Successful Munster MD Performance Squad Camp at Banna Beach
The Munster Middle Distance Performance Squad enjoyed their seconds three day training camp of the season at Banna Beach Co Kerry. This follows their recent camp at Trabolgan Holiday Village Co Cork at the end of September. Twenty-five athletes attended the camp along with some personal coaches including four athletes from Kilkenny.
The athletes arrived to Banna on Friday morning and settled into their accommodation before hitting the beach for an easy run followed by drills, hurdle mobility work and strides. That afternoon, they were treated to one of the most fascinating and interactive workshops by Liam Moggan. The athletes worked in groups on various tasks and got comfortable with being uncomfortable! Liam challenged them in many ways with a truly outstanding session on mental fitness and the key principle of "Normalizing Excellence". The athletes then enjoyed some downtime in the pool to recover after a strenuous day before cooking for themselves in the houses and blending together as a group for the night.
The squad was up early Saturday morning where they headed for the sand dunes led by coaches Steven Macklin, Pat Hogan, Br John Dooley, David Matthews, Collette O Riordan and Michael Harrington. The athletes completed an aerobic workout followed by some sprints uphill working on running mechanics. Following lunch on Saturday, Steven Macklin presented on International Competition for 2015 and Pat Hogan on season planning & goal setting. Saturday afternoon saw the group travel to Tralee to visit the brand new training facility at Nisus Fitness run by Joe O Connor. Joe led a highly interactive and informative S&C session at the fantastic new facility with lots learned by both coaches and athletes. The athletes then had the night off to relax and recover for the following morning’s long run on the beach. A very enjoyable run was head in beautiful sunny conditions. Following this, it was clean up time for each house before one final workshop with the athletes who were split into groups and provided with a challenging task and then required to present to everyone. A learning experience and a great end to the camp!
A word of thanks to Banna Beach Hotel, Joe O Connor, Liam Moggan, all the coaches and especially all the athletes for their immense contribution to the camp and its success. A special word of thanks to the four Kilkenny athletes who travelled the whole way down to attend and contributed so much to the group. The athletes now focus on some indoor and schools XC competition before their next camp on February 14th.