In less than 50 days, the Rio Games will be here. It would be a good idea to give you an update. The countdown clock at the pool said 900 days, and I felt like it was only yesterday. My 4th Paralympic Games is now just around the corner. I’m flying back from Tenerife, where I was at a training camp for warm weather. England had a heatwave while we were away. Many people ask us why we go to a training camp. ‘Is a swimming pool just a swimming pool?’ It is true, but training under the sun without distractions like cooking, cleaning, driving, etc., allows you to focus on quality training.
Last Wednesday, we left a very wet Manchester. The pilot was forced to abort landings twice on arrival due to bad weather. The passengers were hysterical, and there were many tears shed. It was decided to land in North Tenerife instead of South Tenerife. I’m not afraid of flying usually, but I was nervous while trying to reassure my two neighbors. I was relieved to be back on solid ground. It was frustrating to have to change our destination. We had to drive an hour to the airport in the south to pick up our transport and then to the hotel. We traveled for about 10 hours! We had to maintain our routine during this long trip by eating regularly, drinking enough fluids, and stretching/rolling whenever we could. This was important to ensure we were ready for training the following morning. These experiences can be used as a practice, and if similar situations arose before a major championship, we would know how to minimize the impact.
We trained at the T3 multi-sport venue, which has excellent facilities. We stayed at a hotel that was 20 minutes away from the pool. This walk had to be done four times a day, in both directions, to prepare for the distances between venues and the athletes’ village in Rio. The food was excellent, which is important because good nutrition is vital to recovery before the next session.
The camp was intense because it was the last block of aerobics before Rio. We covered a lot in 10 days. Not only did we train in the swimming pool, but we also had intense gym and cardio sessions. Working with a psychologist and getting nutritional advice was also a great opportunity. Many athletes neglect psychology until they hit a mental wall. I needed to deal with the negative thoughts after not getting the gold medal expected in Beijing.
I’m back in Manchester to train for a few days before heading down to Sheffield, where we will compete at the summer nationals – our last competition before Rio. Crazy! Time trials will be held at the High-Performance Centre in Manchester. These are great ways to finalize your race plans. However, it’s different from racing before a crowd. Nationals are a fantastic opportunity to practice race schedules and refine racing skills. It will allow me to assess where I am in my training. I’ll be swimming in the same events I will compete in Rio. Since Europeans, I’ve only raced once. I can’t believe I still haven’t raced! It was exciting to receive our Paralympics GB Kit a few months ago. The pride of putting on your tracksuit and knowing you’ve earned a place on the Paralympics Team never fades. I’m so excited to represent Paralympics GB a few weeks from now! #supercharge Here are the dates for Rio in my calendar: 27th August to 1st September: Camp 1st September – Fly to Rio and enter Paralympic Village. 11th September – 200 I.m. 14th september – 100 breast, 4×100 Freestyle Relay TBC 15th september – 100 Fly, 16th september – 4×100 Medley Relay TBC by Claire Cashmore. Will you be watching this year’s Paralympics and Olympics?
