Torun or not Torun that is the Question...
Well having stated in February 2018 that we hadn't blogged in a while I find myself here again having not blogged for a year.
A lot has happened in that time a World Outdoor Championships in Malaga for one thing. I competed in the 100m and 200m but was a bit off form. I had a great championships experience wise but I was disappointed with my performances overall. I did make the 100m and 200m semi final but could see I was a bit off the pace on the world stage.
So when I cam home I sat down with my awesome coaches Stuart Pearce and Eric Oram and we talked about what went well and more importantly where I needed to improve.
We also discussed my goals for 2019 and I was keen to put matters right in the Indoor Masters Athletics Championships in Torun in March 2019.
I had one week off after returning from Malaga and it was back to Winter track training and hitting the gym work. The first winter training cycle was brutal. It was hard enough to almost break me but also managed to keep me fresh enough to make the most of each session. At this point I was training 6 days a week and sometimes twice a day.
Christmas could not come quick enough. After Christmas we hit the indoor track and the gym work started to lighten off.
Throughout this period I had been working on my technique and speed.
Before Torun I did some competitions to see where as I was at. I managed to retain my Welsh Masters indoor titles at 60 and 200m. I gained silver a new pb in the British in the 60m and grabbed a bronze in the 200m with a massive indoor pb.
All was looking good for Poland. I was always able to see the progress I was making. I was the fastest I had ever been and was able to compete over 2 days, something that had not happened before.
We arrived in Poland on Sunday 24th March and my first event was 2 days later. This gave me chance to register on the Sunday before my event and gave me a day off to relax and do a bit of sightseeing all be it I had to stay off my pins as much as possible...
Torun has a wonderful old Medieval town and is really worth a visit. It is incredibly cheap to eat out and take in this wonderful town - http://www.visittorun.pl/
The Arena where the event was held was World class, I had never competed in anything as impressive. The organisation of the event was awesome and this really helped to build a wonderful atmosphere. With athletes jetting in from all over the world I can't rate the experience highly enough. I really was 'living the dream'.
I really did want to perform to my best, I had worked so hard and lots of my team had invested a huge amount of time in energy to get me here ready and in the best form of my life. I did not want to let them down... This can produce a pressure and how I would react only time would tell.
I had been working on my race preparation in the months leading up to the event and learning all the time.
My main aim was to make the 60m final and this I did with a new pb... It had taken me a bit of time to realise this as qualification had been tough with only 8 places in the final and I squeezed in grabbing the last spot.
I finished 7th in the final but this was progress having previously only made semi finals. I can see I am a few 10ths off the medals so look forward to sitting down with my coaches to see how I can get better. I know my coaches are confident I can, so I will keep pushing for my dream of being a world champion one day!
Next up were the 200m more of a bonus event for me but I made the semi final and finished 13th in the world with another pb.
After 4 days of competing which I was finding tough I was selected for the relay. We had a great team spirit and gave it are all. We narrowly missed out on a medal in 4th place.
I couldn't complain I had made more amazing friends from around the world, even more awesome memories. The masters athletes are an inspirational bunch and I am often in ore at just how talented they all are. I feel blessed and proud to be a part of their community.
If you have read this blog and wish to get started or have a bash at athletics then please get in touch and I will try and signpost you to a track/team near you :)
The websites below may also help :)
