Endurance Camp Day 4 Blog

Written by Jack O'Leary & Clodagh O'Reilly

Everyone was on edge after yesterday's April's Fool banter, from throwing a certain coach in the pool. Joe came knocking on the door looking for our monitoring sheets and planning the day ahead. As I opened the door I was hit by the blast of heat, which reminded me to load on the factor 50.(mammy would be proud) After a very nutritious breakfast of 3 weetabix, we headed outside while Kevin McGrath was only waking up.

Sweltering Heat

I encouraged him out of the bed with a splash of water. We all congregated in the courtyard and were split into groups before heading out on our easy run in the sweltering heat. Amy once again impressed us all with her half an hour run which showed her great stamina and endurance. We set out upon the dusty trails, admiring the beautiful scenery which was a challenge due to the insects and sweat in our eyes. 

Hill Sprints

When we arrived back at the cross country course, we thought we were finished until Joe Ryan sprinted over to us (displaying his great turn of speed) to inform us about the hill sprints which we still had to complete. It included a 5 by 10 second repeats at max effort uphill. We all tried our hardest but Kevin McGrath went a bit overboard, and ended up on the floor after battling with John Travers (which Kevin lost). 

After that we were all in need of a dip in the pool and some recovery food. The lads made sure they got revenge on Travers by chucking him in the pool. We passed the time with a few games of "claps" while the girls tried to tan, which ended in burns all round. 

Game of Pool

As a change from slaving over the stove we headed to the cafe for lunch. My mood was improved by the feast and I dared to challenge Shane Fitzsimmons to a game of Pool which resulted in many more battles. Sadly I lost all three games and my pride was diminished as I had to admit defeat. While I was brooding and watching a few games of Pool, it began to get quite competitive. As Andrew Coscoran says "Pool is a non-contact sport". 

The tough training had taken its toll and I was in need of a trip to the physio. Thomas wasn't holding back and a few tears were shed on my behalf. I felt a lot better when I jumped off the physio bed half an hour later. 

Strength & Conditioning

We all thought we were good at strength and conditioning workouts until we got a master course from Joe Warne. The session started off with some dynamic work which was followed by some strength and conditioning exercises. They included Glute bridges, balance work and toga. 

The strength and conditioning workout went on later than expected, so there was a massive rush to the restaurant. I've never seen Michael Moran run so fast, David Rudisha would have been left in his dust. After a lot of discussions about which restaurant we settled on the Italian. 

After a long day of training everyone was ready for an early night, looking forward to the tough hill session that awaited us in the morning.