Elite coaching special - Craig Mottram and Andy Baddeley on athlete lifestyle

Part of the year is spent in Australia at Falls Creek, Mottram's favourite training venue. Baddeley has also based himself there for training. Mottram explained: “When I’m building up in November and December I go to Falls Creek. It is at 1600m altitude and I train there for up to three months. There is nothing there. It is a ski resort in winter and in the summer it is empty. It is a 35min drive to the supermarket.
“But I know that a 20 hour flight away there are millions of people doing the same in Kenya and Ethiopia. I go there and run a lot.”
Baddeley found that being able to get away to Falls Creek helped him stay focussed on the running too: “It feels like a sacrifice some days, not having a kick about or not doing something else. At altitude there is literally nothing to do – runs and between that coffee and may be scrabble.
“It’s easier at Falls Creek; you are relaxed because you can’t do anything else. In Melbourne or St Mary’s if you are doing nothing between runs you feel guilty. You may be think you need to do more training or should go and see a friend who lives near you. You have to believe you are doing the right thing.”

The remote lifestyle might seem a sacrifice too far for some, for Mottram it is where he is happiest. “The happiest times I have are when I am at Falls Creek. I feel relaxed and ahead of the game. I know what I’m doing is working for me; there are no distractions, nothing to side-track me. You get so into doing it. Even if you go to a movie and don’t get back to bed until 11.30 or 12 it upsets your rhythm. You don’t feel that next day is as good as you think it could have been. It could be to the point when you get too serious and fall into that trap. When I go at it I go at it 100%, I pick those times of years then I really go at it. You don’t notice there aren’t other people around.”

The question was asked whether being a distance runner was a lonely pursuit. Baddeley said: “It is important to have people around you that you feel comfortable with. When you have got a good group and that makes you want to train. But in the call room [where athletes are held before going on track for a major race] it is just you.”
Mottram answered: “There can be times you are out there on your own and wish there was someone else. But I have got a good group around me with family and friends. There can be times when you feel isolated, especially when you are out on the track and when you are under a lot of pressure. You can feel isolation even if there are 90,000 people around you at the MCG [where the Australian fans came in hoards to watch Mottram in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games]. That was 200 metres from my house but it felt like I was on Mars. But it was probably one of the memories I look back on with the most excitement and joy.”

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