THE BEACH
Soldiers Beach is a 20-minute drive from Mingara and a phenomenal stretch of sand. Half of the team is already there by the time I pull into the car park. I run into Kenny Edwards, who I have a quick chat with.
Assistant coach Steve Murphy then comes over for a quick chat and hands me a hat from the back of his car.
Players share a laugh before doing a time trial run from Soldiers Beach to Norah Head and back.Source: News Corp Australia
We’ve been at the beach about five minutes I can already feel my head being burnt. Bald white boy problems, hey!
The team van pulls in and equipment starts slowly coming out. GPS systems, strapping tables and boxes of bottled water are set up.
While some of the forwards like James Hasson and Daniel Alvaro get their ankles strapped, Kaysa Pritchard plays his music through a portable speaker and Edwards shows off his moves, to the delight of Corey Norman and Tepai Moeroa.
Hoffman, Mannah and Suaia Matagi have a chat with me about the day so far and how camp has been this week, while King and Issac De Gois put their game faces on and pace around the car park as we prepare for the run.
Brad Takairangi kindly helps with my ‘bra’.Source: FOX SPORTS
The GPS systems are handed out. Sports science analyst Louise Marvin hands me what looks like a video camera battery. It goes inside a wetsuit-like material that you wear like a sports bra. I’m not sure how to put it on, so Takairangi puts the tracking system into the little pocket for me and helps me slide the bra on. Now that’s a teammate!
Now that we’re all kitted out with our gear, I get a quick hamstring rub from one of the trainers, rub sunscreen on my face, neck and ears and follow Michael Jennings through the track down to the beach.
“I should have worn long socks,” Jennings proclaimed as sand filled his shoes. As we head down to the base of the dunes I chat about the day with lock Matt Woods and Queensland 20s backrower Jack Morris, before Beutel gives us a brief run-through of how the session is designed.
It goes like this — three sand dunes, beach run, through the bush, five laps of the boat ramp, down to the lighthouse, to the beach and back. Seems simple enough. Gulp.
LET THE TORTURE BEGIN
At this stage I was still able to smile.Source: FOX SPORTS
So I’m standing with the likes of Semi Radradra, Bevan French and Takairangi in group three at the base of the first sand dune. The dune runs 100 metres or so and has three agility poles at the top and witches hats at the bottom marking out where we need to run. Beutel starts his stop watch and gives us the orders to start our run.
Already my shoes are filled with sand from the walk to the dunes but after 10 seconds, any pockets of air are soon filled with the soft sand from the dune. I watch Radrardra, who is directly in front of me. His shoes sink further into the dune with every step.
We’ve been running for 20 seconds and already half of the group are on all fours and using their hands to get up the steep incline. I can no longer stand vertically. Gravity wants to send me back down towards the final group at the base waiting for their turn.
As we pass the first marker and hop down the dune, I can feel my heart pounding. As we start our ascent toward the second marker, my legs start to feel heavy. I keep the pace with the rest of the group and power up the dune as my glutes (or buttocks for those playing at home) begin to burn. Two down, one to go.
The final climb is the hardest, although it has the least elevation.
Calves are burning as we run up the dunes.Source: FOX SPORTS
My heart is pounding. The GPS reads that my heart rate has climbed to 80 per cent above my average resting heart rate. Already our group is scattered and Pritchard is leading the way with French just behind him. I’m about the middle of the pack.
