Health Leads

Kerry's Darragh O' Se Talks about RAYOBASE With Michael Donnellan

Q . You have played more championship games than anyone else in the long history of the GAA and you are also the oldest member of the current Kerry team. At the beginning of the season, there was a lot of speculation about your imminent retirement, how did you feel yourself?

Well I considered it to be honest, I was finding training and matches more difficult than in the past and I wasn't sure if I had the legs for another season at inter-county level.

Q. What kind of difficulties were you experiencing?

As I mentioned I found training more difficult. I found that I was stiff and sore for 4/5 days after training. My recovery times were very slow. As we were training 2/3 times a week I found I was going into training still sore from the previous session. As a result I was unable to train properly, my hamstrings, groin and quad areas were particularly tight so I was struggling to achieve the level of fitness required.

Q. You didn't start the first championship game against Cork and in the replay you looked to be struggling for fitness, most commentators felt, maybe like the Kerry team itself, you looked tired and burnt out, yet you've turned the season around spectacularly, what was the turning point for yourself?

Well on a personal level, around the time of the Cork match, I was still struggling to recover from training - I had injury problems also. My main issue was lactic acid build up after training and matches leading to stiffness particularly in the hamstring and groin areas. I went to see a natural therapist, she put me on a food supplement called Rayobase and things began to improve after that.

Q In what way?

Well the Rayobase helped to reduce the lactic acid build up that I was experiencing, so I was able to recover much quicker after training. As a result of this I was able to put much more into training sessions, which led to an overall improvement in my fitness levels. Also my hamstring and groin stiffness cleared up, which meant I felt looser when jumping, kicking and running.

Q. Many people have commented that they've never seen you looking as fit, what would you put that down to?

Over the last number of seasons my training was restricted. I had to pick and choose which sessions I could afford to miss. I accepted this as part of my age and I suppose miles on the clock. This season however, I feel fitter than I have in a long time, as a result of being able to train harder, longer and more often, without the same after effects that I had in the past. I found that taking the Rayobase combined with a regime of stretching, all but eliminated those problems.

Q. How does Rayobase reduce lactic acid build up and what other benefits does it offer?

Well it?s a food supplement which reduces lactic acid build up by alkalising the body; it speeds up recovery after exercise. It also reduces muscle fatigue. It helps to increase energy and improves overall health.

September 2009