All or Nothing

The last two weeks here in St. Moritz have given me a taste of what it is like to live your days as a full time athlete. Train, eat, rest, repeat. It sounds great and it is, most of the time. 

To maximise the benefit of any form of exercise-induced stress on the body, adequate rest and recover time must be afforded. Fair and well, that this might be a core tenant of physiology but try convincing your better half of same when you are trying to justify why you are going to bed for a mid-afternoon siesta back in Cobh while your two small children are running up the bill at the local creche!

That’s why coming away from the external stresses of work and family life are in part what makes a period of training like this successful. Going to bed at night only having to worry about where you run in the morning, what gear you wear and who you have for company is hardly the biggest set of challenges you might have to consider before putting the head down. 

Piz Nair, 3057m above sea level

There is no shortage of running routes here high up in the Engadine Valley. In fact, a conservative estimate suggests there is 400km worth of trails and tracks to explore, be it on foot or bike. Heaven for anyone with a love of the great outdoors. Here you will find some of the most amazing scenery you are ever likely to see. Fast flowing rivers and silver topped lakes overlooked by towering mountain peaks, many of which sit at 3,000m and beyond. 

Whether trekking, running or biking around these parts, most seem to conform to the unspoken code of etiquette that allows for a brief exchange of smiles and pleasantries, which suggests to me that everyone else is enjoying themselves just as much as we are! I will have to remember to drop the ‘morgen’ and ‘grazie’ greetings on my return to the Irish roads or I might start getting funny looks!

I normally have my two British training mates Andy & Jonny for company when they are running easy. Andy has his sights set on breaking the British national marathon record for his age category (035-45) when he travels to Valencia at the start of December while Jonny is looking to secure the Olympic qualifying standard when he lines up in Berlin in five weeks time. While their humble and welcoming approach is one that makes life around them very normal, it is inspiring at the same time to spend time in the company of people who are aiming at such heights. 

Equally impressive neighbours to call your own are the Norwegian trio of Ingebrigtsen brothers. Remarkably, Henrik, Filip and Jakob have all held the title of European Champion over 1,500m in the last seven years. Coached by their father, Gjert, who is famed for his sometimes unconventional methods, the Ingerbrigtsen’s have even been the subject of a television series back in their home country. Available on youtube accompanied by English subtitles, it makes for compelling viewing. Having had the pleasure of speaking with Gjert and the boys over the last couple of weeks, I can say almost for sure that their approach is not half as outlandish as might be suggested. 

Team Ingerbigtsen

Unlike the more modest, egalitarian outlook which encourages participation first and foremost in sport, Gjert has pushed his children from a young age to be the best athletes they can be. It is certainly different from the more modern school of thinking when it comes to youth development but one that apparently is working for now, given the boys success at the very top level of athletics. When I put it to the head of the family that his ways are often said to be different from the norm, he gave me an insight into what pushes him towards pushing them. 

Born in Båtsfjord, one of the most northern and exposed parts of Norway, Gjert’s father died when he was just four years old. Growing up in such extreme conditions without a father figure forced him to work a lot of life out for himself. Nothing was handed to him on a plate as he recalled, and so neither would any of his own seven children get an easy ride in life. 

“If you want to be successful at anything in life you must work very hard, but hard work is not something everyone likes.” 

I look forward to following the progress of Team Ingerbrigtsen through the upcoming World Championships in Doha and beyond and am grateful for the opportunity to have had a brief insight into their world over the last couple of weeks. 

Hill work never looked so inviting!

While their performance levels are on an entirely different level to mine, that same principle of working hard to achieve your goals is one that I can certainly relate to as it was inspires me everyday. 

This week our two boys will go back to school. The youngest, Charlie, is joining his bigger brother, Alfie, for his first term in primary school. It is unfortunate that my time away coincides with such an occasion and I would, of course, like to be there to share the moment but these are sometimes the decisions you have to make if you are going to give everything to realise what you set out to do. All or nothing, once again. 

I am very grateful that along with my wife, Victoria, both of the boys and my parents will be able to make the trip to support me in Berlin next month. By putting everything possible into the preparation for that one day, I might in years to come have a good reference point to reflect back to when the subject of hard work and commitment needs to be encouraged among the two boys. 

If, through my actions, I can show them that endeavour and a willingness to prepare are some of the most important attributes to see us through our days, they themselves should be in a better position to succeed at whatever challenges they might face in life.

As a wise man once said, “if you want to be successful at anything in life you must work very hard, but hard work is not something everyone likes.”

Keep up to date with Trevor's journey to September's Berlin Marathon by following @TrainWithTrevor across all social media

Living the High Life

Not much more than six years ago it looked as if I was set to become the master of my own downfall, or as my wife reminds me occasionally, “you were either going to kill yourself or I might have done it for you.”

It might sound a little exaggerated but it’s closer to fact than fiction.  

How life has taken me from that low ebb to now finding myself on a three week long, high altitude training visit to the Swiss Alps is a tale that this blog probably doesn’t allow scope for. How and ever, over the course of weekly updates during my time here in St. Moritz I hope to chronicle some of the people, places and things that have helped get me this far.                           

Whether it be my involvement in football from a young age, any of my varied musical interests or indeed, my fondness for burning the midnight oil, I have approached a lot of life with an all or nothing, sometimes obsessional view. I don’t know why that is. I know that I am not the only person this could be said about. But that is me and it probably won’t change.

At least now, any intense focus is channelled down more positives avenues than before. 

Soon after ending my relationship with alcohol, I found a new love in running. Quickly, I realised that I had discovered a passion, as I do, for something that would help me replace the thrill I had hitherto tried to find though boozing and late nights. 

The nice thing about running it seemed, was the absence of any hangover. You could, within reason, run as much as you like, feel good as a result of it and not have to deal with any obvious negatives.

The more I got into it the more I enjoyed it. Unlike team sports that I had long given up on, running was, and is, very much a solo pursuit. You do the work and you normally get a good result, you slack off and it’s reflected in the outcome. There is no one else to blame if it goes wrong and when it works out you can take pride in your own effort. 

So, with about eight months running under my feet, I took on my first marathon in 2014, clocking a creditable 3.07 in Dublin. The following year I went one better, ducking in under the three hour mark with a 2.57 in Amsterdam, where I returned to last year and registered my current personal best of 2.48. 

The gradual progression of my efforts over the marathon distance is in no small part down to the guidance of my coach Emmett Dunleavy, who has programmed my training for the majority of my time running. Because of the distance between our locations we don’t see much of each other in person but regular email and phone contact helps bridge the gap.

Having secured an entry for this years Berlin Marathon through their hugely over subscribed lottery process and knowing that improvement on last years effort in the Dutch capital would require an increased effort in terms of preparation, the idea of travelling to altitude to train this summer was one that was put in front of the board (solely consisting of one member, whose identity you can probably guess!) just before Christmas. Surprisingly, the proposal was given approval. 

The plan seemed to fall into place fairly seamlessly. Flying to Zurich from Dublin last Sunday afternoon allowed me to race the Irish National Half-Marathon Championship the same morning, where I was happy to finish in the top 30 with a PB of 76mins. Following this up with three weeks training in an oxygen depleted environment would accelerate my fitness before I returned to Ireland to complete my final preparations ahead of my September 29th appointment in Germany.

And so the adventure really got under way last Monday with a spectacular train journey south to St. Moritz. Inhabited by a population of just 5,000, this luxury Alpine resort town has twice hosted the Winter Olympics and has more recently become a hugely popular destination for endurance athletes of all levels. 

Bumping into some of the most talented and best known athletes in the world before you have even left your accommodation is not a unusual thing around these parts. I’m fortunate to have a perfect view of the famous four lane track where the likes of Norway’s trio of Ingebrigtsen brothers and European half marathon record holder (59.13), Julien Wanders have been regularly working out over the last week.

Distinguished guests of Residenz am See

Recovering from last weekend’s Rock N Roll half marathon while settling into the new conditions here at altitude were first week targets that complemented each other. To adapt to the reduced oxygen at 1,800m above sea level, I would need to take a very conservative approach to the first 7-10 days training. Heavy legs from those hills in the Phoenix Park didn’t argue with that idea.

A relatively low load week in terms of intensity allowed me to settle into my new surroundings without any trouble. Striking up a connection with Team New Balance Manchester marathoners Andrew Davies (PB 2.15) and Jonny Mellor (2.12) helped ensure I wasn’t lonely for long! I’m normally happy to run on my own but maintaining those solo efforts and coming back to an empty apartment every evening can lose its appeal quicker than you might think, regardless of where you are in the world. The lads are much faster than me so I tag along for some of their easier efforts and we’ve taken a trip up to one of the great glaciers together, as well as a slightly less exciting outing to Aldi this afternoon! 

Andy & Jonny of Team NBMCR - both loyal Liverpool Reds!

Two long runs, a 15 and 17miler, spread over the last three days has helped to transition into the slightly heavier couple of weeks training that will see out my time here in the beautiful Engadine Valley. Words wouldn’t go close to describing the beauty of this place but maybe the pictures will help give some impression of the spectacular setting I am lucky to find myself in for three weeks that I could hardly have imagined not too long ago.

                                      

At this point I should raise a toast to the previously mentioned Chairperson of The Board, cheers Victoria! 

I would not be here without you.

Lej da Staz

                                  

Keep up to date with Trevor's journey to September's Berlin Marathon by following @TrainWithTrevor across all social media