Winter training has begun for most athletes and Jessica is no exception. Fully refreshed from her break after the end of the season, she is back training hard.
Well not too hard to start with, but even so we have had the dreaded “DOMS” or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. The stiffness, aches and pains in the muscles as the body tries to adapt to the change from sharp summer activity to the volume of winter preparation work.
But it’s not just the body that is changing, for me I have a new post with UK Athletics as National Event Coach for Combined Events. More importantly Jessica comes back to training as World Champion and that brings more expectations and demands on the athlete.
The trick for me now is balancing Jessica’s training with the busy media and sponsorship demands. Let’s hope I’m up to the task, as many sportsmen have found it difficult to strike a good balance between the rigours and hours of training needed and the opportunities to cash in on hard worked for success.
One thing for certain, something that hasn’t changed is “Jess” still smiling and very committed to her training. The early target for next year will be the World Indoor Championships in March 2010, 23 weeks and counting.
