Valladolid blog: Day 8, spirits high after Spain victory

Following their five-try win over Spain, Scotland Women hit the pool and running track before analysing Sunday’s match, which was played in Madrid. Here’s an update from captain Lisa Martin from the training camp in Valladolid, funded by Erasmus+.Our 34-10 win over Spain the previous day was beginning to sink in as the squad sat down for breakfast.While there were some battered and bruised bodies reporting to the injury clinic, nothing could dent our the spirits and the buzz from players and management was infectious.Post-match, the main aims of the day were recovery and game analysis.Those who played over 40 minutes of the match went off to the University swimming pool to get movement back into the joints – it’s safe to say most of us will not be thinking of a sporting change anytime soon.The remaining players went to a nearby running track for a conditioning session with Strength and Conditioning Coach Mike Legget.Reports came through that it was a physically tough running session, with more down and ups than you could shake a stick at.After lunch, it was all about reflection on the game and the areas in which we performed well and those we needed to work on in the following camps both individually and as a squad.Overall it was a very positive meeting, with the coaches helping to pin point areas in which they were impressed with and the players were able to discuss among themselves the options and decisions made during the game.Every game is another learning curve for each member of the squad, helping to shape the individual and team focuses for the up coming weeks outside of camp.Dinner time allowed the squad to wander around the local area in Valladolid to take in even more of the Spanish scenery and culture as well as sampling some Spanish comfort food, in the form of tapas and churros.This was a great way for the team to relax after a tough six days in camp and a match against Spain, allowing us to further improve the strength we have as a team away from the pitch.It’s safe to say our burgeoning Spanish skills definitely helped when it came to ordering the tapas and we even manage to ask the locals for directions.