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A beach or cliff top run followed by a large breakfast: thus began a typical day of training in the Algarve and this was just the start of a number of gruelling sessions aimed at improving our running styles and overall fitness.
Bizarrely, monsoon season seemed to have struck Portugal. It did not impinge too much on our afternoon excursions but it did lead to the purchase of some stretchy, luminous, flared trousers - one pair in pink and one in yellow. These were to be worn by those unlucky individuals who arrived late to our rendez-vous points. Hotel guests were horrified!
The spa was the favoured 4 o’clock activity; part of the excitement, here, was the sharing of saunas and jacuzzis with various international athletes, many of whom will be competing in Beijing. However, panic did set in when our team leader found himself in the hot tub with the German female discus team.
Before supper, we took to the playing fields for volleyball and football – enjoyable despite the competitive, die-hard spirit of the Remove (Year 10) girls. All this left little further energy except to watch films and, on one night, for a game of poker - based on sweets rather than money.
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