camps.

Other than that, my time has been spent working with professor Phil Jakeman in the PE Sports Science dept with the idea of installing an Altitude House in UL. I put the idea to Phil and he is very positive and nthusiastic about the idea. The main task now is to seek enough interest from the various different sporting bodies who may potentially use this and of course funding. If we get this set up, it would be a huge asset for endurance athletes in this country especially preparing for the London Olympics. Having trained several times at altitude and slept in an altitude tent down the years, I know how importand and beneficial altitude is if done properly.

Anyway, will keep you posted from Italy.

Training has been going well here. The first 3 weeks back I cross-trained with a mix of running, cycling and walking and some gym work. I’ve also been doing Astanga Yoga to try and improve my mobility and flexibility before I get back into doing race walking technique work. There has been an obvious improvement in my flexibility, and doing Yoga in a group environment weekly really get me focussed and motivated to try and get that extra big of range in my exercises. I hope that this will have a huge knock-on effect in my technique in a few months time as I aim for better posture and greater fluency.

I have also been doing a weekly Circuit Training session with a group of athletes in UL on a Thursday. Again there is a good group of us including top middle distance runners Thomas Chamney and Liam Reale. The session which last 2 hours included a full dynamic warm-up, posture drills, a tough circuit, medicine ball work, and some core/abs work and finish with some light flexibility work. The session is put together and supervised by John Stacey, who is also my Physical Therapist.  I have also begun working with a new Strength and Conditioning coach John Cleary. John is best known for his strength and conditioning work with the Irish boxing squad along with my physio Johnson McEvoy. So having John and Johnson working together and supervising my conditioning program is much more logistically convenient. The emphasis is on improving my posture in the pelvis/lower back area and the shoulders.

This week I have started to cut down on my cross-training while most of my training now consisting of race walking. With the different approach I have taken with my off-season I have found that I am starting into my winter training on a higher fitness level than this time previous year. I have also found myself involved in some extra-coaching work. Last Saturday I was asked to take the Munster Juvenile Squad for a coaching session in Limerick, which went quite well despite the terrible weather.  That day I also tutored the Level 2 coaches on the Race Walking event module as part of their coaching course.

Next weekend I am due to give a presentation to the Connaught Juvenile Squad in Athlone on Sunday. I will also be attending the AAI Awards night in Dublin next Saturday, where I am nominated for Race Walker of the year, which I expect Olive Loughnane to win after her magnificent silver medal in Berlin. The AAI Awards is where myself and Clare first met 2 years ago!

At this time of year I am in the process of putting together my plans for next season including my budget to Athletics Ireland, who will present it to the Irish Institute of Sport. Obviously in the current economic climate funds will be limited, but I hope that there will be a strong emphasis on supporting potential performers at the London Olympics. I will be heading out to Italy next month to get some good quality training in before Christmas without the horrible weather we have been getting at home, and I hope to sit down with Sandro and plan out the year fully and confirm target races and important training camps. I have a good idea of what I want to do anyway so it shouldn’t be too hard.

Watch out for some changes to my main website in the coming week. Will keep you posted.

I am just back into full training this week. This year I tried a different approach to my off-season. After Berlin I decided to keep my season going up to the end of September and maintain a reduced training load and do a few low key races. Other years, I would have finished my season after a major championship race in August and take 3-4 weeks off.

I did a 5km track race in Leeds, availing of the opportunity to do some Biomechanical assssment with Brian Hanley who is conducting a PHD in race walking biomechanics at Leeds Metropolitan University. The race was held on a very stormy Thursday evening, which I won comfortably in 20.09. Not a bad effort considering the conditions as I went through 3km in just under 12 mins, but the effort against the wind took its toll in the last 2km. The next day I spent the whole day in the lab, doing EMG test to analyse the muscle activity at different phases of my gait over force plates. My results showed a slight left-right discrepency but nothing significant. We looked through some video footage of the racs that Brian analysed during the year and in the Dublin GP where I finished 2nd my knee angle was 182 on the right and 179 on the left on initial contact and 182 and 184 during single suport; which satisfy the "Straightened knee" rule in theory at least.

The following day, I went down to Leicester to do a 10km race there. I had been wary of competing in races in the UK with domestic judging, with a high risk of being DQ’d as had happened before, and as it turned out I got DQ’d at 9km leading by 4 minutes and on for a sub 41 min performance. Two of my red cards were from domestic judges and the other from a more experienced Level 2 judge whose only explaination was that I should "stick to 50km as I’m not dynamic enough for shorter races"! That is not a requirement of either the contact rule or the straight knee rule. Others who were there including an international judge who was not judging saw nothing wrong with me. Unless people were just being extremely polite to me, the geneal consensus was that some of these judges don’t get to see really fast races. Lesson learned - I won’t be competing in UK domestic races ever again.

After the two races, I went down to London to visit my brother for a few days. I continued to train away as I had been planning on competing in the IAAF Challenge Final in Russia and had flight booked. However while I was there I had a reoccurance of my migraine problems and this lasted for 5 days. After speaking with my doctor he advised me not to travel to Russia as the long travel (3 hour flight and 12 hour train journey) would be too much stress and I wouldn’t be able to do myself justice in the race. So I decided to support the 5km road race my club were organising and do the race and finish my season. I ended up doing the 5km in 20.11.

At the end of September I went to Crete for a weeks holiday with Clare and took 2 weeks off training. It was great to get away and unwind and get some sun. I came back relaxed and refreshed. At the weekend we had Rob (Heffernan) and Marions wedding in Cork. It was a great weekend with all the athletes enjoying their off-season.

Now it’s back to work again and to prepare for 2010. I will be organising my 2010 schedule over the next few weeks. Will keep you posted.

I’m just home from Berlin, and yet again with the disappointment of not fulfilling my target. After being DQ’d at the last World Championships in Osaka and the Beijing Olympics, I was sure that the only thing that could prevent me getting to the finish line would be the judges. But as it turned out this time, the judges were the least of my worries.

I mentioned in my last blog before the race, without making much of it; that I experienced migraines in the week leading up to the race. In the final week or two before a big race, when little things like that crop up you try to make as little of it as possible. On the Friday evening, the week before my race, I got an awful headache after dinner. I thought that by having an early night that I might sleep it off, but it had got worse by midnight, and I got up and went down to the bar (which is also a litte shop) just before it was about to close and bought some Asprin and took two tablets and thankfully after an hour it began to ease.

The next morning I woke up and still had a mild headache but not as bad as the previous night. I just had an easy 10km to do that day and after about 4km into it, I began to feel a numbness and tingling sensation on the left side of my face and my left arm and leg. It was exactly like what I experienced three months ago when I ended up in hospital for what turned out to be migraine. So at least I knew what it was this time, but it left me very unsettled 6 days out from the biggest race of the year. That afternoon after I got a massage, I went into the room next door inthe medical centre and spoke to a doctor about my condition and got my blood pressure taken. It was 140/95 - high for an athlete supposed to be in peak condition. I went up to my room and rested for a couple of hours and came down again later and got it checked again and it hadn’t dropped much - 140/90. The next day I didn’t feel much better and after lunch I went down to the medical centre and got it checked again and was still 140/90. One high reading could be put down to a little tension or worry from the symptoms I as experiencing, but three high readings was not normal. I got in touch with our Irish team doctor Joe Conway who was already in Berlin and told him what was going on. I was concerned as to whether I would be able to start the race at all with high blood pressure and headaches and migraine symptoms. He reassured me that it was the Migraine and the stress associated with it that would give me BP readings like that, and while it was not alarmingly high, it was ‘borderline high’.

There was a noteable improvement on Monday and I kept in touch with Joe until I got into Berlin on the Tuesday evening. Once I got into Berlin and into a very positive Irish team camp, I felt much better and was actually looking forward top my race, having two days previously doubted whether I would be fit enough to start. The day before my race was a great day for the team, with Derval and Gillick both making the final, with Derval going on to finish 4th that evening. It gave us all a massive boost.

The morning of my race, I woke up around 4am with a nose-bleed. I rarely ever get nose bleeds and had no idea where this came from. Once it settled I went back to bed, and without sleeping much I got up at 6am as planned for my race at 9.10 am. I felt fine eating breakfast and prepared my drinks and then got the bus with the others in the hotel down to our race. As we were making the 30 minute journey in the bus, there was a thunder storm outside. It began to settle as we were warming up. As the race started, the sun came out which meant high humidity. For the first 25km I was feeling good and composed and had no warnings on the board. I went through 25km in 22nd place in 1.54.20 - on course for a big pb and Irish record. After I took my second gel at 30km, my stomach started to feel heavy and nauseous. After 33km I stopped and vomited a bit, and got going again. Then about 200m later I suffered heavier bout of vommiting. I had a burning sensation in my stomach and my arms and legs were shaking. I knew I could not continue, and sat on the kerb and within seconds the medical people were over to me. That was it.

I was brought into the medical tent to recover. They ran a quick check on me and asked me if I wanted an IV infusion of electrolytes, but I refused. I didn’t want a big fuss or drama, I just wanted to be left alone for a few minutes and get some energy and composure back before I went out and met people. Dr Joe Conway came in having been aware of my problems beforehand. I drank as much fluids and electrolytes as my stomach could tolerate and then went and got changed into some dry gear before going out and meeting Clare and my family and friends. They were all worried about me, as nobody had seen me for a good while.

As it turned out, 19 people out of close to 50 starters did not finish, with a lot of people experiencing stomach problems. Perhaps the humidity had an effect on the body’s ability to digest and absorb the fuel we would need to take on during the race. Even those who did finish, most needed medical attention immediately after they crossed the line. The humidity was 73% at the finish with temperature 24 degrees - enough to make an impact. I was fairly wiped an depleted after for most of that day and evening. and had another killer headache. I had a good discussion with Joe the next day and he was keen to follow up on the migraine issue straight away and arranged for me to see a neurologist when I get home and get blood tests.

I am home now, and doing some light training. If everything is okay, I would still like to do some more races over 5km and 10km and hopefully end my season on a good note. I am still motivated to continue my season for another few weeks, and would like to do the IAAF Challenge final in Russia on Sept 19th, but flights are expensive, not to mention a lot of travel and hassle getting a Visa. I would only commit to doing it if I felt could do myself justice. We’ll see how the next few days progress. Until next time.

I am just after getting into Berlin this evening with my race on Friday morning. I have spent the last 9 days at the Polish Olympic Training Centre in Spala, with the other Irish athletes. After coming home for National Seniors a few weeks ago, I chose to go with the others to Spala as it is a short journey from Berlin with similar climate etc. Our accommodation was covered by the Olympic Council of Ireland, and their assistance and support was grately appreciated.

I did my final race-specific session 11 days ago, and since then, it’s been reduced mileage focussing on greater recovery with just a few shorter sessions with strong efforts. Apart some migraine headaches over the weekend, things have been quite good here. The atmosphere has been positive and relaxed. Rob and Olive left last Thursday for their respective races on Saturday and Sunday. Rob was obviously disappointed with his 15th place, having been in good shape and with high expectations. Olive, on the other hand, produced the race of her life to take silver. She’s been edging ever so close to medal positions in the last 2 seasons and with very smart tactics in the first 10km and absolute guts and confidence in the second half she stunned the others to finish 2nd. It was also very warm with the race taking place at midday. Olives performance has given the rest of us a great boost.

Anyway, I’m here now and ready for action. We are still not sure what conditions will be lik on Friday morning, but it is important to be prepared for anything. My family and girlfriend are here as well and lots of Irish supporters, so I expect some good crowds at the Brandenburg Gate on Friday morning. The hard work is done at this stage, now its time to get the rewards.

I’m back in Limerick now after a good weekends work at National Seniors and a bit of relaxation after. On Sunday, I finished 2nd to Rob over 10km with a very controlled 40.02 effort. It was not far off my pb of 39.51, and I felt if I really wanted to hammer it, I could have challenged that time, but after 8 days down from altitude and some strong work right up until the Thursday, Sandro told me not to be chasing another pb, just to aim to feel good and relaxed. Less than 3 weeks out from my race at World Champs and some final key 50km sessions this week, it was a good call. I let Rob go on the first lap and settled into my own rythm at 4 mins per km. I hit 5km in 20.04 and after feeling a little tired and sluggish in the early laps, I started to feel good. In the last 2km I got down to sub 4 mins per km and covered the second half in 19.58 - negative splits which is always good! My average heart rate for the whole race was 175 bpm and, considering I usually race a hard 20km at 178-180 bpm, I felt I had another gear to use if I had to.

I flew in from Italy on the Friday evening, but it was not a smooth ride home. I left Saluzzo by train to Turin, hoping to catch a shuttle bus from the bus station in Turin bringing me right up to the terminal in Malpensa airport outside Milan. It would have been a short relaxed journey with lots of time to spare. I got to the bus station in Turin 35 mins before departure time, and was told that that bus had been booked out! There was a train leaving Turin in 10 minutes for Milan Central Station, which I would never make. So I jumped into a taxi, and got the driver to take me to a train station on the suburbs of Turin on the Milan line, and just as I got out of the taxi and on to the platform, the train was pulling in. Lucky, but it would add an extra 90 mins to my journey getting to the airport so time was very tight!

When I was on the train, I opened up my emails on my phone to try and find my flight itinerary but couldn’t find it. I wondered if I may not have properly confirmed my flights when booking with Aer Lingus a few weeks ago, as I didn’t remember receiving my email confirmation. I rang Aer Lingus, and after several attempts I got through, and was told I was not booked on that flight and there were only 2 seats available for €368! So I had to take it. I got to the train station in Milan at 7pm, with my flight at 9pm. I jumped on the 7.15pm shuttle bus for Malpensa. Remember this was a Friday evening so that meant traffic! I got to the terminal at 8.10pm and ran to the check in desk which, as I was told was about to close. How tight was that?! Sure enough when I got on the plane, there were at least 20 seats vacant, despite been told there were only 2. At this stage, I just wanted to get home.

National Seniors is always a good weekend, and a chance to catch up with everybody. This year it coincided with my birthday on the Monday, so on the Sunday night myself and Clare went out for dinner with my brother Ronan and his girlfriend Sarah. Ronan was home frm London for the weekend and as we are both hardly ever home at the same time it was a rare chance to catch up. On the Monday morning I went out training in Santry Demesne and after lunch myself and Clare headed for Wicklow. We wanted to do something for my birthday, so decided to go and see Glendalough, Powerscourt and stop off in Johnny Fox’s for a pint on the way home. If you can’t have a pint on your birthday!

I had to stay over in Dublin on the Monday night to call into the Mater Hospital on Tuesday morning to get bloods taken for analysis. I wanted to make sure everything was okay after training at altitude and if I needed to make any adjustments to my diet, that I would have enough time. After that I drove back down to Limerick. I have my final key session on Friday with 35km fartlek of 5km warm-up followed by 5x5km strong/1km easy. I will also see my sports psychologist and do some imagery and visualization work on technique and race day. Then on Sunday, I head to Spala in Poland for 8 days, before heading into Berlin on the 18th for my race on the 21st. Will keep you updated!