Hi again

My two weeks at the Olympic Medical Institute in London have been very useful and to be honest a lot harder work than I thought they would be.

Each week I was given a timetable of sessions (almost like being back at school), which included a mixture of physio, sports massage, strength and conditioning, psychology, nutrition, sessions with the chiropractor, and cardiovascular work.  I had 4-5hrs of sessions per day and worked hard to strengthen my injured hamstring, and also the surrounding and supporting muscle groups in order to prevent another injury in the same area.

The rest of the team returned from the Champions Trophy on December 10th, having gained a respectable 6th place finish, one place above our ranking.  We then had two training camps at Bisham Abbey, and even though the weather was not the best we still managed to complete all but one of the pitch sessions. 

Our journey back on the 23rd December for Christmas was a bit of a nightmare with our flights from Heathrow being cancelled, fortunately we managed to book tickets on the sleeper train and arrived home 10hrs late but thankfully before Christmas.

I have been unable to train fully, although I have started running again and should hopefully be back in full training for January, ready for our 2 week warm weather training camp in South Africa. 

I have a programme of rehab exercises and endurance training in order that I am robust enough to take part and not get injured.  Another injury now would mean I have no chance of being picked for the Olympic Qualifier in March.

I have trained hard over the Christmas period and I’m looking forward to getting back and playing hockey again in South Africa.

Cheers

Graham