It seems just a few moments ago when we were returning from the EIS Sheffield from the indoor multi-events, whilst warm weather training seems years ago. Strange that. So, it was back into the car to try to get to Bedford around the M25 and via the M1. I HATE the M25... it has left me running late for meetings and stressed and trying not to drive too fast. One year it took 8 hours (yes, 8 hours to get to Birmingham...). 
Whichever UK party promises no delays on the M25, gets my vote... anyway I'm digressing. Last weekend was the Bedford Games Jumps & Throws Fest and three of the group were competing. This annual comp often attracts many of the UK's top jumpers and throwers and so it was this year with the likes of Jazmin Sawyers and Julien Reid competing. From our group it was Jonathan, Sarah and Julien - the boys in the triple and Sarah in the long. All in all it was a good start to the domestic season... you can see how they did in the video. Oh, and the M25 was kind to me this time...

Our series of Portugal training camp videos continues with an indoor session due to rain. Having an indoor track at the Villa St Antonio facility came in very useful. Watch the group do long and triple jump technique work. Three of the group are preparing for a competition they have a day later and are working off long approaches in the main.

Yesterday was spent in the Surrey Hills with ultra runner Susie Chan. Susie is a bit of a celeb on the running circuit and has run the Marathon des Sables three times and numerous other marathons and ultras. I was interviewing her for a piece in Outdoor Fitness & Adventure and will also be making a video.

Susie only took up running six years ago and admits to doing her first trail race, slightly hungover! Since then the Surrey woman has gone onto complete hundreds or races and log up thousands of miles. She is a real example of "The Girl Can"!

.... I realised that it was a trail marathon. I didn't even know what that meant... (as the miles and hangover) slowly melted away by mile 9 I realised that I could finish..."

There have been races that I have struggled with for various reasons. The first was the Jungle Ultra... you start at 12,000 feet in the Andes and run down to the Amazon basin... I wondered if I was good enough for the race..."

Look out for the full interview in the June/July issue of Outdoor Fitness & Adventure

I've been back from Portugal for a couple of days  and the weather hasn't been great, now there's a surprise. I've gradually got back into coaching indoors... two of the group are off to Germany for a meeting this weekend Jonathan and Paul. The UK weather will probably acclimatise them as it's probably going to be cold in Germany!

Coming back from WWT can be something of a come-down, back to work, back to college and back to a grey UK May... so it's important not to over do it on the return and ease back - and this applies to coaches too. It's often forgotten that coaches get tired. We always have to have the solutions for athletes and absorb both their positivity and negativity! And the more athletes you coach the more potential there is for highs and lows!

Still WWT was very much a high and I've been continuing to upload videos onto my YouTube channel. We are now up to day 4. Believe it or not there are another 4, possibly 5 to upload. I do hope that you enjoy the series and gain something from them.

If you have been following my instagram or facebook pages you will know that I'm out in Portugal with some of my training group at the time of writing (early May 17). Over the course of the 8-9 days in Monte Gordo I've been pulling together a series of videos. These will include day by day accounts of all the sessions that we did. In these I provide some commentary and explanations as to what we did and also explain some of the technical areas that we are working on. 
I also hope to expand some of these videos into more technical features on long and triple jump technique as they effect specific athletes in future. I'll also try to produce something on strength and conditioning at this time of the athletic training year.
Below you'll find the second video so far uploaded - this is a VLOG of day one and two's workouts. (The first video in the series, which you will find on my youtube channel, is an overview of the planned WWT period's training.)