Snow, Showers, Sunshine

06/05/2008

Snow, showers, sunshine, and finally the summer season begins over a grueling 3 mile road relay course in Birmingham's Sutton Park. The National 12 Stage road relay brings together the UK's top club teams in a monster 4+ hour event, where the all-time fastest lap list features greats such as Brendan Foster and Dave Moorcroft.

After the hard miles clocked up in Australia and the New Forest, it's great to get back into the racing mentality, and pit myself against the hilly course and some of the UK's best road runners. I relish the challenge, and despite a tough previous week's training, the 2nd leg sees me able to haul my team (Harrow AC) from 38th back up to 15th and clock the 5th fastest time ever. In fact 13.39 over the 3 mile course is only 2 seconds behind Brendan Foster's time from 1976.

The sunshine in Birmingham proves too good to last, and back in London, my training group and I battle torrential rain and biting winds on the track, with my coach bravely standing by, keeping us motivated as we swiftly become the only remaining training group!

With the wonderful bank holiday weekend weather comes a reminder that there are no public holidays in athletics, and each day continues much as the day before - hard training and a strict schedule... roll on the track season!

Back to England

14/04/2008

Back to England, and back to the snow, rain, hail and beautiful spring sunshine - all in the space of 24 hours! The start of a cool English spring finds me getting back into the tough regime with a two week training camp in Hampshire's New Forest, assisted by my training group eager to escape a hard winter in full-time jobs. Their company and commitment to the training program allow me to attack a new training block with renewed vigour, and genuine excitement about our inspirational surroundings.

A small cottage in a tiny village provides a cosy base, with endless trails winding away from our doorstep making the everyday training seem new and exciting. With my coach, Andy, cycling alongside, and the light-hearted banter amongst good friends, I am certain that this is how it should be done. With the rose-tinted glasses off, I still reach the same conclusion, as we put in the hard miles and make sure we're professional when it comes to our nutrition and recovery, making sure we do everything we can to achieve our goals.

After this, it's back to London, as the start of the competitive season looms... watch this space!

Last Week in Melbourne

26/03/2008

My last week in Melbourne starts with a stunning sunrise over the city skyline, as I eat a light breakfast on the balcony of our apartment. I owe the early start to the 40 degree forecast, and by 9am, already 30 minutes into a 14 mile run, the mercury is touching 30.

My reward after training is time to myself for recovery and relaxation, usually spent in a small café tucked away on a small road away from the main foot traffic. This café, with its organic home made food, and healthy fruit juices keeps me sane during my demanding weekly schedule.

Time at the café is followed by a quick sleep, before it's time to run again in the evening, and head to the gym for drills, weights and an ice bath.

The final week is broken up with a windy run along the beach and a bbq with a handful of Melbourne's running community, including 2 world champions and 4 national champions from 3 different countries!

Fittingly the week ends at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where my Australian experience began 2 years ago in the final of the Commonwealth Games. This time the 80,000 strong crowd is there for the opening match of the 2008 Aussie Rules season. Richmond face Carlton in what turns out to be a thriller, sending me home on a high!

Establishing a Routine

05/03/2008

The first week in March finds me stiff, sore and very tired! 100 mile weeks are pretty tough on the legs, and add to that some hot and humid weather and it makes it even more testing. Obviously the hot weather is preferable to the icy cold back home, and it definitely makes it easier to get out of the door every morning!

I have managed to establish a routine: rising at 8am, eating a small breakfast and making sure I'm hydrated, then setting off at 9am for the morning run or session. On my return, I'll have a larger breakfast, and then relax for an hour or so before heading to the gym for a couple of hours. When I get back from the gym, I'll eat a light lunch, then try to get an hour or so of sleep. Then it's time for the evening recovery run, dinner, TV and sleep before doing it all again!

Because of the rigorous routine, rest and recovery play a vital part in the continuity of training. The Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) in Melbourne has world class facilities which I have been lucky enough to use. There is a deep water running pool (a 25m pool 2m deep for the whole length, to allow the use of aquajoggers) and a hot spa - ice bath combination (see photo) which allows me to take the weight off. With regular ice baths, I can try to keep my legs feeling as fresh as possible, by increasing circulation and reducing inflamation caused by muscle micro-tears from hard training.

Hopefully this gives an insight into what it takes to compete on the track against the best in the world... albeit a slightly painful sounding one!

The last week in February

25/02/2008

The last week in February finds me settling into the daily routine in a fantastic apartment in South Yarra, Melbourne. Moments away from the café culture of Chapel Street, and a short jog to Faulkner Park, Albert Park (the home of the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix), the Tan running trail which surrounds the Botanical Gardens and Olympic Park with its world class gym and recovery facilities.

I spent my first 3 weeks in Australia training at altitude in the mountains surrounding Falls Creek ski resort, a 4 hour drive north-east of Melbourne. I was joined by World Championship 5000m bronze medalist Craig Mottram, and with the solitude of the mountain environment, we were able to focus on world class endurance training. No distractions. Running, gym sessions, recovery in icy creeks, sleep and nutrition. Simple but effective.

Just how effective we found out on Thursday night in Melbourne at the first Grand Prix event in the International Athletics tour. With world record holder Asafa Powell in the 100m, and Olympic Champion Jeremy Wariner in the 400m, I was in good company. In my first outing over 1500m in 2008, I ran a very controlled race to come home as the winner, and more than a second clear of the 2nd placed Kenyan, Bernard Kiptum. The time of 3.38.24 was also a very pleasing start to the season. Likewise Craig ran out the winner in the 5000m only 45 minutes later giving us both a good start to Olympic year.

Baddeley BIO

25/02/2008