Training low, sleeping high as the final push begins

OLYMPIC DIARY:I've been fine tuning my disciplines in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain as the countdown clock starts ticking in earnest, writes AILEEN MORRISON

I GET the feeling the weather is proving difficult for a lot of people right now, and in some ways it is for me, too. I did a fairly routine cycle on Tuesday, and ended up drinking eight water bottles, nearly roasting to death. I was plastered in sunscreen, still got fried, the temperature a burning 40 degrees Celsius.

Obviously this is nowhere in Ireland, and don’t get me wrong, I do miss home, but for the last three weeks I’ve been training around the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the south of Spain, close to Granada. The main advantage here is the high altitude, around 2,350 metres, but also the amazing facilities that the Spanish sporting federation have built here, including a 50-metre pool, with underwater viewing, a running track, plus miles of trials and quiet roads that are absolutely perfect for running and cycling.

When I hear that half of Ireland is under water I can only smile. I’ve trained in the rain all winter, believe me. For five weeks in a row it rained on my Monday cycle up Scarva Hill, and that’s fine for February, or March, but when you’re just a few weeks away from the Olympics you need everything to be absolutely right.

And, it’s not just the good weather here. I have the top-class facilities, but also the coaching back-up, plus top-class training partners, and a top-class medical team, so that really, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

We came here straight after my last triathlon, in Kitzbühel, the fourth stop in the ITU World Series. I said going into the race that I was looking for a strong swim, and I ended up missing the break, and finished 14th. That left me a little annoyed, because I certainly planned to do better in the swim. I can’t quite put my finger on it. It just wasn’t good enough on the day, that’s what it boils down to.

I’ve had good swims, and bad swims, and I’m just not at the level yet where I’m swimming good, biking good, and running good, all the time.

Maybe I’m more of an opportunistic athlete, and so be it. I’m happy to take those opportunities when they come my way, but I’m not in this game as long as some of the other girls, racing at this level, so I’m still learning along the way, and that’s how it’s got to be.

When it came to the run I was pretty much as fast as the winning split. That was some comfort, but at the same time it leaves you kicking as well, knowing how much more you could have done. But that’s the triathlon: you have to be able to do all three on the day.

However, 14th place in a World Series race is not a bad result. This time last year I would have considered that a good result. If that’s my worst result of the year then great, I’ll take it. Anyone who thinks 14th is not good enough, and that I should be disappointed, is wrong, and is poor journalism. Not pointing any fingers!

The fact is I took a lot of positives out of it, including lifting some the expectations going into London. It also gave me some new areas to work on, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing these past three weeks in Spain.

The altitude training does offer some advantage, although I don’t think it’s essential for me. It affects different people differently. I always find I swim quite well after a period at altitude, or just coming out of a camp, so either way it should be a good thing. The other advantage of this place is that you can “train low, sleep high”, as the lingo goes, which means I sometimes do the harder sessions down in Granada, a 25-minute drive away, and still get the advantage of spending the rest of the time at altitude.

More importantly, being in the camp here means my coach, Chris Jones, can watch me all of the time, and assess all the little things that he otherwise mightn’t be able to do. His role is crucial in this period, making sure I stay in one piece. I also have Conor Murphy, one of Ireland’s elite men, training with me, always pushing me, plus a few of the development triathletes, also some cyclists, all helping me in training.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner is also served up, so all we have to do is run, bike, swim, and sleep. It means I can have a nap in the afternoon if I want, instead of having to look after other stuff. So it’s training hard, resting hard, I suppose.

Of course this is all about hitting that final peak, in Hyde Park, on August 4th. I’ll head back home to Lisburn this weekend, for a few days, and pick up my Olympic kit. Then it’s off to Hamburg, on Sunday week, for one final race. It’s only the sprint distance, half the normal distance: it fits perfectly in terms of the run in to London, so a lot of the top girls are doing it, as a last race, including all the Australians.

From there I fly straight to London, and into the Irish holding camp, at Lensbury. But I won’t be just sitting back, with the feet up. You have to do some swimming, cycling and running all the way through to race day, to ensure all cylinders are still firing. The way triathletes are anyway it’s more a case of trying to hold back.

There will be some key sessions to do even the week before my race, but really, all the hard work is done, and I know I’ve done everything I can do, so whatever way it turns out is the best I can be. People are already asking me about nerves, or the excitement, but I’m so used to competing at this level that you just contain the nerves, and have to view the Olympics as any other race, otherwise I can’t imagine you’d be in a position to compete at all.

So I’m not even really thinking about it. I’ll enjoy that excitement, all the atmosphere of being at the Olympics, when I cross the line. How about that?