Best Foot Forward!
The Indoor UK Masters Championships - This is the highlight of my indoor season and a good benchmark to see where I am at. So far the indoor season has gone well, not fantastic but not bad either. My times have not been blistering but I feel I am racing well and strong and have been working hard to improve my technique.
The stumbling block literally has been my blocks despite 18 months or more working on them I don't seem any further forward. I generally seem to go on the G of BANG and seem late to get into my running.
I have been putting in some extra plyometric sessions in the run up to the champs and hope these will help.
A week before the champs to the day I come to a big decision with my coach and completely change my block setup and try for a right leg lead and driving off this leg. This has been nagging at me for a while and almost as a last ditch attempt to make something happen I decide to go for it.
I manage all my sessions, in the week running up to the champs, off blocks to try and build some confidence with the switch. My coach is happy I have made the right decision and only time will tell...
So the big day arrives I have entered a 60 and 400m. I have already looked at the form before I get there to see who is in my races and what others stats and pbs are. On paper I should come 4th in both. The 400m I am way off the pace but with the 60 I feel I have a chance.
We arrive early as we have been staying overnight in the Premier Inn just around the corner in Waltham Abbey. It proves a good base and Neil and I feel we would use it again next year. I probably should say that I am again back in Lee Valley for the Champs...
We arrive quite early, it's great to catch up with other Masters Athletes and start to feel the buzz of the indoor arena. I get a coffee and start to watch some of the events. My race is not until just after 1pm, it's the 60m. I start my warm up routine about an hour before. We need to check in at the call room 15 minutes before our race and it's here when the adrenaline usually hits.
There are a couple of other Masters ladies 60m age category races before ours and I get to cheer a few of my fellow Welsh teammates in their races.
Then we are up it is the W45 60m and will be a straight final. Sharp intake a breath here we go.
I run through my usual block set up, leg slapping and jumping to get myself psyched and ready to run! I don't dwell on my new block set up and feel ready. I am looking forward to racing bring it on.
We are kept waiting to start for what feels like an absolute age and then we are called 'ON YOUR MARKS' I go through my usual preparation, its SET and BANG! I drive for all I am worth and it feels like a great start...Then BANG again! We are called back its a false start!!
So we go through the whole process again this time with even more adrenaline pumping and having already run half way down the track lol
I again prepare, the lady to my left Michelle Thomas who has just come up into my race category and is an awesome runner. She won a silver medal in the recent world championships. She lets out a whoop, she is pumped also and I am loving it!! GET SET, BANG!! again I drive out for all I am worth and keep driving and pushing til the line. I can tell I have come 4th as I cross the line just behind the 3rd place athlete but I glance at the clock and see the winning time is 8.24... I think to myself I wasn't that far behind so I am hoping for a pb.
It turns out it is a new pb 8.71 previous 8.83 I am chuffed. The hard work and the block gamble has paid off! I am disappointed not to get a medal but soon relaise that my time would have got me gold last year so I must be content and continue to work hard in training to challenge the best in UK and Europe in the summer.
My 400 race is a real anti climax! Not much to say about it other than it is one to forget. I think I got too caught up in everyones' times and should have just tried to run a time trial. I sort of tried that but it just didn't happen. Possibly next year I will stick to the 60m and try the 200m the next day. We will see. It's a long way away and I will be in a new age category!
Overall I enjoyed my weekend. I bought some GB kit which was most exciting and I now feel highly motivated for Denmark in the Summer. My aim is to get into the final, at this stage I am still a bit off pace but have a meeting tomorrow with my coach to discuss my next training plan.
My first race of the Outdoor season will be Newport Harriers Club championships on the 4th and 6th April, not long at all. I hope to do a 100m and 200m
