10.12.2008

Tristan Thomas: On track for season 2008-09

This is the period where every athlete sits down to assess where he or she aims to go in the coming year, along with reflecting on what they have done to prepare thus far.

For the forty-one athletes who have returned from the Olympics or the twenty-nine athletes who have returned from World Juniors, the memories from recent months will entail a certain level of achievement.  Whether they reached their goals or they didn’t, these athletes at least deserved the right to stand on that line and attempt, and the experience of the games was the hearty reward. 

For those in the team who made quantum (not solace) leaps in the past year in order to become stars of tomorrow, this coming season is a great chance to back that up and continue the progression.  No one wants to be seen as a one-season wonder so the foot will surely be cemented to the pedal.  For the athletes who wanted more at the games, this season will most likely be one of growth, where aspects that let them down on the big stage can be worked on in order to be converted into ones of strength in the future.

There is another group of people though, and it is for this group that I think the oncoming season stands to hold the most excitement.  I like to imagine that I am a member of this group, at least in terms of psyche and I guess that’s why I was given the opportunity to share some thoughts. We are the group who desperately wanted to run, jump, walk or throw at the birds nest last September and gave everything to get there but for one reason or another weren’t physically or mentally ready to take that next step.  We watched the games, many of us with mixed feelings as the spectacle and symbolism was lost to the realization that if the stars had aligned correctly we may have been watching through our own eyes.  That is why this season means more than just the ‘building’ first year of the next Olympic cycle and that is why I am hoping a new breed of stars can be formed.

Here in the nations capital I consider myself extremely lucky with the group I have around me.  Whether AIS or otherwise it is packed to the rafters with athletes hungry to leave a mark this year and with the reps being produced on the front straight, the two bends, the long jump run way or the asphalt out the back, I can say with confidence that the storm is coming.  Personal bests are already falling, one female sprinter in particular has already given the community a taste of what is to come and I hope it can boost us all forward come our own race day.

To take a personal approach we have changed my training program over the winter in order to minimize loss of speed from the previous summer and to incorporate some sessions over 1km. Whilst my grumbles could be heard for miles around I would like to think this will hold me in good stead when the button needs to be pressed in sight of the dreaded hurdle 10.

The other aspect that I hope will lead to improvement is in the little extras (the dotted i’s and crossed t’s).  For me, this has involved taking up regular pilates sessions, I was skeptical at first, but it now forms a much valued part of my development. It is in areas such as these, unaware to most people, that vast physical improvements can occur so I urge people to give it a go and think outside the square.

The other thing I will mention is in relation to the sport we all love. No one wants to see tiny crowds watching as we go til we drop and we all want nothing more than for our sport to return to the days of the eighties where stands were packed for local interclubs. We may not have the money of AFL or Rugby but if we can produce world-class local competition and the right kind of media attention I daresay the public interest could again be sparked. One of the messages given to us members of the Target 2012 Squad was to promote yourself in order to promote the sport.  Run often in Australia because this is where the support groups will come from and with greater interest and greater support, only positives can come about for us athletes of the purest of sports.

So the season is upon us, it will inevitably become whatever we make it and the proof will be in the pudding.  I hope the many super talented athletes we have in Australia can nail it this year and for those who don’t, through injury or circumstance, persevere and be patient, only your body will determine when your time will come.  In the mean time, good luck, make no excuses, attempt the difficult and make this season yours.

Written by Tristan Thomas, National Champion, 400m hurdles