Jock Athletic Ezine - Issue 22

MATT CRAFT KONA CALLING

RUN HAPPY

PUTTING THE ‘FUN’ BACK INTO FUN RUNS

COOLANGATTA GOLD: CHASING DREAMS

WATERPROOF IPOD

GIVEAWAY

EDITOR’S LETTER

WHAT A MONTH IT’S BEEN - TWO SENSATIONAL GRAND FINALS WON BY THE SYDNEY SWANS AND THE MELBOURNE STORM, THE INAUGURAL RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIPS HAVING BEEN DECIDED ALREADY BY A RAMPAGING ALL BLACKS, AUSTRALIA FLYING THROUGH TO THE WORLD CUP T20 SEMIS AND ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S GREATEST EVER CRICKETERS, MATTY HAYDEN PULLING STUMPS ON HIS CAREER. EVER SINCE I FIRST STARTED WATCHING AUSSIE ROB DE CASTELLA’S GREAT MARATHON FEATS OF THE 80’S, I HAVE BEEN FASCINATED BY THE STORY OF THE MARATHON. WELL, MEL CAMPBELL TAKES US TO THE CLIMAX OF HER FIRST MARATHON STORY. SHE CERTAINLY HAS ACHIEVED A RUNNERS “HIGH” AND IT CONTINUES WEEKS LATER. IT WAS GREAT AND QUITE IRONIC TO SEE THAT DEEKS WAS THE ONE ON THE START LINE OF MEL’S FIRST MARATHON, GIVING THE CROWD A “PEP” TALK! TRI COACH DAN ATKINS TALKS ABOUT THE ALL IMPORTANT ATHLETE COACH COMMUNICATION; ELOISE TAKES US INSIDE THE OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE; PETER GIVES US AN ATHLETICS WRAP UP AND I EXPLAIN THE ONLY PART OF MY RUNNING THAT’S EXACTLY LIKE THAT OF THE “GREAT” DAVID RUDISHA. THIS MONTH’S GOING TO BE BIG, WITH THE HISTORICAL COOLANGATTA GOLD AND HAWAII IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACES ON AGAIN, BOTH ICONIC EVENTS AND EXTREME TESTS OF HUMAN ENDURANCE THAT HAVE CAPTURED THE IMAGINATIONS OF AUSTRALIAN SPORTING FANS. JOCK ATHLETIC’S OLDEST EVER ATHLETE MAKES A SURPRISE APPEARANCE, AND I KNOW HIM WELL ENOUGH TO ENSURE HE WILL BE QUITE EMBARRASSED BY THE MENTION - SEE HIM ON THE TRIBUTE PAGE. THE ONE TO WATCH THIS COMING MONTH IS AUSSIE CRICKETER SHANE WATSON. HE HAS WON FOUR MAN OF THE MATCH AWARDS IN AUSTRALIA’S FIRST 4 GAMES OF THE WORLD CUP T20 IN SRI LANKA. HE IS ALSO LEADING THE RUNS SCORED, WICKETS TAKEN AND SIXES HIT IN THE WORLD CUP SO FAR - LOOK OUT FOR HIM AND THE AUSSIES THIS MONTH.

ENJOY!

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OCTOBER 2012 Image: Delly Carr 5

Posing for the Cameras: “The Good Doctor” showing off the Jimmy McLachlan Trophy after winning the tournament this year.

Photo courtesy of NSW Golf Club

JOCK ATHLETIC PAYS TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN CAMPBELL, A.K.A. “DAD”.

This month sees our oldest Jock Athletic member turn 80, my dad John Campbell.

His training sessions now consist of him and I walking 2km to the coffee shop, having a 20min rest over coffee, and then walking back, but he also walks his golf course once or twice a week. Although his handicap has blown out in recent years he still manages to win the odd competition and appear in the media (pictured here holding the “Jimmy McLachlan Trophy”) and at almost 80, still walks around the hilly golf course. Being a very humble man, I only found out that dad had won this comp through my neighbour! Dad is so conscious of not being a poser or “big head” that he wont wear his walking shoes down to my house.

He changes into them when he gets here, so as not to show off.

It was dad who first introduced me to sport, including cricket, and I’d just like to share two quotes from him I clearly remember; the first being “you need to study more as you spend all your time playing and watching sport, you can’t make a living out of sport!” After making a living for the past 25 years from professional sport and exercise I often remind him of this.

The second, which has had a major influence on my life, when I was leaving school and wasn’t sure what to do my parents had heard about this new course called Sports Science, which I applied for and told them if I didn’t like it I might do one year and then transfer to something else. My father said, in no uncertain terms, “You will not, you’ll finish it!” Dad always taught me persistence and it made me get stuck in with 100% commitment into something that I ended up having great passion for and has given me a great career in sport.

John has fought off some great contenders for this months tribute, the likes of Matty Hayden and Brett Lee retiring, a 41 year old Brad Hogg playing in the current T20 World Cup, footy finals and Glenn McGrath running his first half marathon.

It is with a happy birthday, a thank you for encouraging me in sport and with great pleasure to see Dr. John Campbell still active and enjoying his beloved golf - our tribute of this month goes to the old fella.

May the coffee walks long continue.

10 COMPETITION THINKING Dr. Mike Martin

14 SWIMMAN GIVEAWAY 16 MATT CRAFT: ATHLETE PROFILE Tim Brennan

24 COACH & ATHLETE:

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS Dan Atkins

30 MUST DO EVENT OF THE MONTH Spring Beach Classic

34 LIFE AFTER LONDON Peter Hadfield OAM

40 HYDRATION HOW-TOS Rebecca Gawthorne

46 PRODUCT REVIEW Running Sunglasses

52 COOLANGATTA DREAMS Siobhan McCarthy

58 MARATHON: CHECK! Melissa Campbell

64 RUN HAPPY

Empirica Research

68 COMETH THE HOUR, COMETH THE (WO)MAN Eloise Wellings

74 ATHLETE NEWS Jock Athletic

EZINE BRAINS TRUST PUBLISHER Jock Athletic EDITORS Jock Campbell / Melissa Campbell ART DIRECTOR/DESIGN Kiss the Sky ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION Melissa Campbell / Dee McCarthy

CONTRIBUTORS Dan Atkins, Jock Campbell, Rebecca Gawthorne, Peter Hadfield, Daniel Lane, Michael Martin, Siobhan McCarthy, Craig Stevens,

8 COVER IMAGE: Surfjockathletic.com Life Saving “superstar” Hayley Bateup, one of the hot favourites for this year’s Coolangatta Gol Image: John Veage, Harvpix

ld.

Eloise and “the Gazelles”, out on a run through the Ugandan countryside.

Tim Brennan, Paul Watson, Eloise Wellings EDITORIAL OFFICE Jock Athletic | PO Box 1186 Cronulla 2230 W 0415 998 636 | EMAIL ezine@jockathletic.com

SUBSCRIBE NOW » OCTOBER 2012

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COMPETITION THINKING.

IS IT ROBBING YOU OF YOUR POTENTIAL? WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE BIGGEST ISSUE THAT I TALK TO ATHLETES ABOUT IS THEIR FOCUS. WHAT USUALLY HAPPENS IS THAT ATHLETES COME UNDER PRESSURE AND THEN REALISE THAT THEY NEED TO BE FOCUSED. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN’T PRACTICED THEIR FOCUSING DURING TRAINING, THEN THEY ARE UNSURE OF WHAT IT IS THAT THEY SHOULD ACTUALLY BE FOCUSING ON.

DR. MICHAEL MARTIN

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FASTER!

WILL HE CATCH ME?

DON’T DROP IT!

I’M TIRED!

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IT’S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT ATHLETES UNDERSTAND WHAT SPECIFIC ACTIONS THEY NEED TO FOCUS ON IN THEIR SPORT, AT CERTAIN CRITICAL TIMES. FOR EXAMPLE A SWIMMER MAY REALLY NEED TO FOCUS INTENTLY ON TUCKING HER HEAD AS SHE TUMBLE TURNS. WHEN HILL CLIMBING, A CYCLIST MAY REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON KEEPING HIS CORE SWITCHED ON. AN NRL PLAYER MAY REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON DRIVING THE OPPONENT BACK DURING THE TACKLE. THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES THAT ATHLETES NEED TO FOCUS ON IN ORDER TO MAXIMISE THEIR PERFORMANCE. However often times the athletes attention is far from the moment. Far from these important focus cues that are required for maximum performance. Athletes could be thinking about anything else other than these focusing cues, and they are focusing on the wrong thing.

Athletes might be thinking about the score, they might be thinking about what their opponent is doing, they might be thinking about the coach or crowd reaction and while all of those thoughts revolve around their sport, they don’t revolve around their performance.

Yet when athletes are focused on the present moment, on executing their specific focusing cues, that is, focused on what it is that they need to do right there and then, Then that 12

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is what promotes consistent and maximal performance.

One of the greatest distractors of the sporting mind is negative thoughts and feelings. For example the swimmer may be thinking about a turn she missed earlier, the cyclist may be thinking about how tired he feels and, whether he can hold on to the group, to make it to the end of the race. The NRL player may be stuck thinking about dropping the ball earlier in the game.

When athletes engage with these negative thoughts, swirling them around in their heads, over and over again, trying to secondguess what they should have done, trying to create a face-saving response to a potential criticism, or simply trying to “problem solve” the errors in their performance on the fly, then performance drops off.

Their head is not in the moment, and they are feeding emotions of anger and stress, fear and anxiety.

TWO THINGS ARE AT PLAY HERE:

ONE.

THE ATHLETE IS NOT FOCUSED ON DOING WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING AT THAT SPECIFIC POINT DURING THE COMPETITION.

TWO.

THE ATHLETE IS ENGAGING WITH THE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS, COMPOUNDING THE LACK OF FOCUS.

There is a double whammy lack of focus at play.

Often times, athletes blame their negative thoughts as the cause for their poor performances. However it is not the negative emotion that causes the problem. It is the athlete’s lack of focus, as they engage with their negative emotions that cause the problem.

ATHLETES DON’T PERFORM POORLY BECAUSE OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS; THEY PERFORM POORLY BECAUSE THE NEGATIVE EMOTION CAUSES THEM TO LOSE FOCUS. Athletes need to be willing to experience negative thoughts and feelings in order to achieve their goals. Mindfulness strategies, which promote greater attention to the present moment performance, is what is needed to stay focused, while experiencing negative thoughts and feelings.

DR. MICHAEL MARTIN IS THE FORMER HEAD OF PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGY AT THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT AND HAS WORKED WITH PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES ACROSS A RANGE OF SPORTS FOR THE PAST 19 YEARS. YOU CAN CHECK OUT MIKE’S FREE REPORT, 'HOW TO COMPETE TO YOUR TRUE POTENTIAL...

WHEN IT REALLY MATTERS!” TOTALLY GEARED FOR SPORTING SUCCESS. IT’LL HELP YOU TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF SIMPLE, POWERFUL STRATEGIES AND WILL ADD GREAT FOCUS, CONFIDENCE AND CONSISTENCY TO ANY ATHLETES MENTAL GAME. SPORTSPSYCHOLOGY.COM.AU

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OCTOBER 2012

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Matt Craft AMATEUR ATHLETE PROFILE

TIM BRENNAN

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FOR THOSE OF US WHO ENJOY OR FOLLOW THE SPORT OF TRIATHLON, OCTOBER MEANS THE HAWAII IRONMAN - THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF TRIATHLON. ALTHOUGH WE’VE PROBABLY HEARD OF THE RACE, IT’S AN EVENT THAT SEEMS OUT OF REACH TO MOST, EXCEPT PERHAPS FOR A BUNCH OF CRAZY ENDURANCE TYPES WITH NOTHING BETTER TO DO. BUT THAT’S ONLY PARTLY TRUE. The past five World Championships (at least on the mens side) have been won by an Australian. Both Craig Alexander (3 times) and Chris McCormack (twice) are local Cronulla triathletes, but probably not household names.

Alongside them every year is another group of amateur athletes who have spent the previous year(s) slogging it out in the pool, on the bike, on the track and in races in an attempt to qualify for the event. It’s a difficult process, and a costly one as only the top one or two athletes in an age group will qualify.

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ONE OF THE BEST OF THESE ATHLETES IS SYDNEY-BASED TRIATHLETE MATT CRAFT. MATT WILL RETURN TO RACE HAWAII FOR THE 4TH TIME THIS YEAR - AN AMAZING RESULT FOR A GUY WHO ONLY TOOK UP THE SPORT 6 YEARS AGO.

In a previous life, Matt played high level tennis and A-Grade Rugby League until a mishap in a tackle left him with a crushed L1 vertebrae, forcing him out of the sport.

It was a few years later when Matt’s wife Kristy (also a Hawaii Ironman finisher) raced the Sydney half marathon that he decided he wanted to get involved. What he discovered was he was a pretty good runner, and he would begin to hone his triathlon skills through the Kurnell triathlon season and eventually to the Ironman in Port Macquarie.

The first race over the Ironman distance (3.8km swim, 180km Bike and 42.2km run) would prove to be a sharp learning experience.

Since then – and 8 Ironman races later- the 31 year old has excelled over all distances, winning the Luke Harrop Memorial on the Gold Coast, the Huskisson Long Course, the Batemans Bay Ultimate and culminating in winning his age group in Port Macquarie this

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year in a blistering 9 hours and 4 minutes. An amazing achievement considering Matt works full time installing kitchens and bathrooms, has time for coffee at Grind and maintains a happy and supportive family and social life.

A quiet and laid back guy by nature, Matt is inspired by the career of Craig “Crowie” Alexander, the way he carries himself on and off the race circuit and in his ability to adapt to the challenges of the sport. In particular, Matt admires that Crowie does most of his “talking” through his performances and achievements and remains humble throughout.

THE TRAINING In training for Hawaii Matt logs in 11 sessions per week: • 4 swimming sessions in the pool and the ocean • 3 bike rides over various distances and • 4 running sets He puts down as his favourite session the one hour every Friday morning spent in the sand hills for running strength and endurance (I know Jock would be an advocate for this).

The key sessions in the week are the long ride and long run, but also the hard efforts on the bike improving the time trial skills and the interval runs working on strength and form.

Training with a group of like minded athletes helps him get out of bed on the cold winter mornings and to push each other to get the

best out, especially in the weeks when the motivation is low.

The overall message is that the sessions are quality. No crap miles!

KONA The Hawaii Ironman is a different race for all sorts of reasons. If you were to say to someone that you can do an ocean swim in crystal clear waters with sea life all around, ride on a flat smooth road and run along the pristine coastline a lot of us would jump at it. But Matt says the difficulty with Hawaii comes with the feeling of being in an oven, that there’s nowhere to escape the sun and the heat as the temperature climbs to over 40 degrees. The glare from the lava fields can cut through you and then the wind- just when you think that riding in to a head wind in one direction means you get a tail wind going back, think again. Then look around and the top athletes from every race in the world are next to you and you want to win!

THE PHILOSOPHY Matt’s race philosophy is simple. Have a solid swim and bike ride without expending all the energy. Try and be in the best possible position and health leading in to the marathon, his real strength. Run hard from the start and don’t stop until the finish line.

Easy!

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Matt will enter Hawaii knowing he has done everything possible to be prepared for the race. He finds it personally satisfying to finish anything he sets out to achieve and to keep learning and improving.

It’s a great life lesson and one we can all learn from.

TIM BRENNAN IS A PERTH BASED PHYSIOTHERAPIST AT BODY LOGIC PHYSIOTHERAPY AND USED TO DABBLE IN TRIATHLON. BODYLOGICPHYSIOTHERAPY.COM.AU

YOU CAN FOLLOW MATT’S PROGRESS ON RACE DAY IN HAWAII ON OCTOBER 13TH VIA THE WEB AT WWW.IRONMANLIVE.COM. WE MIGHT JUST HAVE ANOTHER WORLD CHAMPION IN THE SUTHERLAND SHIRE (IF KURNELL COUNTS).

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Life is local Proudly supporting and informing the local community since 1960

www.theleader.com.au

COACH &

ATHLETE

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS DAN ATKINS

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MANY CO MMUNICA TION BREAKD OWNS BE TWEEN A COACH AND ATH LETE ARE DUE TO A RE SULT OF MISUNDE RSTAND ING OR MISCOMM UNICATIO N. THE CHE MISTRY BETWEE COACH A N ND ATHL ETE IS O VITAL IM F PORTAN CE AS IS SHARING A COMM ON VISION MUTUAL .

ACCOUNT ABILITY, PASSION AND BEL IEF, AS AS A GE WELL NUINE CO MMITME FROM BO NT TH SIDE S, ARE NEEDED.

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Dan takes his juniors through their paces at training (above) and shares in their joy when their hard work pays off.

ATHLETES TEND TO UNITE BEHIND COMMON GOALS AND COACHES MUST TRAVEL THE JOURNEY WITH THEM AT ALL TIMES. THE CONFIDENCE ATHLETES MUST HAVE IN THEIR COACH GIVES THEM THE KNOWLEDGE OF TASK AND PHYSICAL SKILL SETS TO ACHIEVE LONG AND SHORT TERM GOALS. GETTING THE ATHLETE TO HAVE A SIMILAR PHILOSOPHY, OPERATING PROCEDURES AND VALUES THAT GOVERN THE ATHLETE TO PERFORM AT THEIR PEAK PERFORMANCE LEVEL CAN ALL IMPROVE WAYS THE COACH CAN COMMUNICATE TO THE ATHLETE. THESE FIVE POINTS BELOW CAN ACHIEVE PEAK PERFORMANCES AND BUY IN FROM THE ATHLETE WITH BETTER FORMS OF COMMUNICATION:

Any coach should give athletes feedback on their progression and areas of improvement without negative talk. Challenge every athlete to become better. As well as challenge you the coach to improve the way we coach our athletes.

1. IMPART

4. Clarify

Relevant information and knowledge that is easily understood and goal orientated. The goals of the athlete must have clarity and have a strategic action plan that involves the athlete in the important decisions making.

how things are going. Talk openly about the commitment that is required to achieve goals and what is needed to done to keep things on task. Challenging all athletes to take responsibility for their own actions and to work with continued effort, purpose and focus.

2. Inspire Coaches inspire athletes to reach their goals and strive for their absolute best at all times.

Communicate with passion and enthusiasm.

Be honest, sincere and direct. Instill a sense of pride, passion, belief and inner spirit. I try to make sure every athlete feels special and significant within our squad.

3. Monitor

5. Reinforce behaviour that you want repeated. Catch athletes doing the right things; provide lots of support, encouragement, and positive reinforcement; discipline athletes according to your coaching philosophy and team mission statement; always correct errors in a positive way.

Set up a goal based program and monitor and evaluate their progress at all times.

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The Coaches Oath As coaches we need to build a psychological and a social environment to achieve goals and team based unity. We should take time to get to know each athlete and their individual identities, understand each ones unique goals find out their strengths and weaknesses and also their social interests.

Coaches should be open and honest and upfront with athletes about various decisions that affect them directly. Likewise athletes need feedback as to where they stand and how they are progressing in relation to their individual goals in training and racing.

Evaluative feedback is an important part of communication and part of the goal-setting process. Developing strategies to improve coach- athlete communication processes can rectify many misunderstandings and

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unwanted hurt feelings. Communication is a two way street; hence both the athlete and the coach have a responsibility to make it work, or it just won’t be effective on or off the playing field and all goals won’t be achieved.

I tell all my athletes that their personal goals are mine as well, because if they fail or are not successful with their goals, well either am I. My job hasn’t been completed.

Any peak race I try to get an athlete to achieve success I call it my “end of term report card”, bit like at university or school I am judged as a student of the athlete. Have I studied correctly spent enough time on working out the course the athlete’s strengths weaknesses, have I looked at the opposition and worked out the area to attack them in a race.

All these things I am rated on as much as the athlete has to execute the end results.

The Trust Game: IN THE END THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE TO THE ATHLETES AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THE ATHLETE COMMUNICATES BACK TO ME THE COACH IS THE WAY I SEE WE BOTH PROGRESS AS A “TEAM”. WITHOUT A TWO WAY STREET THE OUTCOME JUST WON’T OCCUR. SET UP OUTSIDE OF TRAINING MEETINGS/ CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR COACH. MOST COACHES ARE AS GOOD LISTENERS AS THEY ARE COMMUNICATORS SO THEY WILL TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO YOUR CONCERNS OR EVEN YOUR POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. AS COACHES WE NEED FEEDBACK AS WELL, EITHER GOOD OR NOT SO GOOD. SO DON’T BE SCARED TO SPEAK UP BUT BE PREPARED TO BACK UP YOUR IDEAS OR CHOICES.

DAN ATKINS IS THE DIRECTOR OF D.A.T. RACING IN BRISBANE AND HAS SOME 23 YEARS EXPERIENCE AS A COACH AND ATHLETE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR DAN, PLEASE CONTACT HIM VIA EMAIL: DANATKINS08@GMAIL.COM.

FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER (@DANAT75) OR CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE DANATKINSTRAINING.COM.AU

ANY RELATIONSHIP IS BUILT ON TRUST AND THE COACH ATHLETE ONE IS NO DIFFERENT. SO IF YOU TRUST YOUR COACH TO DO THE RIGHT THING BY YOU, MAKE SURE YOU COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY FOR THE POSITIVE CHANGE NEEDED. THEN THE RESULTS WILL FLOW!!!

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SPRING BEACH CLASSIC

SUNDAY 7 OCTOBER, 2012

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C

TO RUN ALONG THE GREATEST BEACH IN THE WORLD IS SOMETHING I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO DO EVERY WEEK, THAT BEING AT CRONULLA. IT’S A 5KM STRIP OF BEACH EXTENDING FROM NORTH CRONULLA SURF CLUB PAST WANDA BEACH, OUT TO BOAT HARBOUR. THE SOUTHERN END IT’S A CITY BEACH, BUT OUT TOWARDS BOAT HARBOUR YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN THE COUNTRY.

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The great news is Wanda surf club (our surf club) proudly supported by our great mates at Crust Cronulla, have a Fun Run which travels along the strip and back from Wanda Surf Club. It’s called the Spring Beach Classic, a race over 8km, which attracts some great runners like previous Australian, State and World Champions like Jeremy Horne, Michael Fox and Michael Prince in the mens and, Dee Cooper, Mel Campbell and Laura James in the womens. It also has great cash prizes for 1st male and female winners.

REGISTER NOW SPRING BEACH CLASSIC 8KM FUN RUN

Is there a better way to welcome in Spring than a nice run out the beach and back to help raise money for the Wanda Surf Lifesaving Club.

All are welcome, from the first-timer to those who like serious racing and want a good hit out.

This year, the Spring Beach Classic includes a JUNIOR DASH, a sprint skins style drop off race for 10-12 year olds.

SUNDAY 7 OCTOBER 2012 WWW.WANDASURFCLUB.COM PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

Something for the whole family!

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LIFE AFTER LONDON PETER HADFIELD (OAM) IT’S BEEN OVER A MONTH SINCE THE OLYMPIC FLAME WAS EXTINGUISHED IN LONDON AND SITTING IN THE ABC COMMENTARY POSITION AT THE OLYMPIC STADIUM SEEMS LIKE A DISTANT MEMORY FOR ME. PERHAPS THAT WAS THE RESULT OF DRINKING WAY TOO MANY PINTS OF GUINNESS ON A POST GAMES TOUR OF IRELAND AND THE FACT THAT I HAVE NOW RETURNED TO WORK WITH MY REAL JOB. WHAT HAS BEEN INTERESTING IS THE VARIETY OF APPROACHES TAKEN BY THE LEADING ATHLETES ‘POST LONDON’.

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Nadzeya Ostapchuk, the Belarussian Women’s Shot Putter who momentarily held the Gold medal, had an enforced break from Track & Field. She tested positive to a banned anabolic and was stripped of her gold medal. This meant that New Zealand’s Valerie Adams, was awarded the Gold which adds to her collection as the defending Olympic Champion and also the World, Commonwealth and World Indoor Champion.

For many of the Gold medallists, the thought of potentially tarnishing their moment of glory by competing after the Games and losing was sufficient motivation to hang up the spikes for the year and sit back and enjoy the moment for a little bit longer. For others it was work as usual. Like the Depeche Mode song they “just can’t get enough”.

Leading the way on elite post-London performances was Aries Merritt from the USA. The gold medallist in London, who ran a personal best of 12.92 to beat his team mate , demonstrated that removal of tension improves printing performance.

stayed on in Europe to complete the season.

The motivation of the approaches by athletes is as varied as the number of athletes going around.

At the Brussels Diamond League meet, just 30 days after his Olympic triumph, Merritt raced across the ten obstacles in a flawless display to eclipse Cuban Dayron Robles’ World Record set in 2008 by 0.07 seconds to run 12.80. `It was a stunning performance on the track and led to one commentator to exclaim “how does he do it, he’s been racing since June’.

Some build up to such a mental and emotional crescendo for the Games that they just need a break and I think Sally was in this category.

Sally was carrying the weight of expectation of all Australians leading into London and although she won the Gold medal as everyone expected, the 2/100ths of a second winning margin over the defending Olympic Champion Dawn Harper might have taken its emotional toll. Sally would have been keen to get home, spoil her dogs and just stay away from the track for a while.

After winning Gold in the Women’s 100m hurdles in London, Sally Pearson took a different approach and removed herself from the Diamond League circuit to return to Australia while the Silver and Bronze medallists Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells

Sally also has a history of back injuries and her approach in both her World Championship and Olympic campaigns over the last two years was to race lightly over the 100m flat events in the Australian domestic season and avoid racing over the hurdles. She only ran a

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few meets leading up to the Games and then three races in London produced a gold medal.

I do think that Sally’s manager was keen to get her back to Australia to capitalise on existing or potential corporate arrangements to secure her financial future over the next four years leading into Rio. Other leading performers were certainly aiming at maximising their earning potential and many of them chose to do it on the track. Their appearance money would have increased markedly after success in London so there was a short window for cashing in between the Games and the final Diamond League meet in Brussels on the 7th of September.

Many of the Olympic champions would have been under contractual arrangements with meet promoters and their individual sponsors to continue on after the Games and many responded superbly.

Usain Bolt ran a 19.58 200m in Lausanne and over the same distance Yohan Blake ran 19.54 in Brussels.

THE DIAMOND LEAGUE The main motivation for athletes continuing to compete after the Games was the prestige of winning and the associated financial rewards of the Diamond League, an annual series of 16 track and field meetings world wide.

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For an athlete to secure the Diamond Race point score and its associated prize for their particular event, they were compelled to compete in the either of the final Zurich or Brussels meets in their event discipline.

Winners of each Diamond Race received a Diamond Trophy and a cash prize but more importantly, the winners had the honour of being named the World Number 1 in their event as a reward for their consistency over the year.

The prize money can’t be dismissed lightly either as each of the sixteen Diamond League meets had a total of $480,000 up for grabs (almost $8 Million in total) and the overall winner of each of the 32 Diamond events received a $40,000 cash bonus along with their spectacular Diamond Trophy.

The first of the sixteen Diamond League meets started in Doha on the 11th of April and there were five compacted meets contested after the London Olympics with the final meet in Brussels on the 7th September.

Some media commentators were suggesting that the season was too long. However, the majority of athletes proved that they thrive on ongoing, intense competition and were still performing at their best right to the end of the season.

David Rudisha from Kenya commenced his competitive program in Australia in February this year and went on to win Gold in London and break the world record.

IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE EVENT CHAMPIONS EVENT

MEN

WOMEN

100M

USAIN BOLT

SHELLY-ANN FRASER-PRYCE

200M

NICKEL ASHMEADE

CHARONDA WILLIAMS

400M

KEVIN BORLÉE

AMANTLE MONTSHO

800M

MOHAMMED AMAN

PAMELA JELIMO

1500M

SILAS KIPLAGAT

ABEBA AREGAWI

5000M

ISIAH KIPLANGAT KOECH

VIVIAN JEPKEMOI CHERUIYOT

3000M S/CHASE

PAUL KIPSIELE KOECH

MILCAH CHEMOS

100M HURDLES

ARIES MERRITT

DAWN HARPER

400M HURDLES

JAVIER CULSON

KALIESE SPENCER

HIGH JUMP

ROBBIE GRABARZ

CHAUNTE LOWE

POLE VAULT

RENAUD LAVILLENIE

SILKE SPIEGELBURG

LONG JUMP

ALEKSANDR MENKOV

YELENA SOKOLOVA

TRIPLE JUMP

CHRISTIAN TAYLOR

OLGA RYPAKOVA

SHOT PUT

CHRISTIAN TAYLOR

VALERIE ADAMS

DISCUS THROW

GERD KANTER

SANDRA PERKOVIC

JAVELIN THROW

VÍTEZSLAV VESELÝ

BARBORA SPOTAKOVA

Mike Tully, a former Olympic Silver medallist in the Pole Vault from the USA, couldn’t compete enough. I competed against Mike in a Pole Vault exhibition underneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1978. Mike admitted to me that he was a “bit tired” coming into this competition. He’d competed in 25 meets in Europe over 31 days!

Perhaps competing regularly is a lesson that a few more of our Australian athletes should take on, to lift their world standing and their ability to match it at the major championships.

The memories of the incredible performances from London still live on and I hope you can be motivated by them: • A 10,000 metre event where Mo Farrar ran 54 secs for the last lap to win Gold in 27 minutes 30 seconds.

• Or running a 100m in 17 seconds and then doing 420 repetitions without a rest in between any of them, because this is the pace the marathon runners achieved for 42kms.

• Or just try stepping out how far 8.31m is as this was the distance that Greg Rutherford jumped to win the long jump.

The performances were magical and I was so fortunate to have watched them all live.

PETER HADFIELD OAM REPRESENTED AUSTRALIA IN TWO OLYMPIC GAMES AND TWO COMMONWEALTH GAMES, WINNING A COMMONWEALTH GAMES SILVER MEDAL BEHIND OLYMPIC CHAMPION AND WORLD RECORD HOLDER DALEY THOMPSON. AS WELL AS WORKING AS A TV AND RADIO COMMENTATOR AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER, PETER PROVIDES TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR SPORTING TEAMS AND INDIVIDUALS.

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C R E A T I V E

M E D I A

DESIGN. PRINT. WEB. PH 02 8517 3508

WWW.KISSTHESKY.COM.AU

HYDRATION How-Tos REBECCA GAWTHORNE 40

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ARE YOU DRINKING ENOUGH WATER? RESEARCH SAYS YOU’RE NOT. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT OVER HALF OF AUSTRALIAN’S SUFFER FROM SOME DEGREE OF DEHYDRATION. AND THE WORRYING PART IS THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW IT. YOU COULD BE DEHYDRATED RIGHT NOW!

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ADEQUATE HYDRATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR MANY ASPECTS OF HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, INCLUDING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERFORMANCE. IN SPORT, PROPER HYDRATION IS CRITICAL. DEHYDRATION DURING EXERCISE CAN REDUCE BOTH YOUR PERFORMANCE AND ENJOYMENT, ESPECIALLY IN HOT, HUMID CONDITIONS. Studies that measure the hydration status of athletes find that in most training sessions and sports, sweat losses will exceed the amount of fluid an athlete can replace during a session. This means it is very important to start an exercise session well-hydrated to minimise the fluid deficit that will inevitably occur. Minimise the fluid shortage, reduce the risk of dehydration and you will perform at your peak and gain the upper edge on your components.

SEVEN HYDRATION HOW-TO’S: 1

How to Tell If You’re Hydrated

In most cases, you will be able to tell if you are adequately hydrated based on the colour of your urine. The lighter your urine, the better hydrated you are. However, don’t use thirst as an indicator of hydration. When you feel thirsty, you’re body is already 2% dehydrated, so you actually need to drink so you don’t register a thirst sensation. Chronic headaches and dry eyes, lips, mouth and throat can also be signs of dehydration.

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2 How To Stay Hydrated Staying hydrated on a day to day basis is essential for ensuring you are hydrated during training and competition. Drink regularly throughout the week, including non-training days. Try having a drink of water with all meals and snacks. Carry a water bottle and keep a record of how many bottles you drink each day.

3 How To Start Exercise Hydrated Starting your session hydrated is critical.

Drink when you wake up in the morning and continue to drink throughout the day. This is important to avoid needing to consume excessive amounts of fluids directly before/ during your session (which may cause gastrointestinal upset or leave you feeling heavy/sloshy). Then immediately before the session, drink around 200-600mls.

How To Keep Hydrated During 4 Exercise Drink small amounts regularly during your session so you don’t get thirsty. Try 200300ml every 15-20minutes, but make sure you drink at a rate that is comfortable for you.

How To Re-hydrate After 5 Exercise Rehydration after training will mean you are able to start your next session hydrated. Over

the 2-6hours after training, you should aim to replace 150% of the fluid you lost. Your body will continue to lose fluids through sweat and urine, so be sure to drink fluids with your recovery snacks and next meal. You can calculate your own personal fluid losses using the formula below.

How Coaches Can Help with 6 Hydration Coaches should help their athletes with hydration. Coaches can incorporate drink opportunities into training and prepare a fluid replacement plan for training and competition. Coaches can also help assess fluid balance during training sessions to determine athletes fluid losses.

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How to Choose Your Hydration Fluid

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR FLUID LOSSES: MONITOR YOUR WEIGHT BEFORE AND AFTER EXERCISE. JUMP ON THE SCALES BEFORE WARMING UP WITH MINIMAL CLOTHING AND SHOES.

Water is an excellent fluid for hydration.

Its free and ideal for low intensity and GO THROUGH YOUR TRAINING short duration sports. However, if you SESSION, TAKING NOTE OF ANY train at a high intensity for longer FLUID AND FOOD INTAKES DURING than an hour, you may benefit from THE SESSION. AT THE END, WIPE OFF a sports drink such as Gatorade.

EXCESS SWEAT, AND REPEAT STEP 1.

Don’t rely on energy drinks, cordial, soft-drink or juices to THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1 AND 2, PLUS keep you hydrated. The carb YOUR INTAKES, WILL GIVE A GOOD IDEA content of these drinks is too OF HOW MUCH FLUID YOU’VE LOST. high, so your body can’t digest them fast enough to receive the (1 KILO = 1 LITRE). benefits of the fluid. They can also cause stomach upset and research suggests their added ingredients don’t improve performance.

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HERE ARE 10 REASONS TO GET DRINKING AND STAY HYDRATED. HYDRATION WILL: 1.

REGULATE YOUR HEART RATE & BODY TEMPERATURE

2.

PREVENT FATIGUE AND ALLOW YOUR MUSCLES TO CONTRACT

3.

IMPROVE CONCENTRATION & DECISION MAKING

4.

IMPROVE MOTOR CONTROL & SKILL LEVELS

5.

ENHANCES ANABOLIC HORMONES & PROMOTE MUSCLE GROWTH

6.

HELP DIGESTION & PREVENT BOWEL PROBLEMS LIKE CONSTIPATION

7.

CIRCULATES BLOOD & NUTRIENTS AROUND YOUR BODY TO YOUR MUSCLES & VITAL ORGANS

8.

PREVENT CHRONIC PAIN - SORE JOINTS CAN OFTEN BE A SYMPTOM OF LONG-TERM DEHYDRATION IF IT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED AS INJURY OR INFECTION

9.

PREVENT INJURIES, MUSCLE TEARS AND HEAT STROKE

10.

HELPS YOUR ORGANS FLUSH OUT TOXINS

Rebecca Gawthorne - Diet itian & Nu tr it io n ist

BNutrD i et (H ons I ), A P D , AN

“Feel, Look & Live Healthier” As an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Rebecca uses the latest scientific evidence to develop personalised dietary plans to help you reach your goals. Plans are tailored specifically to you, the individual, whatever your lifestyle. Rebecca will provide you with expert nutrition and dietary advice on easy ways to eat healthier and achieve your health goals faster.

Should I see a Dietitian?

If you need help with, or experience any of the following, you will benefit from seeing a Dietitian: ·

Slow or plateaued results from your exercise

Clinical conditions including:

·

Lethargy, tiredness, weak immune system

·

Sport nutrition training and competition diet

·

Diabetes

·

Help with weight loss

·

High blood pressure

· ·

Mood swings, food or sugar cravings Safe muscle building

·

High cholesterol

·

Heart conditions

·

Digestion & gut problems

·

Food allergies & intolerances

Health Fund & Medicare Rebates available.

Running EYEWEAR

JOCK CAMPBELL 46

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EVER SINCE RICKY PONTING GAVE ME A PAIR OF ADIDAS RUNNING SUNGLASSES 5 OR 6 YEARS AGO, I’VE BEEN HOOKED. SPENDING SO MUCH TIME OUTSIDE RUNNING AND COACHING, I NEED LIGHTWEIGHT, ANTI-FOG AND VERY RESILIENT SUNGLASSES, MOSTLY FOR SUN PROTECTION AND VISION, BUT I WANT THEM TO LOOK GOOD TOO, HA-HA! Sure, I could wear my regular, everyday, ‘fashion’ sunnies on my runs, but I would be constantly adjusting them as they slip down my nose or clearing away the fog created by my body heat.

So we contacted Adidas to see what ‘artillery’ they had in their latest range and they pulled out ‘the big guns’. Released ahead of the Olympic Games, Adidas have created the

Adizero Tempo - exceptional performance eyewear created with the athlete in mind.

David Rudisha, Tyson Gay, Sally Pearson and Lisa Weightman, to name a few, were wearing the Adizero tempo throughout their Olympic campaigns. I was the lucky one to give these a test drive and they didn’t let me down! They don’t move at all on your head while you run, I didn’t even feel like I have them on, which is what you want in any running or sports accessory. They never fog up and geez I look cool with them on. I have been calling them my “David Rudishas”, so at least something in my running now resembles his.

Thanks Adidas, they’re my new favourites!

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PRODUCT REVIEW

RUNNING EYEWEAR

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ADIDAS

BRAND: PRODUCT: USER:

ADIDAS ADIZERO TEMPO GOOD LOOKING YOUNG FELLA, DOES LOTS OF RUNNING, TARZAN-LIKE PHYSIQUE WOMEN WANT HIM AND MEN WANT TO BE LIKE HIM.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

RESULTS

Comfort

Like a glove, you forget they’re on.

Fit

There’s different sizes, I liked the smaller pair, they make me faster!

Functionality/ Ease of Use

Excellent, they don’t move on your head with the anti slip rubber on the arms and have interchangeable lenses for different lights.

Effectiveness

Block out all sun, don’t fog up, comfortable, beautifully clear lenses, lightweight, very good.

Price Evaluation

Roughly the same as comparable glasses or even high-end fashion eyewear.

Fashion/Coolness Rating

A-Grade! I maintain my high level of coolness in these glasses, I have the white / blue pair.

Overall

I would definitely buy these glasses. I now run in them every day, worth every cent as they are the best running glasses I’ve ever used! I’ve given them the first 10 out of 10 for any product.

RATING OUT OF 10 ADIZERO TEMPO RRP $229.95

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ADIDAS

BRAND: PRODUCT: USER:

ADIDAS SUPERNOVA I WORK WITH THE GUY WHO ROAD-TESTED THE ADIZERO TEMPO. FEEL SORRY FOR ME?

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

RESULTS

Comfort

Hard to quantify given you don’t even feel like you’re wearing them when they’re on, i.e., 10/10 for comfort.

Fit

I’ve always had trouble finding a pair of sunnies that fit well and don’t make me look like a fly! The Supernova are smaller in size and wrap around the face, making it almost impossible not to fit well.

Functionality/ Ease of Use

Effortless in terms of ease of use. Incredibly lightweight and flexible, making them easily adjustable on your face, nose and behind the ears.

Effectiveness

These sunnies do everything you expect and more. Once they’re on, it’s set and forget. The traction grip on the arms means they don’t move around when you’re active, they don’t fog up and most importantly, the lenses provide clear, unimpeded vision and sun-protection.

Price Evaluation

They’re ‘up there’ price wise, but are worth every cent. No more expensive than comparable brands or fashion sunnies.

Fashion/Coolness Rating

Seriously cool. Never really been a fan of pink, but these are HOT! Very feminine. I would buy these in a flash.

Overall

Seriously, some of you may be thinking ‘why can’t I just wear normal sunnies when I exercise?’. Once you’ve tried these you’ll know the answer: they’re effortless to put on, non-slip, soft on the bridge of your nose, easily adjustable and have exceptionally clear wrap-around lenses that make them feel like you’re not wearing sunnies. I’ve deducted half a point purely because I often forget I’m wearing them and I always bang my head on something!

RATING OUT OF 10 ADIDAS SUPERNOVA RRP $249.95

9.5

see better run faster adizero tempo

adidas.com/eyewear

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COOLANGATTA

DREAMS

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WOMEN IN SPORT & EXERCISE

Competitors in the 2011 Coolangatta Gold fuel up during the gruelling 32km board/ ski/run event on the Gold Coast.

Image: John Veage, Harvpix

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THE COOLANGATTA GOLD HAS ROLLED ROUND FOR ANOTHER BUT THIS YEAR ATHLETES WILL BATTLE A BRAND NEW COURSE ON OCTOBER 14, WHICH STARTS AND FINISHES AT COOLANGATTA. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CRITICISM OVER THE COURSE CHANGES BUT FOR NORTH BONDI’S JULIA TYRRELL BEING ABLE TO TAKE TO THE START LINE, NO MATTER THE LOCATION, IS ENOUGH. Julia will line up in her first attempt at the 32km event and is something that 18 months ago, following years battling injury, she thought almost impossible.

Julia suffered a disc bulge and pars defect of the lumber spine which created a lot of neural pain and damage to muscles around the pelvis and spine as well as suffering from severe tendonitis in her hamstrings.

Like most athletes Julia has learnt the hard way to listen to her body no matter how important it is getting to the next competition.

“I have spent so long being injured and so long cutting training in half and making changes, when I was well on to the road to recovery I needed a challenge,” Julia said. “I have never done anything like this before.”

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Surf Life Saving runs through Julia’s veins having started her assault on the water from the age of five.

As she progressed through the ranks making five Australian open ski finals, her skills on the water were identified which saw her selected to represent Australia in the under-23 flat water kayaking team.

“Making the team was so incredible and I felt like I was just about to hit my peak to become a real contender in kayaking,” she said.

But shortly after her return from travelling with the Australian team, her chronic injuries became too much to handle.

“I GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I COULDN’T SIT OR WALK PROPERLY. IT WAS DEVASTATING WHEN I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO STOP.”

“Looking back I shouldn’t’ have tried to train and race through the pain for so long, but I wanted to be fit and fast and didn’t want anything stopping me.”

WOMEN IN SPORT & EXERCISE

Julia, centre, with training partners Sophie Thomson (left) and Lulu Wise - all North Bondi SLSC members training for the Gold.

With all her injuries behind her Julia is excited that she will line up for Surf Life Saving’s iconic race. “At the moment I am happy to focus on training for The Gold and completing it to the best of my ability,” she said.

Julia is under the watchful eye ironman great Scott Thomson and the team at North Bondi where they train up to three times a day.

“There is one other girl training with me for The Gold and we try to double up sessions as much as possible so that we get use to going from one craft and muscle group to another,” she said.

“Every second Saturday we do a gold race simulation, which is a great way to prepare our bodies and to know how we are going to feel throughout the race.”

Julia is also looking forward to the Gold providing great opportunities for her first competitive surf season in a number of years.

“The Gold will give me good grounds to be fit and fast for the season, but better than that it will be a huge personal achievement given where I was even 6 months ago.”

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WOMEN IN SPORT & EXERCISE

“Without the likes of Scotty Thomson, my wonderful friends and family, I am not sure I would be able to do it without them.”

This year’s Coolangatta Gold will start and finish at Coolangatta with under-19 men and women tackling the 32km event while Open men will take to the 46km long course event.

This year Surf Life Saving Australia have introduced an extended program of events, including the Great Gold Coast Ocean Swim and a 5km beach fun run!

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SIOBHAN MCCARTHY IS A JOURNALIST, TRIATHLETE, RUNNER, COFFEE SNOB & KNEEHIGH TO A GRASSHOPPER. YOU CAN FOLLOW SIOBHAN ON TWITTER (@SIOBHANANN) FOR ATTEMPTS AT HUMOUR, WIT AND INTELLECT (WHICH QUITE OFTEN FALLS SHORT). HER WORDS, NOT OURS!! HA

Interested in ADVERTISING IN THE JOCK ATHLETIC EZINE? FOR A COPY OF OUR MEDIA KIT, CONTACT US AT EZINE@JOCKATHLETIC.COM OR 0415 998 636

Maratho Check!

MELISSA CAMPBELL WHEN IT COMES TO SPORT AND EXERCISE, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN ONE TO FINISH WHAT I STARTED. WHEN I COMMITTED TO THE 14 WEEK MARATHON PROGRAM, EVEN I HAD DOUBTS THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE PROGRAM – YOU KNOW, ALL THE USUAL POSSIBLE OBSTACLES, 2 KIDS, OWN BUSINESS, BLA BLA. BUT ONCE I STARTED THAT JOURNEY, THE ALLURING PULL OF THE ‘MARATHON’ WAS STRONGER THAN ANY OF THE EXCUSES I HAD PRIMED IN MY BAG OF TRICKS.

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Well, I did it and I LOVED it.

I spent the better part of the first 10 days post-marathon on a natural high. It’s quite a surreal feeling – like I’m carrying the secret that everyone knows but fewer understand.

Relax. This isn’t going to be a ‘km’ by ‘km’ recount of the marathon itself, but rather confirmation that if you have the right plan in place, anything is possible. This is not only applicable to completing a marathon, but same principals apply for any goal you set your mind to, be it running 5kms, losing weight, or getting your dream job.

WOMEN IN SPORT & EXERCISE

on: “ON THE DAY, I RAN FOR 3:34HRS WITH A LIGHTNESS OF SPIRIT AND A FEELING OF JOY - WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL, A RUNNER’S HIGH! IT WAS AWESOME!”

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So, what did I learn from the experience?

1.

The Right plan

In Issue 19, I wrote about checking all the boxes with respect to having the right equipment, a good program, the right nutrition, hydration and a good recovery plan. I backed my plan and it paid off. I wasn’t swapping running shoes half way through because they didn’t suit me. I wasn’t questioning my running program because I thought I should be doing more or less. I wasn’t spending countless hours and money at the physio because of all of the above AND because of the hours spent stretching muscles in my body I didn’t know existed.

2.

Trust

If your coach is experienced, trust that they have put the right program in place for you. This was no more evident for me than during the weeks I was sick or when other commitments threatened to derail my training. The advice was always simple – adapt it this way or that, if your not feeling great out there, pull it back or do less. When I would stress that I wasn’t doing EXACTLY what the program said, the coach always had a solution that made sense and allayed my concerns.

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3.

Accountability

To be accountable to your coach is one thing, but if you have a running partner with the same goals, that’s a great reason to keep going. Talk about your sessions, compare notes, break down your program into weekly ‘bites’ so you can focus and complete short term goals. In the last few weeks, we were texting (and sometimes I was crying) multiple times a day about the runs we had completed and how we were feeling. It was always encouraging to know that your training mates were often feeling the same way, good or bad.

4.

Go with it.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that this has been an emotional roller coaster. It’s only now in hindsight that I can pinpoint certain times and events outside of my training that were directly impacted because of the toll the program was taking. At this point it all came back to trust – that your program is working, that yes, you will be tired, and that if you stick to it, the results will speak for themselves.

WOMEN IN SPORT & EXERCISE

Mel with good mate and one of her training partners, Adam Ballesty, all smiles after completing their marathon.

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This photo tells the story: the emotion of completeing what they set out to do is eveident on the faces of both Mel and her fellow runner.

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WOMEN IN SPORT & EXERCISE

RUN HAPPY COME MARATHON DAY, I WAS IN A TOTAL OTHER ZONE – A PLACE I’D NEVER BEEN BEFORE. I WAS GENERALLY EXCITABLE, BUT ALSO ACCEPTING THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT WHATEVER THE RESULT I WAS GOING TO BE HAPPY TO HAVE COMPLETED MY GOAL. A far cry from the day before, where I sat panicked at the end of a 3km easy jog, struggling to breathe and struggling to comprehend how I was going to run 42.2km.

On the day, I ran for 3:34hrs with a lightness of spirit and a feeling of joy - what you might call, a runner’s high! It was awesome!

I can say, hand on heart, that I gave my marathon program the respect it deserved.

I committed to most of the training, regardless of the conditions and in spite of the revolving door of cold & flu that consumed me and my household for most of it. Thank you, preschool!

I underestimated the significant “status” that running a marathon can bring. By the same token, accomplishing this feat is humbling and somewhat grounding. While half of me wants to be walking around, high-fiving random strangers and saying “What’s up? I just ran a marathon”, the other half of me has been walking around in quiet amazement, proudly patting myself on the back and selfishly relishing the feeling of accomplishment to myself.

Would I do another one? Never say never.

Right now, do I feel like I’m better than everyone else? Hell, yes. I just ran a marathon.

Get my drift?

MELISSA CAMPBELL IS A FORMER STATE 2KM BEACH RUN CHAMPION, RUNNER, MOTHER OF 2 AND THE HEAD OF ALL OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS AT JOCK ATHLETIC. SHE DOESN’T MIND A DROP OF RED AND HAS A SERIOUS ADDICTION TO CHOCOLATE. LIKE, SERIOUSLY. YOU CAN FOLLOW MEL ON TWITTER (@_MELCAMPBELL).

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Go Girls!

PUTTING THE

“FUN” BACK INTO FUN RUNS!

EMPIRICA RESEARCH THE POPULARITY OF ORGANISED FUN RUNS IN AUSTRALIA HAS EXPLODED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, WITH MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER SIGNING UP TO TAKE PART. WHETHER IT IS TO LOSE WEIGHT, INCREASE FITNESS, SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, OR TO RAISE SOME DOLLARS FOR A WORTHY CAUSE, WOMEN, IN PARTICULAR, ARE KEENER THAN EVER TO JOIN THEIR FELLOW FUNRUNNERS.

However, some are beginning to question whether fun runs are still, well, fun?

In fact, females now make up about 50% of the field in events such as the City to Surf in Sydney. This is an encouraging statistic, and shows that women are “bringing it” when it comes to running.

Is this ultra competitive aspect deterring would-be fun runners from joining in?

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There was a time when a fun run was simply a means of encouraging individuals from all walks of life to participate in exercise, especially those who would usually shy away from other forms of competitive and noncompetitive exercise. Today, however, it is not unusual to find hoards of competitive athletes taking their positions on the starting line, ready to run for their lives and beat their personal bests.

Is it changing the mood of these events?

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The ‘City to Surf’ Honour Roll reads like a “who’s who” of Australian champions, with athletes returning year-on-year from all over the world to prove their worth as a serious runner.

HAS THE FUN RUN BECOME MORE RUN AND LESS FUN? Later this year, the “Color Run” hits Australian shores from the US. Quickly snapped up as a sponsorship opportunity by Swisse Vitamins, the The Swisse Color Run™ is all about having a great time with other fun-loving Aussies, the only rule being that those taking part must wear a white top at the starting line, and expect to be splattered with a rainbow of paint by the end of the 5km circuit – fun!

Also on the horizon is the ‘Electric Run’.

This organised fun run transforms the track into a vibrant wonderland of lights, where every participant is covered in glow sticks whilst jogging in the darkness to create a spectacular scene. These types of events are clearly designed for fun-lovers looking to keep fit, where it’s more about the participation than the PB. Asides from large-scale organised events, there are also other ways of combining running with feel-good moments. A number of mentoring schemes have been recently emerging, where women are able to join with younger girls to inspire and support them in maintaining an active lifestyle. For example, 66

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Girls On The Run is a US program that helps 8-13 year old girls via a running-centred motivation and confidence-building program (and in fact, Empirica’s own Anna Coster used to be a GOTR Mentor when she lived in the US!).

In the world of fitness, it is not always about being the best, but also about bringing out the best in others, encouraging people to keep fit and most importantly, having fun!

So, grab some friends and sign up for the “happiest 5k on the planet” and get covered in colour!

EMPIRICA RESEARCH IS A SOCIAL AND CONSUMER RESEARCH FIRM BASED IN MELBOURNE AND MIAMI. FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT EMPIRICARESEARCH.COM.AU,

OR FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER (@EMPIRICA_ UPDATE)

WOMEN IN SPORT & EXERCISE

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Cometh the hour, cometh the (wo)man THE 12 YEARS THAT I SPENT DREAMING ABOUT RUNNING AT THE OLYMPICS LIVED UP TO EVERYTHING I’D HOPED IT WOULD BE. THIS STATEMENT MIGHT CONFUSE SOME PEOPLE, AND PERHAPS EVEN CONTRADICT MY PERFORMANCE...

BECAUSE MY RESULTS WERE BELOW WHAT I’D HOPED FOR, WHAT I KNOW I CAN ACHIEVE... AND WHAT I HAVE ACHIEVED IN THE PAST IN REGARDS TO HOW FAST I RAN. BUT, AFTER CAREFUL REFLECTION- READ A FEW SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND A FEW SOLO RUNS SANS STOPWATCH AROUND LONDON’S VICTORIA PARK I RESOLVED TO BE HAPPY. I’D MADE IT! I’D ACTUALLY RUN AT THE OLYMPICS AND FINALLY BECOME AN OLYMPIAN. I resolved that I’ve worked too hard for the past 12 years and the people around me, my team, have sacrificed too much for me not

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to be happy and proud of the collective effort that went into getting me on the Olympic team and to the start line.

Sure, it would’ve been out of this world to win a medal, or even just to run a pb, but to consolidate, these Olympic races, they’re just the icing on the cake of an incredible journey up to this point.

The people I’ve met, the friends I’ve made, the challenges me and my team have been able to overcome, the places I’ve seen, sharing the little victories with my husband Jony along the way and then sharing the bitter disappointments... I remember sitting in the stand at last years World championships in Korea watching the women’s 10,000m- the race that I had gone there for - injured, despondent and basically

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JUST BEFORE THE CLOSING CEREMONY! OCTOBER 2012

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crushed that I was injured and not able to run the race that I’d come to do. I have a faith in God, and I believe this was all part of His greater plan. I was humbled by the result of my races.

THE OLYMPICS IS HARD! IT’S MADE ME HUNGRIER THAN EVER TO BE THE ATHLETE I KNOW I CAN BE AND LONDON 2012 WAS ANOTHER BIG STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. It hurt my pride to not run well on the biggest stage, but it wasn’t disastrous, my time of 32.25 in the 10,000m was the fastest time by an Australian woman in Olympic 10,000m FINAL history. Had I run the same time at the Beijing Olympics I would have had 10 runners behind me.

In the 5,000m, I gave myself the best shot, knowing that the 10,000m was already in my legs, I knew I’d have to be mentally tough. I started to tire with 4 laps to go, my quads lost power- a result of lactic from the 10,000m 3 days earlier but I felt like I maintained mental composure and strength which is an experience I know will hold me in good stead for future races where the pressure is on. I keep Imagining being physically in the best shape of my career and then also being able to maintain the mental strength necessary to execute a race out of my skin. I believe these days are ahead.

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AN EXCERPT FROM MY PRERACE RANTS BEFORE THE 5,000M:

“Tomorrow: I’m going to go out and run fierce. Run without fear and run like a girl who believes in herself and believes this is where she belongs.”

I FELT LIKE I DID THIS, JUST THAT MY SPIRIT WAS WILLING BUT MY BODY WAS NOT. I commented in a post race interview that my coach Nic Bideau and I had decided on a cautious approach to training before the Olympics and that this may have played a part in my form leading in. “A cautious approach” might not be the words Aussies like to hear about an Australian athlete preparing for the Olympic Games. Mainly because where I come from, we want gold, we are gold diggers, we have our golden swimmers our golden girls, our golden boys, we love to win... And anything less is, well... not gold. Mine and Nic’s cautious approach to preparing for London, wasn’t to try less but it was simply to run less. To supplement the junk mileage with cross training and focus on quality running sessions. The sole reason for this was because of my injury history leading into major events and my body’s inability to cope with a high volume of running. We were prepared to take only very calculated risks

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because we both knew that had I got injured again it would have been disastrous for my future in the sport. Although I was running less than most of my competitors per week (115km for me as opposed to up to 160km) the cross training is hard. I would get on the elliptical trainer with the altitude mask on and get my heart rate to what I would normally be at running; I was sleeping in an altitude tent set at 12,000ft. Although great for remaining injury free the elliptical and other cross training doesn’t compare to the benefits of the specificity of running. If you want to run faster, you need to run more.. But at what cost? This was our reasoning- that running injury free at these Olympics was crucial to my future in the sport.

I’m only 29, I’d like to think I have another 10 years of competitive running left in me...

At least another two shots at the Big Sports Carnival...this was my first Olympics, I feel like now I’m just getting started!

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My most memorable moments from my first Olympics?

There’s the obvious, walking into the stadium for the Opening Ceremony, it was like a dream that I never woke up from. From practicing the North Korean army march with my team mates outside the stadium walls, to actually floating into that place, the sound of the crowd was breathtaking and the energy and emotion of the moment overwhelmingbut so, so good. It was a special moment.

I remember standing in the middle of the arena at the opening ceremony and looking around at all of the athletes, thinking that a select special few of these athletes will go home hero’s...Cometh the hour, cometh the (wo)man. I remembered this thought again as I watched Saudi Arabia’s first female athlete to compete in an Olympics run down the home straight in the 800m. She was not only inspiring a generation but by using her

WOMEN IN SPORT & EXERCISE

gift of running she was being an agent for change for women’s rights in her country.

What an achievement!

Then there was the afternoon in the athletes village that I told Sally Pearson about Julius’s story and why we started Love Mercy as we sat and watched the swimming on TV. She got up from the lounge after we finished talking and gathered a whole lot of her Olympic kit together to donate to the orphaned kids that Love Mercy sponsors. It’s these moments that shaped the Olympics for me. I’ll be forever grateful for the memories, and, at least for the next 10 years, I’ll be chasing after more like them!

We flew from London to Uganda after the Olympics to officially open the Kristina Achon Medical Clinic that Love Mercy Foundation has been fundraising for. We met a team of friends (nurses, builders, councilors)

PICS From Left: Eloise with friend Barbara Parker after the 5,000m; with Australian Olympic Team Mentor Layne Beachley; walking into the stadium at the opening ceremony; with Bonaface, one of the orphans Love Mercy supports, decked out in Aussie gear donated by El’s Olympic teamates.

from home who had been a part of helping fundraise and who wanted to come and help us celebrate and help in anyway they could. It was an amazing moment when Julius and the government health minister cut the ribbon and opened the clinic in the presence of thousands from the Otuke District who had come to celebrate adequate health care in the area after 25 years of war and suffering.

It was Julius’s Opening Ceremony and he was honored that day. As always, a trip to the North of Uganda is both heart breaking and soul enriching at the same time. The people from Julius’s village thanked him profusely, saying “thank you for not forgetting us, thank you for coming back to help us”. Julius, always replies with a simple but powerful message “I never gave up”.

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