Day 14
Thank you for reading my daily diary from Flagstaff. I hope I provided you with a little extra insight into what we had to endure for two weeks. The group was amazing over the trip. We worked hard as a unit and are ready to kick 2011 off. I can't wait to run out for round one and play for the four points.
Day 13
It was great to have the day off after yesterday's grind. Went to the mall with the boys. Several purchased iPads and headphones to take on the plane. It's supposed to snow on Sunday so let's hope we don't get stuck.
Day 12
Just about the hardest session of the whole camp today. We had a high-intensity, high-quality training session for about 2 hours, and then had a teams running event. Steele and Pendles blitzed the 2km time trial, which was part of it and Lachie Keeffe is absolutely flying, performing strongly throughout. The other events in the competition were relay runs, carrying 60kg weights, flipping tractor tires, dragging weighted sleds and 200yd sprints. We dawdled back to the hotel then went out for dinner. We were bordering on being too tired to eat. Today has absolutely knackered us, and we're all praying for a lighter day tomorrow as we near the end of this camp. That said, the pleasing thing was the unspoken sense of accomplishment amongst the group - we were really proud of our effort to get through such a gruelling session, and the coaching staff seemed to be impressed by it as well.
Day 11
Thanksgiving. I found it difficult to give thanks for much this morning, as the walk to the Skydome for training was a bitterly cold minus 11 degrees. Once inside we warmed up and played a series of handball games, did some kicking drills then some set shot goal-kicking. Leigh Brown has proven his huge "booty" isn't just for show, as he consistently launched torpedos over 60m. After training we had a longer core strength session, then weights. The campus is like a ghost town as most people have gone home for the Thanksgiving holidays. Seamus McNamara is feeling a but homesick not being around his family, and we haven't been all that sympathetic given it means very little to Australians. Poor Shae. The hotel is serving us a traditional Thanksgiving meal tonight, I'll give thanks for that!
Day 10
Today was a lighter day. In groups of about 8-10 people we used the university gym and did a work out for an hour and a half. Most of the boys have pulled up pretty sore from a 3km rower - team manager Paul Licuria was the standout performer. We had the afternoon off, so a few of us went to Pita Pit for lunch, then I spent the afternoon reading magazines at Barnes & Noble with Bally and Pendles. I opted for an early dinner so we could watch the second half of the Orlando/Miami basketball game - worrying that the Heat can't put it together despite having a few superstars in the lineup.
Day 9
Today was an awesome training session. We were worked really hard doing full ground kicking drills, and game simulations but we kept our skill level up really high. It was good because we got the kilometres in our legs chasing the footy around, as opposed to extra running at the end of the session. Weights, lunch, physio as usual, and then I had my end of season review meeting with the coaching staff. Usually we would do this immediately post-season, but the second grand final (which we won!) meant there was no time for it as we were all off on end of season trips. Mick reviewed my season, and Bucks told me what he thought my strengths and areas for improvement were, then Skinny Lappin (new forwards coach) outlined what he expects from me in 2011. They were all really positive and it’s made me really excited about next year.
Day 8
A day off, finally! We used the university pool and did a half hour swimming session, then we were given the rest of the day off. We waited 800 hours for a taxi to take us to Pita Pit (we need one of these in Australia), and then went to the mall to blow a bit of cash. Dale Thomas was especially excited by his new laptop computer and Sharrod Wellingham was spotted in Victoria’s Secret buying gifts for his sweetheart. I bought some socks because I don't want to have to do any washing. Dinner at Olive Garden with Bally, Pendles and Sharrod and, once again, C Dawes over-ate.
Day 7
We were feeling very sore and sorry for ourselves the day after returning from Mt Humphreys, and so the boys were looking forward to a day of rest and recovery. The coaching staff, however, had other ideas. We had physio and massages before lunch, then we went to the Skydome to do another intense training session. We were pretty flat going into the session, so when Butters had the boys doing multiple 300m sprints, then shuttle running for half an hour we were completely spent. Weights, dinner and a very early bed!
Day 6
Today was an extremely challenging day. About two-thirds of the group had to hike back up Mount Humphrey again. Being woken at 6.30 to be ready to leave by 7 after spending a sleepless night on the hard ground was a real lowlight. That said, it was surprising how well we responded to the challenge set out by the coaching staff, as we powered up the mountain at a quicker pace than that of the day before. Beamsy and Bally set a cracking pace and even though we were hurting, we did our best to keep up. Conditions were worse today than yesterday, and we had to be particularly careful as we neared the summit as winds were 120+km/h. Brad Dick very nearly got blown into the Arizonan wilderness but he managed to cling to a few rocks as we all crawled back down to shelter. The highlight of the day was going to see the NAU Lumberjacks football game at the Skydome (they won 62-14 against Portland State), when, at half time, they presented Mick with the keys to the city to celebrate our success in the 2010 season.
Day 5
We started day 6 by taking a half hour bus trip to the base of Mount Humphrey. We unloaded our gear in the chalet, laid out our 1cm thick camping mats on the hard floor then got ready to hike up the mountain. The ascent took us about 3 hours, and we waited on the summit for the entire group to get so we could enjoy the moment together. The final half hour of the climb was pretty dangerous, as we walked along a narrow ridge, completely exposed to gale force winds. Another couple of hours later and we arrived back at the chalet, shivering and sore. Some guys had early nights, whilst others played cards for a few hours. Swanny added to his trophy cabinet by being best-on at the card table.
Day 4
We were feeling very sore and sorry for ourselves this morning, thanks to the Grand Canyon yesterday. The coaching staff lightened our running load, provided we kept up our skill level, and had a high quality training session. We played some handball games which was fun, my team (me, Johnno, Blairy, Steele) were the best group by far. We then did some goal-kicking drills (Heath Shaw came last), followed by shuttle running to end the training session. We did a core and a weights session, then straight to the massage tables after lunch. It was a battle to get on the tables because we're all so freaking sore!! Not looking forward to the next two days. Back-to-back Mt Humphrey climbs.
Day 3
Most of the boys trekked the Grand Canyon today. The boys who didn’t do the canyon had a very testing four-hour gym session, but that paled in comparison to the canyon boys. It took between five-and-a-half, and seven hours for the group to complete what, for many, was the hardest thing they’ve ever physically done. The breathtaking view was forgotten a few minutes in, and replaced by breathtaking running and hiking for the next six or so hours. Sharrod, who I’m rooming with, claims he was the first to finish, although no-one seems to be able to verify his story. After burning a huge number of calories with todays activities, we treated ourselves to BIG dinners. I opted for a nice sushi restaurant with Maxy, Heath and Daisy. Time for an early bed, we’re all knackered!
Day 2
The intensity picked up today. Butters (sports science director) pushed us with a tough cardio session at the end. After the session the forwards (including me) met up with Bucks and Matty 'Skinny' Lappin to discuss the year ahead. It was changing of the guard with Skinny taking over the forward group next year. We reflected on our goals from last year and made new ones for 2011. I'll check in with you tomorrow.
Day 1
The first day of training and the weather was about 15 degrees, but bright sunshine. Everyone was up and about for the first session of the trip and we were surprisingly sharp with our skills. We had a short skills session outdoors, then some fairly intense running that, all up, lasted for about an hour and a half. We then went and used the weights room under the Sky Dome and got massive. It was slightly more strenuous than I would have liked for a first day, but I’ll get over it. My biggest issue at the moment is restraining myself at the all-you-can-eat buffet!
Arrival
Hi guys, I’m going to be writing a daily diary for the duration of our high-altitude training camp in Arizona. Today was a painfully long day of travel - not helped by the fact that we missed our connecting flight from LA to Phoenix, which resulted in a 10-hour stop over in Los Angeles and the travel time reaching 33 hours. The silver lining was that we spent the afternoon hanging out in the sun at Venice Beach.
