#power2podium day 7: that's a wrap

Goodbye Bath. 

Day 7, a day late. 

I'm writing this on the bus to the airport and as I go through Bath I realise that for maybe the first time ever I'm looking forward to going home and leaving it. This is a massive statement. Particularly as it's usually the place I feel most at home (more so than actual home; the Isle of Wight) and also what I am aspiring to would eventually mean a move back here for good. 

7 nights here, in the youth hostel!

I've been away for 8 nights and 9 days now in a pressure environment with people that were essentially strangers to me. That's a tough situation for me and not one I am comfortable with hence the readiness to get back to some familiarity. Making new friends and being 'yellow' or social 24/7 is quite difficult for me sometimes; I like to be by myself and relax/reflect. Something writing this blog has really helped me achieve the past week.

Don't get me wrong, the past week; power2podium phase 4 off ice camp has been excellent. It has been relentless and exciting and challenging. A few more words to describe it: exhilarating, FUN, tiring, new, nostalgic, hard work, inspirational. I have made new (and true) friends, especially the 217 girls and can't wait to see the girls for our ice camp on 20th November. Similarly I am gutted that I may never see some or all of the boys again depending on selections as we are on separate ice camps. 

Yesterday, day 7 was a chilled end to the camp. We had a yoga/stretching session to help our sore bodies and then a lunch with any parents who'd come up for a 'parents' talk. Mine didn't so I was a Billy no mates and needed to be adopted! 

Now that the camp is finished it's time to reflect and prepare for the ice in Lillehammer. A lot of the past week was about preparation for Lillehammer so I need to go through all my notes and work out what needs to be bought/organised/thought about. While there is a lot of practicalities to consider e.g. Taking warm and suitable clothes and packing snacks there is also a lot of mental prep that I hadn't originally considered. For example, what strategies am I going to use to switch off and relax when the sliding is done for the day, or how might I need to prepare for my first slide. How am I going to cope living in small confines with 3 others who are my competition? What do I need to know about myself in order to cope in that environment? Lots to think about you see.

Also I need to plan for both eventualities post camp. A - I get selected and need 6 weeks off work between Jan and March, how will I manage that financially? Or B - I don't get selected and life will return to normal and go on. How will I manage my disappointment over Christmas and everyone's else's sympathy? 

Whatever happens I have put myself out there and I am now vulnerable - something I hate to be. But taking risks is part of life and therefore is a necessitie to avoid getting stuck in a slump. So far so good I think. I made good progress in my push starts (especially on the last day) and am physically strong and my stability is improving. I am heading back to Edinburgh to train for 4 weeks as a bobskeleton athlete. No more long reps which might help me run a 200/400 next year. Aspirations have changed and I am going to 100% committ to being what I need to be to make a good slider. Otherwise I can't say I've given it everything when the selection is made.

So gym, protein, sleds, sprints, prowler, muscle, power, strength, confidence, belief, and lastly ice. Here I come. 

#powertopodium day 6: the final countdown

We had our final push session of the camp this morning! I nailed some of the things I was working on so was particularly pleased after the session. 

An action shot of me 'loading' onto the sled

Summary of our prep for the ice lecture - it's getting very very real. Four weeks for us girls!! 

 A surprise visit from Amy Williams and her gold medal at dinner. Pretty sure she'd never stepped foot in the YMCA before and never will again. 

Some major fan girling went down. 

And that's day 6. One more morning and the camp is done. So it basically is now a countdown till the ice..... Can't wait to be honest. Time to see what it is really all about. 

#power2podium Day 5: run and push up

Something different was organised for today. Lizzie and Woody (P2P leaders) took us out of Bath to Nuneaton army barracks for a day of army team/character building activities. We didn't know alot else just that we need walking boots with ankle support and that we'd be given overalls. 

On the bus at 7am we immediately perked up because the bus was fancy!! Think what football clubs travel in. Tables and a big sofa area at the back, not the minibus we were expecting. Anyway 3 h later after a nap and a service station stretch we arrived and got into our overals and in my case borrowed walking/army boots. 

So the aim of the day was around working as a team, leadership, how you operate under pressure and problem solving. We were split into four groups and had 5 tasks to complete. Each one was 15 min each and one of us was appointed leader. They were all logical, thinking tasks and involved moving equipment or grabbing things with certain constraints. If that wasn't enough we had to run EVERYWHERE carrying a huge jerry can between us (which we didn't even drink from) and then do exercises in between tasks and when the leader was getting briefed. 

Here's what I learnt about myself: 

I definately hate running 

I like being the leader but I panic if I don't have a plan

I lead best when I know what is happening (obvious) then I am clear and directive

I find problem solving of that nature really difficult. Something to do with having to think really fast on the spot 

I become despondent easily - if I lose value of a task I quickly become uninterested

I can be caring and look out for my team

I take on the role of one of the strong team members and will do tasks that others don't want to do

I am a team player 

Physical tasks I am happy to push myself on I will grit my teeth and get on with it 

I am uncomfortable not knowing the whole plan for the day 

I'd rather not say if I'm struggling, my hip hurt today but I kept going (this is maybe not a postive)

So by the end of the fifth task which was basically a bleep test (running back and forth carrying equipment) we were all wrecked and sweaty and grateful that lunch was next up. We stuffed ourselves sat in a field getting tea out of a big box thing. All good. Next up was the assault course..... But only after we got made to do extra runs because we couldn't line up as told!!! 

We had to complete two laps of the course in our team. The fastest wins. The   obstacles included: over and unders, climbing a brick wall, balancing, rope swings, monkey bars, climbing a frame and of course running. It was a big group effort with all teams cheering one another on, and no one being left behind. My team didn't win (we lost 😩) but we did have the advantage of going first. Again I found myself encouraging a lot and trying  to lead by example; often taking on obstacles first or second. I was pretty happy with my personal performance and much more enjoyed the post lunch activities. I actually wanted to give it another go! 

And that was it. We removed boots and overalls (gladly, it was boiling), showered, debriefed and got back on the bus. I should mention that is was two peoples birthdays today; Ash and Liv! A big happy birthday wish to you both - you won't forget today! We celebrated with cake/second dinner at Nandos after first dinner at YMCA which was good as it got us out of the hostel. 

Tomorrow is the last full day. It has gone very quickly all of a sudden. Speak then x

#power2podium day 4: stress spots and bedtime wees

I didn't really know how to angle this blog. Getting a bit bored of listing what I've done for training and the card games we've played so I am sure any readers are too. So today, day 4 will be a bit more behind the scenes of room 217. 

Up first. We (all four of us) have spots at the moment. And we are not happy about it as we don't usually get spots. Why are we breaking out? Well potentially stress. Whilst we are all having a good time and there is no (obvious) rivalries you can't get away from the fact that by the end of December 20 will become 10 and we are under constant assessment. For instance, I am stressed because today I was the slowest (in my group) on the push track. And guess what I have a massive brewer on my head. 

Two of us (Alice and myself) have developed the habit of going for a bedtime wee together. Once she's finished reading and I'm tired we go to the bathroom together then it's sleep time. 

Interesting goings on have been happening overnight too. Hannah has cried in her sleep the past couple of nights but woken up fine. Abbie is a talker. They are both on the other side to me and Alice; we are pretty normal sleepers. Hannah has a past history of night terrors too so fingers crossed that doesn't crop up the last few nights. 

What else? Well we seem to do everything as a unit. For instance we have an army day tomorrow and we've just had a discussion about whether or not we will wear make up. We've decided  minimal and no mascara - though Alice was going to mascara up to look nice for the army boys (she has a bf) till she realised she might get wet and look like a panda!!

Now onto Hannah (the sleep crier) She deserves a section to herself. Not only has she single handedly made our room extremely messy she also has a strange affection for the torch on her iPhone. The other night everyone was in sleep mode (Alice and I had been for our bedtime wee) and there she was blaring the light out of her phone. She didn't even know it was on. She also leaves the room with it on and her phone just on the floor? 

So a couple of last things we couldn't do without:

The charging point - an extension cable that allows us to use more than one electrical appliance at a time (one plug in the room)

Whatsapp - group chat has changed the camp

Silly games - we played the mafia game tonight 

Delightful sentences such as 'Dropping the kids off at the pool' to indicate a toilet visit

Snooze - a good 15 min at least and getting longer by  day

Think that's all, needed a silly blog to lighten the mood after track today (don't worry I've got a plan to speed up)!! 

Tomorrow: army day 

#power2podium Day 3 in photos

A 9:00 am start. Treat day.

Having a go at the stability programme 

Arabesquing and dead bug 'ing'

A wet push track - the aim: get over the brow of the hill

Being shown how it is done by one of the GB athletes

Some of group 1 (my group)

Group 2

Roomies 

Our homework - make a list for Lillehammer

Team bonding over Irish Snap

Mince (again) at the YMCA

#power2podium Day 2

Day 2 but really day 1.

When I woke up at 6 am I was genuinely concerned that we'd be pushing on the track in the pitch black it was so dark. Even when we were arriving at Uni it hadn't really started to get light. I'd never been to the track so early in all my 4 years I spent in Bath - but there's a first time for everything.
I'd worried for nothing though as come 8 am it was light (ish) as we walked up to the push track. No preamble was provided it was just 'spike up and get to it'. Abbie went first, one of my roomies and the youngest in the group. I was second. We had 6 runs and it went well for the first session I think. We always have to start off both sides which stresses me out somewhat as I find going on the left quite difficult (probably something to do with me being a right foot take off?). Last time I went on my wrong side I scraped my feet and legs and ripped my spikes :( So I was sort of dreading the left especially seeing as I had brought my new spikes with me this time not the one's I'd ripped. But my spikes survived as did I. We get to watch some video footage tomorrow so that will be useful as it doesn't always feel right but I can't tell why yet. My main problem is pushing through the sled and running far enough to maximise the sled acceleration. So that is my focus for the remaining 3 push sessions we have.

Here is a video from today's session: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152829501582238

The rest of the day involved some educational sessions about the British bobskeleton programme, performance lifestyle for bobskeleton, nutrition for strength and power and recovery. These were useful and I did pick up some good pointers especially for when we go to Lillehammer. The nutrition talk confirmed a lot of what I know and do already. There was a lot of protein and hypertrophy chat which is a little scary - I don't plan to 'get big'.

The other bit of exercise we did was to go in the gym and get our strength programmes. We only had an hour so couldn't do the full session in terms of sets but we did get an idea of the exercises and techniques. Although I would have definitely liked longer in the gym. I did several new exercises so fully expect to be sore in the morning - particularly in the hamstrings and the adductors (inner thigh). Add this to the expected hip flexor DOMS and I may have a funny walk tomorrow.

Tonight involved a trip to Sainsburys, dinner (lasagne), cards and Made in Chelsea. Rock n Roll. We are really getting on board with the full-time athlete life.

Until tomorrow x

#powertopodium: Day 1

I spent the day with Richard again as we weren't due to meet in Bath until 7:30pm. We have had a really chilled day - watched a film and the gymnastics and had some food. Totally in awe of the gymnasts competing at their World Championships in Nanning, China - what they do is unbelievable. It is interesting how the British and American girls are strong, powerhouses compared to the Chinese/Koreans who are so so slender and small. Yet they all compete against one another and are matched for what they can do.

I've realised today that in my packing panic I actually haven't packed anything to keep me occupied. I am so used to not having spare time that I didn't even think to pack 'things to do' when we are between training or relaxing in the evening - oops. I will be hoping that others haven't overlooked this and have brought DVD's, cards, books. Or you'll get a lot of blogs as I keep myself amused by catching up on blogs I want to write but haven't had a chance to yet. I guess that is something I will need to remember for Lillehammer and if I make it and become a full-time athlete. Can't imagine having so much free time to be honest!
What a long day - the time dragged and then went past really fast as the time I had to leave approached. Richard cooked dinner, BBQ chicken with Mediterranean veg and rice - he's a much better cook than me and then I left for station. I arrived in Bath and met a fellow Power2Podium-er, Ellie. We wandered up to the hostel where we are staying (only having to turn around once) and then into the restaurant for a team talk. We got our rules - no drinking, this week you are athletes (!), schedule and Team Bath cards so that we can get in to the STV, food vouchers and lots of information! The schedule is packed - and I have a 7:30 am tomorrow morning :'(
So to bed (well to our room). Four of us sharing - me, Hannah, Ellie and Abbie. The boys are all here too - the first time the 20 of us have been all together in the process as we are usually split boys and girls. Our room is 2 sets of bunk beds! My feet stick off the end, one wardrobe between four of us staying for a week ah! And the toilets/showers are all the way down the other end of the corridor - so it will be an interesting stay. Well we threw our bags in and went downstairs to socialise/catch the end of X Factor. We ended up playing cards - cheats and Irish snap. And also some dice game with cups?! Can't remember the name though but was good. Irish snap was definitely the highlight though despite having a pretty sore hand by the end of it (there was 8 of us playing).
The early wake up call meant we all headed upstairs pretty early. I unpacked a bit (as much as you can unpack when you have one drawer available) and we chatted and got to bed by 11 ish. Then of course I couldn't sleep! Far too restless and couldn't get my head to shut up and shut down.
It all kicks off properly tomorrow, can't wait to get back on the push track and have a go in the gym which we haven't done yet. I feel really positive and that's mainly due to all the support I have gotten from friends, coaches, family and colleagues. It really means a lot to have their belief - means I believe in myself a little more which I think will make a big difference when it comes down to selection. So thanks if you've supported me or wished me luck! Let's do this. 

#powertopodium: Off ice camp - t minus one day

Bad things come in threes! So my preparation for the 6 day off ice camp in Bath did not get off to the best start. I left packing to the last minute and paid the price as I was super stressed Friday evening having had a frustrating week at work. I also had to cave and pay for a hold bag as it was pretty obvious that hand luggage was NOT going to suffice - my bed was piled high! Then came the 'three things'; one work related, two personal life. Brilliant - two things I still need to resolve, the third I can't do anything about so just got to ignore/move on. Anyway I pulled myself together, ate some fajitas and drank some gin (obvs) and finally finished packing about midnight! After winding down I probably went to bed about 1:30 am - not ideal preparation.

Because of flights I was heading down a day early so stayed in Bristol to see my brother, Richard who is studying medicine at Bristol Uni. An excellent excuse to see him - don't get to see enough of the family since I moved away and my siblings are at uni/travelling. So I made it to Bristol pretty straightforward, just a little sleepy because of my 6am start. But man, England is still warm! The flight was so hot and then it was like 15 degrees in Bristol which made the walk to Richard's house (Up a huge hill) really enjoyable - plus neither of us cope with heat that well (we have a hot gene).

So spent the day sightseeing - we went to the St. Nicholas market for lunch - an alley of amazing food on offer; it was SO hard to decide! I settled for a falafel salad box as I'd never tried it before. One word - yum. If I can work out how to make it it may become a regular non - meat option in my diet. We then wandered along harbourside as it was a sunny day and had a pot of tea :) before heading home to chill for a bit (which fortunately coincided with a massive rain shower). We took a walk before dinner up to Cabot Tower and enjoyed some amazing views of Bristol and surrounding area. Dinner - omg! Rich took me to the Burger Joint and I had a chicken, chorizo, guacamole, cheese burger with sweet potato chips - unbelievable!

Falafel salad box

View from the top of Cabot Tower

Cabot Tower

Best burger ever

10 signs you work in sport science

Here we go... cause my job is odd at times!

1.Everyday work wear consists of a tracksuit and trainers - no pencil skirts here
2. Getting sprayed with blood no longer bothers you
3. Working 9-5 is not the norm
4. Your housemates frequently ask 'what is that apple juice coloured liquid in those pots in the fridge?'
5. You can simultaneously be using several laptops at once and be in control
6. You get excited by a spreadsheet - and I mean REALLY excited
7. Pinching people's fat is completely normal and acceptable
8. You work bank holidays and weekends - sport doesn't stop for bank holidays ya know!
9. You pick your car depending on the boot size so that you can fit all your equipment in
10. You consider it completely normal to be yelling at someone to keep running although they are clearly dying in front of your eyes

Thanks to Katie McGibbon for her contributions :)

Eating 'Hello Fresh'

For the past week I have been making meals using a grocery box I ordered off Wowcher from the company Hello Fresh. http://www.hellofresh.co.uk/
I am no chef... in fact I only make food/meals that cook in around 20 minutes! However, this was great value for money (£15 approx using Wowcher code, usually £39) and I'd been getting bored with my usual meal choices of fajitas, chilli, spag bol.... it was very easy to arrange although getting the timing right was a bit tricky and obviously you need to be in to take the delivery and there is roughly a weeks delay between ordering and getting it delivered (first order only as it is on a subscription).

Arrival day

 

Three recipes - exactly the right ingredients to make them. Right down to the tiny spice pots which are so cute. And an added bonus - Isle of Wight (where I grew up) tomatoes! All produce fresh and organic.

Meal one: 'Mexican Dirty Rice with Chicken and Chorizo'

This was delicious and probably my favourite! So I was sold from day one :) it did take longer than 40 minutes and that was because of how long brown rice takes to cook! I admit I got impatient, binned the partially cooked brown rice and chucked a packet rice in the microwave - Kim's top tip :) Health wise this one was the most calorific - however it was a great refuel post training.

Meal two: 'Undercover Ratatouille with Lemon Roasted Sea Bream'

I don't usually cook or eat white fish so this was something new. The ratatouille was delicious and so simple and the fish had minimal bones and was tasty - not bland at all. This one was the lowest in cals - no obvious carbs and you don't miss them. However, probably my least favourite of the three - I'd just rather have meat! 

Meal three: 'Spiced Bollywood Beef with Bombay Potatoes'

 

Again, something I would NEVER ever cook myself - I haven't got a clue how to spice meat! But it was so easy and so worth it! This didn't take long at all and I loved that the potatoes got fried off at the end reminding me of cooked breakfasts at my nan's house. Ranked no. 2 I would cook this again (but getting the spices would be a pain). My only complaint was that there was no green (veg) but this could be easily added, I just wasn't sure what would go!

So for £15 I got 7 meals and 3 new recipes. It is a shame the RRP is £39 as I think that is a little on the expensive side for my budget at the moment. When you consider having to buy breakfast and snacks on top of that it will add up. My subscription is currently on 'hold' - another great feature. So the next time I get bored I will get a delivery and 3 new recipes :) can't wait but for now it is back to spag bol!

Power2Podium: Insights

Phase four is here. There are 10 girls and 10 boys left and by Christmas 10 of us will be on the road to being full-time athletes, on the British Skeleton talent programme. The goal PyeongChang 2018 or Winter Olympics 2022 (host city tbc).

Phase 4 consists of a day at the University of Southampton, a week's land camp in Bath and two weeks on the ice in Lillehammer, Norway. Time is going so quickly, Bath is at the weekend and Lillehammer 6 weeks. I've barely managed to get the time off work (currently sitting in negative annual leave) and it's basically happening already - exciting times. I was down in Southampton last Tuesday and that's when it really hit me. I was sharing a room with Ellie and Hannah was in with us chatting and we were all like "oh my God in two months we will be in Lillehammer; SLIDING". That's some fast progression - I only filled out the initial application form in Feburary/March time.

So naturally I am starting to seriously consider what it takes, what I need to exhibit to get through this final phase and onto the talent programme. Because let's face it, no one wants to 'go home' at this late stage - it is all very X Factor. Physically it is reasonably straight forwards. Fast, strong, powerful, robust. I think I can be all these things - problem is most of the remaining contenders have all these qualities too. When I think back through the last few phases and assessments it is clear that the 'soft' skills are of equal interest to the selectors from UK Sport, EIS and British Skeleton. We've been interviewed by a psychologist, put through team building activities which scruntinise our communication skills, had our eyes tested and undergone an IQ test. So there is obviously much more to it than being able to run fast.

Most recently we all completed an Insights Discovery psychometric test which then produced personal profile. Insights is a popular tool in business - I had already completed a profile for work. You answer 20/25 (can't quite remember) questions by choosing which statement describes you most and least and then ranking the one's in between. It's quite tricky as often you don't want to put one down as least. Anyway it all comes down to colours. There are 4 main colour energies - cool blue, fiery red, earthy green and sunshine yellow; each with associated characteristics.

What is the point in that? How does it relate to skeleton? Well I'm not sure - but it has been emphasised to us again and again that we are a team despite being in direct competition as when you're away everyone works together. So it is useful to know a person's personality. For instance, I am cool blue. This means I am no-nonsense, but don't show my private feelings. I like to be sure of facts, am observational and analytic, serious, loyal and reflective. I sound pretty boring right? Yellow is the 'fun' colour energy - social, extroverted, bubbly. Reds are the leaders and green the peacekeepers (in the broadest of terms). As all things its a continuum not a black and white scale and we all exhibit different traits that relate to all the colours. However, our dominant personalities prevail and that influences our dominant colour.

Tips for myself and for others who might work with me are provided in a large booklet that is produced based on your answers - this is what we are supposed to use to enable more effective working relationships. Here are some snippets from mine...

If you know me, do you agree? According to Insights I am very similar to one of the other girls. However, Hannah (another girl on P2P) says we are nothing alike - to be fair she's met me once/twice?! Interesting.... I certainly agree with a lot of the statements - however I think it is quite specific to work because outside of work I think I do exhibit spontaneity and am relaxed. Or maybe I recognise my limitations and these behaviours are me making an effort to be more 'yellow' - who knows!? I haven't read it properly yet but will be taking it down on my travels this weekend as reading material.

Anyway know we all know each other inside out (apparently) it's time to spend a week in Bath being a full time skeleton athlete. Will update when I can - phase 4 is on!