A broken foot. Youre out for three months. It would break the minds and hearts of most human beings. Mark English, though, is used to grafting, on and off the track. Irelands rising 800m star, a medical student in Dublin, suffered a bad injury in March and his Rio dreams were wobbling, despite having already run the qualifying time. Here are the thoughts of the Sky Academy Sports Scholar on how he fought back to fitness and what hell be up to over the next few weeks before heading to his first Olympics... Relief is probably the sweetest feeling Ive experienced as an athlete. I was lucky enough to experience it again when I won my fourth National 800m title recently in Santry, Dublin.Essentially I had spent six weeks in a boot and wasnt able to run a step for three whole months. It started when I fractured my foot before the World Indoors at the start of March.It was a huge disappointment for me because I had raced well all indoor season, beating a world indoor champion and Olympic bronze medallist from London. But of course, injury will strike all athletes sooner or later, and so then I just had to turn my focus solely on getting better for Rio.The rehab involved using an anti-gravity treadmill to allow my foot to gradually return to the impact of full weight bearing running. What happens is you wear skin tight shorts that has a zip attached. You then stand on the treadmill, zip yourself into an air tight chamber, and allow it to fill up with air. Sky mentor Darren Campbell has passed on lots of advice after suffering injuries at big events You can then adjust the body weight to whatever your needs require. So I started running at 60 per cent body weight and then ramped that up by five per cent every three to four days, depending on how my foot felt. So I trained on it for two days, and took a day off, and thats how it went for the next 26 days.By the time I reached about 75-80 per cent, I was able to start doing proper sessions on it. On my off days, I did bike sessions that were aerobic, anaerobic or a mixture of both work-outs. My coach Steve Magness sent me on a list of them and I would pick and choose which ones to do.For the aerobic sessions, there were a lot of work-outs done at tempo pace, or just faster than it. The anaerobic sessions looked dead easy on paper but they were an excellent way to feel that burn in the legs again! It reminded my body of the pain in the last 100m of an 800m race.As strangely enjoyable as they were, I was counting the days until I could get back running. I was told by the surgeon that Id be able to put full force through the foot again at the start of June. Irish runner Sonia OSullivan was a huge inspiration for English after her heroics at the 2000 Games Thats all I needed to hear. Every day was a countdown until that day and I immediately set about aiming for our National Championships on June 24/25.During that period, I had the pleasure of meeting and training with my coach in London. I did three work-outs there and they allowed me to find that race pace rhythm again. I remember my Sky Academy Mentor Darren Campbell tell me about the importance of rhythm before.He said that when he pulled his hamstring before the Olympics, it was all about maintaining fitness through various means and then finding a racing rhythm again on the track when the injury had subsided. So when I did 12 x 150m at race pace, feeling fresh, I knew I was ready.When I discussed the race with my coach, the plan was to run relaxed until 600m and then turn on the jets over the last 200m. I knew my good friend Declan Murray was in great shape and Id have to run the right race to beat him. So it was a huge relief to round the final bend in third place knowing I had all my speed reserve left, and to use it to come away with the title. National glory for English in Dublin again after a stubborn show on his return Ive been very lucky to have a great team around me expediting the rehab process over the past few months. I want to thank all the medical staff at Athletics Ireland, Sport Ireland, Cappagh Orthopaedic hospital, and many more who helped diagnose and treat this injury.Looking ahead, I plan to race in Belgium, Budapest and London this month. Im looking forward to them a lot. I love going back to the Anniversary Games in London - the track where I set my personal best of 1:44.84. Its something that will be all the more enjoyable with the relief that Im now running pain free.And then theres that other event in Brazil. Representing the tricolour of Ireland on this stage is something Ive dreamed about since getting into the sport.Ever since watching Sonia OSullivan winning her Olympic medal in Sydney (2000) back in primary school, Ive always tuned into it and hoped that one day Id be there competing on that stage. In five weeks, I plan on realising that dream.WHATS COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS1-10 JULY: Quillan Isidore, Euro Championships, Verona, Italy Also See: About the Scholarship Meet the athletes Blogs Videos Galleries Landon Collins Womens Jersey .com) - Patrick Reed poured in a 19-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole Monday to defeat Jimmy Walker and win the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Dexter Manley Womens Jersey . DETROIT LIONS AT ATLANTA FALCONS, 9:30 AM (ET) Detroit - RB Reggie Bush, TE Eric Ebron, TE Joseph Fauria, WR Calvin Johnson, QB Kellen Moore, TE Brandon Pettigrew, OT LaAdrian Waddle Atlanta - CB Javier Arenas, DT Jonathan Babineaux, OT Cameron Bradfield, WR Freddie Martino, QB Sean Renfree, OT Jonathan Scott, LB Tyler Starr SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Seattle - DT Jordan Hill, CB Byron Maxwell, OT Andrew McDonald, TE Zach Miller, C Max Unger, LB Bobby Wagner, WR Bryan Walters Carolina - CB Bene Benwikere, LB Chase Blackburn, WR Philly Brown, G Amini Silatolu, G Trai Turner, RB Fozzy Whittaker, RB DeAngelo Williams HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS, 1:00 PM (ET) Houston - OT Jeff Adams, DB Josh Aubrey, LB Brian Cushing, DB Darryl Morris, WR DeVier Posey, QB Tom Savage, LB Jeff Tarpinian Tennessee - RB Antonio Andrews, WR Kris Durham, TE Richard Gordon, DL DaQuan Jones, CB Coty Sensabaugh, OT Will Svitek, TE Taylor Thompson BALTIMORE RAVENS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS, 1:00 PM (ET) Baltimore - CB Chykie Brown, LB Arthur Brown, DL Chris Canty, TE Owen Daniels, G/C Gino Gradkowski, RB Bernard Pierce, OT Jah Reid Cincinnati - RB Rex Burkhead, DE Will Clarke, WR A. https://www.redskinssportsgoods.com/Wome...nverted-Jersey/. -- Canadian womens amateur golf champion Brooke Henderson is a little less starstruck as she prepares for her second career appearance at an LPGA Tour major event. Bryce Love Youth Jersey . -- The Atlanta Braves are facing the possibility of losing another pitcher for the season after general manager Frank Wren said Saturday that Cory Gearrin has a serious injury to his right elbow. Wes Martin Youth Jersey . Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored two goals each Wednesday night in a 6-1 rout of Schalke in the first leg of their second-round matchup. "We played a very, very good match," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We got well into the match, scored two early goals and that opened the game and left us able to counter and to use the speed of our players.A lengthy vacation during the NHLs Olympic break next month isnt sitting well with Bobby Ryan. The Ottawa Senators forward didnt hold back his feelings on Thursday after being left off the U.S. Olympic mens hockey team for the Games in Sochi, calling out director of player personnel Brian Burke and USA Hockey for the way the process was publicized. "It was kinda gutless," Ryan told a scrum of reporters at the teams morning skate. "I almost feel degraded when it comes out like that. It is what it is - thats their decision and thats how they feel about me." What made things worse for the young winger was a feature posted Wednesday by ESPN.coms Scott Burnside chronicling a five-month process in which Burke, Team USA GM David Poile and the rest of the selection committee deliberated Ryans status along with other. "Hes (Ryan) a passive guy," Burke was quoted saying in the feature. "He is not intense. That word iss not in his vocabulary.dddddddddddd Its never going to be in his vocabulary. He cant spell intense." But Burke also praised Ryans ability as a game-breaker, saying that while candidates Max Pacioretty and Brandon Saad were both better 60-minute players, "neither can do what Bobby can do." The feature added that another selection committee member called Ryan a sleepy skater and when Poile asked his group to raise their hand if they were worried about Ryan, a lot of members did just that. "They were direct quotes," said Ryan. "Its unfortunate they feel that way. Theyve got to form a team. I guess to a certain degree you have to respect it. You dont have to agree with it, right? I certainly dont. They could have just cut me." He added that Burke tried contact him on Wednesday, but Ryan hasnt called back. The 26-year-old has 18 goals and 36 points in 42 games with the Senators this season. ' ' '