Final training phases, racing practice and the saddest losses

After returning from a Florida training camp, we’re now moving into the final phases of training..

There’s now just seven weeks of work left before we start a three week taper into the Olympics.  A little under seven years ago it was announced that we’d get the Olympics and now we’re down to the last seven weeks of work.

We usually head off to warmer climates to avoid cold and flu bugs, but there’s also benefit to be had in breaking up a long block of training in Loughborough.  Changing the training stimulus and environment can help to break the monotony and make you feel better mentally, while it also helps to smooth the passage from one training phase to the next.

So a 13-day training camp in Florida was just what was needed as the next step to preparing for the Games.  We stepped up our training from a speed base to longer, more difficult sets which concentrate on speed endurance as we move into a new phase in our pre-Olympic training block.

Instead of focussing hard on both fitness and speed at the same time, extra fitness is added once the basic speed is achieved.  This makes sense because the more fatigued you get, the less speed you carry, both through training and races.

Although the weather was good, there were a few thunderstorms during our time out there.  But if it rains when you’re training outdoors it doesn’t make a difference - we’re wet anyway!

We’ve been to the Florida pool before and the family who run the motel are very accommodating, occasionally providing us with some home cooked meals.  We normally look after ourselves but it’s great to return from training to a nice spread.


Now we have another two weeks in Loughborough now before travelling to Canet in the South of France for a week long training camp.  The plan is to race for two days in the Mare Nostrum Series and then travel to Monaco to race there for two days, which I’m really excited about as I’ve seen the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix on television, but never visited until now.  I’ve competed in the Mare Nostrum for the last 8 or 9 years but never in that leg, so it’ll be nice to get there and see it at last.

Fundamentally though, it’s all about race practice ahead of the Olympics.

I’ll be competing at the ASA Nationals in Sheffield too but won’t be tapering off my efforts.   The mission now is to reaffirm my place in Great Britain’s top four for the relay team.  Not tapering means that I might not be race sharp at the ASA, which means I might not be as competitive; but it does mean that by the time of the Olympics I will be as fit as possible and raring to go – which is all that matters.

We have a really strong relay team and I think there’s an outside chance of a medal, which would be the icing on the cake for me as it’s my third Olympic Games.  I’ll give everything I’ve got to achieve that.  It’s been close in the last two Games, coming 4th in Athens and 6th in Beijing.  This will be my last Olympics and to win a medal in front of my home crowd would be fantastic.

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We heard some terrible news while we were away.  The Norwegian Breaststroke World Champion, Alexander Dale Oen passed away after a training session.  I didn’t know him personally but we were based at the same place during a winter training camp and he came over to have a chat with us. He was a really nice guy and looked every inch the World Champion. 

It was shocking to hear the news and just shows how nobody is invincible. He was odds on favourite to add the Olympic medal to his World Crown so it’s devastating news for the swimming world, and of course for his friends and family.

It was also sad to see Derby in the national news for all the wrong reasons after the tragic death of six children in a house fire.  I always keep tabs on Derby news so to read about that was really sad.   

As if that wasn’t enough, a few days ago seven year-old Lewis Mighty lost his battle with cancer.  Lewis and his family were responsible for some hugely impressive fundraising campaign efforts and he will be massively missed.  My thoughts are with these local families.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lewis-Mighty-Fund/168731214213 http://www.lewismightyfund.org.uk/




They say bad news comes in threes, so hopefully that’s all for now. 

To end on a lighter note, as a proud Derbyshire man I’m looking forward to keeping an eye out for any others who make it through to the Games too.  Let’s hope there’s plenty!

Under 100 days to The Olympic Games

This week saw the mark of 100 days until the London 2012 Olympic games!

It’s now less than 100 days before an estimated 4 billion people, or around two thirds of the planet, cast their watchful eye over our capital city to see the Olympic flame being lit.

Knowing I’ll be amongst the 500 athletes competing for Team GB is still sinking in.  I really do appreciate what a privileged position I am in, and it’s one I’m determined to take full advantage of.  Having an Olympics in your country happens once in a blue moon; the chance of being an athlete at the top of your game when that blue moon comes around is a one in a million.

After the qualifying trials in London I took a small break: 4 days off to recharge the batteries and refocus on the next competition, The London Olympic Games!  My fiancée Claire and I went to north Devon for a long weekend with the dogs during the week of blistering British sunshine and glorious temperatures.  It was the first time either of us had been to north Devon since we were children and it is truly beautiful. We had a lovely time and it was just what we needed. 

On returning from Devon I had to re-evaluate what I wanted to achieve this summer.  At the trials I was so focussed on making the team that nothing else mattered.  As soon as the box was ticked, both eyes turned immediately to The Games.  My objective now is to grasp the Olympic opportunity as fully as I can, giving every last drop of effort between now and The Games in our mission to win a medal.

With a new target in mind, I faced the dreaded task all athletes hate: getting back into shape.  The past three weeks have been what I can only describe as painful, thanks to a remit of increasing strength, speed and fitness. We do this by employing a range of various, not always textbook methods, to get us fit, keep us sharp and keep us interested.

Swimming can be a very lonely sport so mixing things up helps to keep us mentally stimulated.  Trampolining is great for a cardio workout as well as toning core muscles.  It’s been surprising to find that bouncing around on a bit of cloth attached to some springs is genuinely much harder than it looks.

It’s been an enjoyable month out of the pool too. 

Like most people, I occasionally find myself in situations where I don’t belong: some of them good, some not so good.  A couple of weeks ago I was invited along with Claire to the World Premier of the Titanic 3D film.  I had no idea what to expect but was blown away to find myself walking down the red carpet, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kate Winslet and James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of Titanic and Avatar.  It felt like it shouldn’t happen to a boy from Belper, Derbyshire!  Besides being in 3D, the film was exactly the same as it was 15 years ago, but the evening was magical.

I also managed to witness my boyhood football team Derby County beat our local rivals Nottingham Forest.  It was a great match and memorable night because it was the first time Derby had beaten Forest in both the home and away matches for 40 years. That night I was invited by the Derby County board to watch the match from the Directors’ box and apparently I was sitting directly behind Tulisa, a judge from the X-factor.  If I’d known I would have asked for a photo.

With a little more time to spare this month, the wedding plans have started falling into place, which is a welcome distraction from the hours and hours of training.  One thing we managed to do was create the “Save the date cards”, with a little help from the dogs. What you can’t see on the picture is a piece of rump steak hanging in the air to get their attention.

Next up is a new phase of training.  Lucky for me, this will be out in Florida!

Thanks for your continued support.

Team GB qualification the bright spot of mixed fortunes

Qualification week was always set to be a highly emotional, stress-packed time, and so it turned out..

Olympic trials are often the hardest competition any athlete will take part in. So much is at stake because failure means redemption isn’t possible for at least another four years.

Feeling that you can’t put your personal shortcomings right for at least another four years is one thing, but missing out on representing your country at the greatest sporting event in the world is altogether another.  For winners and qualifiers it’s the greatest week of their lives, but for everybody else it can be soul-destroying. 

My Olympic trials were filled with mixed emotions.  While I frustratingly didn’t perform to the standard I know I can – and have – performed, I still qualified for what will be my third and most important Olympic games.

For some reason it just didn’t happen for me.  I went into the week with great confidence and sailed through the heats and semi-final with little problem, even managing to ease back in both rounds.  By the time the final came around, I was looking to win and feeling able to win it.  But win it I didn’t, with fourth place the outcome. 

Although in finishing fourth I qualified for a place in the relay team, which was my qualification contingency plan.  The primary objective for the week was to qualify for Team GB at the London Olympic Games and that is ultimately what I achieved. 

Pic courtesy of GBSwimstars

To say I’m relieved is an understatement.  The pressure of making the team is now off.  With two Olympic Games under my belt, I’ve been in this position before and know that the next six months are full of opportunity and enjoyment. It’s why as athletes we do what we do, to work hard but also enjoy what it brings.

This isn’t to say I’ll be taking my foot off the gas.  If anything, not earning the individual spot has made me more determined to make the relay team the best it possibly can be. We currently have a really talented relay team and I believe with strong support we can be right up there competing.  One thing is for sure: capacity crowds of 17,500 in the new National Aquatic Centre will make our job much easier.  If the support of the crowd and of the nation gives us just a fraction of a second extra, it could make all the difference.  I genuinely believe the crowd can do this!

This year all the usual pressures have been magnified tenfold.  Going to an Olympic games is an outstanding achievement in its own right, but to qualify for an Olympic Games in your home country is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity.  To be at your physical peak at a time when your country hosts the most prestigious sporting event in the world, that simply doesn’t happen for most athletes.  

Everyone in Team GB now has the responsibility to do our country proud, to wear the colours of the Union Jack with integrity and perform to the best of our abilities.

Thanks should be given to everyone who helped put on a world-class event for the Olympic trials.  I hope all the volunteers now feel apart of our journey because without them we wouldn’t have this amazing opportunity.  Hats off to you all, the unsung stars of the show.

Thanks too to everyone who has followed and supported me – not just in the past 6 months but throughout my career.  Without your help and support I wouldn’t have reached where I am today.

The journey is only just hotting up and I hope you’ll stick with me for the ride. London here I come!

Crunch time is almost here

With the Olympic trials now just around the corner, the result of the past seven months of long hard slog, sweat and tears, will soon be known.  In or out.

All the talking will fade and swimming will start to make the noise.

A couple of weeks ago I returned home from another training camp, this time in Tenerife.  Facilities in Tenerife are some of the best in the world for all sports and it certainly helps having a 12-month summer. 

Most of my winter has been spent outside of the UK in sunnier surroundings, mainly in a bid to keep healthy and free of viruses.  As a result our whole Loughborough squad has avoided illness and injury, and we’re looking in great shape.

It’s been really great working and training with the best swimmers in Britain.  We all motivate and inspire each other every day to push the boundaries and do Great Britain proud.  Hopefully we can all qualify, before marching onto London in the summer and bringing home silverware (goldware)!

But first comes qualification.  During one week at the British Championships, goals will be achieved and dreams will be shattered in the effort to represent Great Britain at our home Olympic Games.

Personally I can’t wait to get to London and see the venue where the greatest stars of the aquatic world will converge in little over five months.  I’m also thrilled at the prospect of competing in the Olympic Pool and having the opportunity to qualify for Team GB.

All the training is done.  The last seven months have been physically and emotionally demanding.  Now it’s time to put my feet up as much as possible, fine tune the skills and prepare mentally for what will be a highly charged and stressful week.  Hopefully it will end in ecstasy.

The past season has gone really well and I’m happy with my performance in the competitions and with the training.  Now it comes down to putting it all together in 200 metres.

Thank you to everyone who has helped, supported and followed me through this journey, including the guys at TBS Enterprise Mobility who have helped me to communicate with you through social media. I really hope you've enjoyed the ride so far, and that it continues into the summer. Your support really is priceless.

Many thanks.

Happy New Year!

As The Big Year arrived, everything suddenly became much more real..

So 2012 is finally here.  As soon as big Ben struck 12am and the fireworks began, the London Olympic Games appeared to take a giant step closer. In that second the Olympic games became very, very real!

Whilst watching the rockets and colour light up the London skyline for what seemed like an eternity, I was flooded with a sense of extreme pride, excitement and nerves.

In that 11 minutes London was watched by millions of people around the world, giving us an insight into the levels of attention we can expect for the duration of the Games. The streets of London crammed with people, an event expertly showcased by a globally leading city, an atmosphere the rest of the world is stunned by, and a buzz which can overwhelm the fiercest cynics.  

Christmas was a very quiet affair for me this year, with only a couple of days off training over the festive period. It’s hard not being able to completely relax with friends and family but it’s one of many sacrifices I’m willing to take in order to compete at the Games in little over 6 months time.

One thing we all do as a family is a big dog walk on Boxing Day. It’s great to get out in the fresh air the day after Christmas and walk the Christmas pudding off.  We take a bracing walk over a golf course, through woods and alongside streams. The dogs love it and so do I!

The little time spent at home this year was a lovely. I do love Christmas so I try to make the most of it. Christmas dinner was spent at my fiancé Claire’s house, with her family in Melton Mowbray, before travelling back to Belper to spend time with my family.

New Year was also a low-key event.  Claire and I visited Claire’s sister, Amy.  She’s a chef with her own catering business so we were treated to an 8-course meal!  The food was amazing, and it was really nice relaxing in good company whilst taking in the New Year. 

Since then training has been going well. Things are pretty tough at the minute but there’s only a few more weeks left of hard training before we start resting up for the trials.

We arrived into Tenerife on Wednesday (18^th January) for our last training camp before the trials. This camp provides the last intense training block and again gives the benefit of leaving the British winter and transferring to healthier climes.  On returning to the UK, our workload and its intensity will decrease.  This trip really is the final stretch on what has been a 7-year journey to qualify for the London Olympic Games.

Thanks for your support and I hope everyone has a great 2012.