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100 days to go: A day in the life of the Australian Flame
The Athletics Australia website today launches a series of athlete blogs to celebrate 100 days until the XIX Commonwealth Games in New Delhi (IND), from October 3 to 14.
Providing in-depth insight into the lives of athletes both on and off the track, the coming series of blogs will highlight the athletes' training and competition schedules and aspirations at the Games, and offer exclusive access into the lives of all your favourite Australian Flame athletes when the spikes are back in the training bag.
As excitement about competition on the sub-continent this October continues to gain momentum, nominated 400m hurdler and 4x400m relay hopeful Tristan Thomas today kick-starts the series from his base at the Australian Institute of Sport.
A 4x400m relay bronze medallist at the 2009 IAAF world championships, Thomas will again fly the flag for Australia alongside Brendan Cole in the 400m hurdles in Delhi in October and, as he writes below, is getting into the swim of his Games campaign.
With thanks to Tristan Thomas for today’s inaugural athlete blog, don't miss the insider news and all-important updates coming to you live from the Australian Flame team at athletics.com.au.
Entry 1: Tristan Thomas
Okay Tristan, sit down and jot down some information about how your lead-up to this year’s Commonwealth Games is going...
Well, where do I start? It’s been perfect
really. I’m stronger, faster, smarter and am better built
aesthetically than ever before, plus I’m training harder than any
other man on Earth. I don’t want to big-note myself but I really
think I could break a world record in my first race and just hope
everyone is watching. Nike has offered me a $200,001 base rate
sponsorship (plus a pair of shoes) and when Miranda
Kerr rang me last week before Orlando (Bloom) popped the
question, begging me to reconsider I was like, "Yo Mirandy
(that’s our thing), I would, like, totally be your boyfriend but
you’re just not my type."
So things are going well. That’s about all from me really, so bring
it on and show me the medals!
While perhaps not quite so over-the-top, it
would be nice to have some great news like this to report to you
all. I just hope the next nine people you’ll hear from on the site
do. The Commonwealth Games are a terrific opportunity for me and
for all the people nominated to the team, providing a great way to
get the ball rolling towards a successful build-up to the London
Olympic Games in 2012 and beyond.
I had already written a blog for this purpose a week ago that
reflected where I was at, but then, as Kevin-gone-before-2011 could
tell you, a lot can change in a week. I had been rocking along okay
for nine weeks, dancing merrily on the edge of a cliff with an
Achilles issue that has never really healed since January. I was
able to run through the pain with the aid of an assortment of
medications for three track sessions a week, including one over
hurdles and was getting excited to race at the Down Under Meet on
the Gold Coast next weekend.
We had substituted the loss of yards on the paddock with a plethora of spluttered gasps, as I swam like a fish hit with a club in the pool and we were making changes on the track that I believe would have addressed the serious issues in the latter half of my hurdles race (whilst perhaps not quite leading to a new world record).
Then last week reality struck as the pain actually stopped me from pushing off that leg and I began to run as symmetrically as Two Face’s face. It was beyond a joke so a round table meeting (minus the table) was called to reluctantly propose more invasive treatment options. After having the area viewed under ultrasound yesterday by tendon specialist Wes Cormac (his brilliance I’d now compare with Christiano Ronaldo’s or even Captain Planet’s, for that matter), it was concluded to be a rather irritated ganglion (sounds like a Pokémon, hey) on the ankle joint, inflamed blood vessels on the peri-tendon protruding into the healing tendon and a now-faulty fat pad full of fibrous tissue.
There are two options available to deal with the issues at hand. The less intense option is to drain the ganglion and separate the tendon and peri-tendon with injections. The outcomes of this choice are a five to six week layoff period and an unideal seven-week run home to New Delhi with the potential need for surgery later on, after New Delhi is done. The alternative and longer-term fix is to remove the damaged tissue in the fat pad surgically (plus attend to the other problems) and have two to three months off, missing the Commonwealth Games to focus on next year.
To be frank, neither are sensational outcomes so there’s a hard few days of decision-making ahead. I’m sick of telling interviewers I’m injured, as I’m sure a lot of people can relate to, and desperately want another good run at training to see what we could do but, on the other hand, no one wants to say no to running for their country. Whichever option we go for, I don’t particularly want a repeat of the winging-it job at nationals and in the end only care about running fast. I know that once (coach) Craig (Hilliard) and I get the chance, the next step will be a big one and as with others in this boat, the battle ironically is one of patience not haste.
I’ll tell it how it is, I do want to win the 400m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games and as in Berlin, the 4x400m relay and associated “hangin’ with the homies” is a splendid way to spend the last few days of a major championships (hint, hint selectors). Whether it happens in 100 days' time though in a little place called India is a commodity I can only keep my fingers crossed for and perhaps may be something we have to let slide. Only time will tell.
I hope everyone else is tearing down the track though, rejecting supermodels as they go and that the people shooting for late nomination to the Commonwealth Games get the break they need. For those off to the world junior championships soon (really soon, actually), just make it your best competition yet and no matter what happens you will go home knowing you’ve won. Corny and I’m cringing while saying it, but it’s true.
Sincerely,
Tristan
P.S. My World Cup tip is Portugal...
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