Inter Area Challenge Lee Valley
It is always exciting to represent your country and this is my third call up...I had been selected to run a 400m, not my preferred distance but due to injury of other athletes got the nod... I was also part of the W35 - 49 4 x 200 relay. Training has been going well and I have been feeling strong and fast and I was looking forward to my races. Up at 6am, meeting my lift at 7am, we get to Lee Valley in good time around 10.30. I am not racing until just after 12pm so there is time to catch up with other team members and grab a coffee. Around an hour before my race I start my warm up routine, foaming rolling, very short jog, dynamic stretching and drills.
We have to be at the call room 15 minutes before race starts and it,s about this time the adrenaline ramps up. I can now see my fellow competitors and I can see there are some younger ladies 35ish and possibly 1 or 2 closer to my age 49! I know it's going to be tough and last year came in 4th so I target 3rd place, as more points for the team and am hoping for a new PB.
We are called to start and I am feeling good, my body feels in good condition and I am ready. On your marks, get set, bang! I push out quickly wanting to get a good start and it feels fast and by about the 100 marker I am thinking perhaps a bit too fast and I am not feeling great at this point. I hit the cruise control button and as we break into the inside lane disappointingly I am 4th but in close contact to the 3rd place athlete. The leaders are well out of reach by now!
I get a 2nd wind and confidence from my training and decide I want that 3rd spot and extra points for the team so push to overtake before the 200m, I think this surprises the athlete in front. I keep pushing hard for the next 200m expecting the athlete to come back past me but she doesn't and I finish in 3rd, good points for the team and the best I could have hoped for! My lungs are on fire and I am certain it must be a PB....
After waiting for hours for the results and times I eventually go over to the officials collating the results to find out the time was not as fast as I had hoped. It's not a PB. Now normally at that point I would beat myself up. However, in the 400m there is a bit of strategy and racing involved and I am pleased with how I raced it. I am still a bit of a novice and decide for once to be happy. Good race and good points. I know I have a PB in me so take a chill pill and move on lol It will come!
The afternoon athletics is fab, the team are doing really well, particularly the ladies team. About half way through the day the ladies are in 3rd place, the men are in 5th and overall team Wales is in 4th place....
I enjoy watching my fellow teammates compete, Captain Stu smashes his 60m. Its really good fun cheering and supporting the team and watching some really great performances at every age category across both the men's and ladies' competitions. Some athletes are competing in 3 and 4 events, one or two more than that and most are doing at least 2. There are plenty of smiles and the competition with the other teams is friendly and respectful.
As the day whizzes by I am starting to feel quite tired and by about 4pm I am starting to think about warming up for the relays which are always a highlight as the event comes to a close.
I warm up with my team which has changed slightly due to injuries but I know we will be competitive and we are now working out who is to run what leg. I am put on first I run a decent enough leg to keep us in contention and the girls do the business and in the end we win by a considerable margin! It's been a great day but there is more to come, in 4 out 5 of the age categories we have a team in we win the relays it's a great end to a great day.
But then what's that I hear Wales have been disqualified. There are raised voices and one of the officials has disqualified one of the men's team as they don't all have the same area shirt on! Yikes, it can't be not for that? The team has a mixture of Welsh shirts from different seasons all valid but at the moment not according to this official.
We protest based on the rule and great news we are reinstated. It is all sorted fairly swiftly...
The provisional results are in and overall the ladies team came 3rd, the men's 5th and we can 4th overall. A great result for a small Nation. Hopefully we can improve on this in the Summer Inter Area Challenge and secure 3rd place out right.
Great team, great team performances. I love Masters Athletics, if you have not already done so please like our Facebook page to keep up to date of news and events :)
