What to pack for a skeleton training camp

It's not even 48 hours since I landed from Banyoles and I am off again. This time to Austria, via Birmingham for my first camp as a member of the British bobskeleton talent squad.

But what I have packed? Bobskeleton due to it's mechanical nature and cold weather environment requires a little extra thought as far as packing is concerned. Here are my essentials...

Clothing. And a lot of it. Warm, winter specific kit is essential e.g. Sallopettes and ski jacket, thermals. 

As are gloves and thick socks. We also need training kit so leggings and tops. Shoes take up a lot of space, I fill mine with socks and other small items to save space. I've got five pairs of shoes with me..

Food. Athletes eat a lot and they eat often. Whilst we are catered for it is always sensible to bring snacking food. Chocolate and tea is comforting to me (we consumed an awful lot of it in Lillehammer) so these are my essentials. I've branched out this time and have brought different types of teas; green, mint, fruity and decaf in case you're wondering. I have also packed my protein and shaker as you can't always rely on the quality of food or timing. By having protein available I ensure that I am maximising the recovery and repair of muscle after training.

Torture tools! We do not have a physio on hand so it is up to us as individuals to look after ourselves. This means working on our muscles to loosen and lengthen them using an assortment of rollers, balls and bands. I will aim to do 20 min of this a day to keep myself in good nick. I'm also taking a skipping rope as warm up space can be limited and skipping is a good pulse raiser!!

A mini pharmacy. In case you don't know, sport hurts! And bobskeleton hurts more than most due to hitting walls of ice at high speeds :( It is important to stay healthy and that means not picking up bugs, illness etc. first defence and hand sanitiser are my weapons against illness - we always advise our athletes to use them at work. Vit D is really important for immune function also and a lot of countries I will be visiting have low daylight hours meaning it is diffucult to get your daily quota of vit D. I have to buy batch tested supplements now that I could be tested by the drug testers. I also have an array of painkillers - cocodemol, paracetamol and ibuprofen to take the pain from the hits and any niggles (Zoe injuries) I may pick up. Lastly, as a girl I always carry sanitary products (just incase, me or anyone else) and remembering to keep taking contraception is essential!!

Sleep aids!! A hot water bottle if it's cold (also really good when your neck is sore), an eye mask in case you're sharing/you want to sleep late on a rest day and ear plugs to block out noise. Sleep is VITAL to recovery so you need to do whatever it takes to get a good nights sleep. I also have my cuddly toy Pancakes the rabbit (yes I am 26!) as she reminds me of home and is a comfort when travelling often and missing my own bed!

Tools. Before skeleton the most tools I'd ever used let alone packed for a camp was a spike key. Today I have in my bag: a set of Alan keys, sandpaper of varying grades, a steel ruler, vernier calipers, Stanley knife, scissors, white grease, shoe goo, head torch and other stuff that I can't even remember. It is all to do with sled maintenance. Before each run you have to set your runner 'rock' which involves precise measurements and making adjustments with a wrench and Alan key. You also have to frequently check all the nuts and bolts and polish the runners. Oh, athletics was so simple. And don't get me started on taping.

(No picture sadly)

Final thoughts for packing 

1. Always always pack an extension lead - means you only need one adaptor and good if few plug sockets available

2. Roll not fold your clothes you get more in :) (see below)

3. Think about entertainment. Films on a hard drive, new books to read on your kindle, speakers so you can have a dance to let off steam...

So there you go. That's what I know so far. Part of this journey is finding out what works for me. What I need to perform to my best. 

I also get all my British skeleton kit when I get to Igls. It will be like Christmas!! So fingers crossed I will have two of everything and don't have to do any washing :)