Hello, Guten Tag everyone!
Since writing last month’s blog, the most important bit of news I have to share with you is that I gained selection to compete at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin! It was wonderful to be selected for my second major Senior Championships as it has enabled me to gain more valuable experience competing against the best athletes in the World.
I recently returned from the Berlin the Championships are underway, they began Saturday 15th September although I did not arrive from Portugal until Sunday evening. I would have preferred to arrive a little earlier than this as it would have enabled me more time to familiarise myself with the stadium and the warm up track, it all felt a bit rushed before my race. The heats of the 1500m were Tuesday 18th and I was seeded in the 3rd heat and should have qualified into the next round.
Unfortunately my race didn’t go to plan, I finished very disappointedly in 10th place and I did not qualify through to the semi-final. It meant instead of the expected week of active competition, I have had to resign myself to watching the other girls racing tonight for a place in Sundays final. I would love to be running in that first semi-final!!!
It is difficult to find the exact answers as to why I did not race to the best of my ability but as an athlete you need to accept the rough times as well as the smooth. I felt heading into the holding camp I was in the shape of my life. Having just run a new personal best of 4:03.48 in Monaco and fully justifying my selection I knew that going to Berlin I would be ready to compete against the best in the World.
UK Athletics (my national governing body) organised the holding camp prior to these Championships in Portugal. As lovely as it may sound, having to train in the hot sun was just not right for me. Unfortunately a few of my training sessions were compromised simply because running in such dry heat (it reached 36 degrees) prevented my body from being able to recover quickly enough. I felt I suffered more in Portugal than I would have if I had been training back home in my normal training environment with my own training partners. With a lack of shade at the track in Monte Gordo my core body temperature rose rapidly during training and despite my cooling strategy my heart rate was much more elevated than normal and didn’t lower quickly enough during recovery. I also had some bad headaches, something I have never had before and because of the heat simply trying to get a decent night’s sleep was uncomfortable. Due to these latter symptoms I saw our team doctor who informed me I may have had a low grade viral infection. My temperature and heart rate was up just before heading into Berlin but probably due to my tapering down strategy (reduced volume of training prior to a major competition). With plenty of rest and recovery I had much more energy available compared to normal, so my body had been able to fight the infection more effectively.
The last few days have definitely been an emotional time for me, my coach and my family and friends. Not progressing any further in the Championships is difficult to except, especially when you watch your familiar competitors progress through the rounds. I didn’t expect to become a tourist, as much as I have enjoyed sightseeing around Berlin, my true aspirations whilst here lay in being in the 1500m World Championships Final!
My coach Mick and I will come away from Berlin in the knowledge that I will train to become a stronger and better athlete, we both have the confidence that we will learn from this and use it to our advantage in the future.
Onwards and upwards, I will continue to put my best foot forward and I will use the experience I have gained from these Championships to get it right for next time.
Steph
Xx LONDON 2012 xX
No comments:
Post a Comment