The 2024 Training Log- Part 10

So I’ve come to the end of a 12 week project and despite the result of the event, I’m pretty happy. I lost on Saturday very narrowly. I felt I had a little more in me, and to be honest, it was a match I could have won. But these things happen, and I’m not going to dwell on it.

Monday (evening)

Good 6 minute sparring rounds from the standing position. I worked on reactions to pulls.

Tuesday

Went to the physio about my low back. I shouldn’t have. Or at least I should have waited until next week. After some tests, I was told to get an MRI to confirm a degenerative disc issue in my low back. Not very good news to say the least. Here was I heading to see him hoping to have him do some voodoo and pop my back or something. Instead, it’s a bit grim to be honest. We’re not near surgical intervention yet, so we’ll see what happens. I’ve ordered an inversion table and a standing desk for now, and I’ll start to think about what comes next.

One irony- he listed the exercises to avoid and for every time he said one like “Russian Twists are really bad” I would nod and think yep, been doing a lot of those. And those. And those too. So my current hope is that by eliminating the things that have been irritating it, I might get relief.

Wednesday

Gym in the morning for a light mobility and some light lifting.

Sparred 4 good rounds in the evening, and then left it at that.

Friday

A little mobility and a sauna in the morning, then on to the flight.

Saturday

Match time was 9.45am, so I was in the first flight. I hadn’t recognised the names on the bracket but I felt good when I saw the next match was a fella I’d beaten before.

I got up at 7am and walked to the venue and back to loosen out. I’d taken a painkiller the night before for the flight and it had zonked me, so I opted to risk the back pain rather than going in stoned. As it happened, adrenaline took care of the pain and it only started to hurt from standing around later.

I pulled guard and he sat in like a lump of rock. But I was comfortable and got to my butterfly half with belt grip.
Now you can piss yourself off all day about what you should have done, but I surrendered the initiative after a half hearted sweep attempt and from there the match was basically spent either in the switch or in the half guard. I didn’t get a sniff and he got 2 advantages. I thought at one stage I could frustrate him, but he was fairly patient. 2 advantages for 2 near passes and that was that. Out in the quarters.

The lads did great with Padraig getting gold, and Sean and Ryan Bronze.

Overall, it was a great trip to a great place. I’m just sorry to not have something to take home.

Positives-

I had set a goal of getting to the event without injury. I did.

Wait a sec, did you not just say you’ve a thing in your back? Well yes, but that didn’t happen in training, and seems to have happened over time. At least I think so. I might be doing some justification work there.

I think I’ve hit upon a formula for myself that balances training and my injury profile. My work in the gym in the mornings has kept me injury free and on the mat, and I feel the strongest and healthiest I have felt in a long time.

The training for the event was the first time in a good while that I’d been on the same path as 3 others. It’s really good craic to be doing that as a group. I’ve spent most of my competitive efforts of the last few years flying solo. It’s OK, but nothing beats working with a like-minded crew.

Negatives-

Actually not any I can really think of. I mean aside from not winning, but that’s sport. This was 12 weeks to fix something and give myself a chance to compete. I think I achieved that for the most part. I feel good. Next time will be better.