http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/14668033.stm

...Daegu

Once again Aviva provided the GB team with an amazing holding camp. Our base was in Ulsan,1.5hrs South East of Daegu. 

Training for mid-distance/endurance athletes in Ulsan was great. We were just a few minutes jog away from the river where we had a choice of dirt, tarmac or track surfaces. The Korean's seem to like laying track everywhere, which is great for us joggers!   

The 2nd best thing about Ulsan was fact that there were two Starbucks within 200m from the hotel, closely followed by sushi everyday at lunch and dinner! 

It pretty much rained the whole time in Ulsan, however the humidity was still quite high.

I arrived in the village on Wednesday. We didn't leave until 2pm, so I had plenty of time to get my last pre race session in at the track in the morning. My heats are at 10:35am, so I have been doing the majority of my sessions in the morning. 

The accreditation process was very fast, and I was in my apartment by 4:15pm. It was nice to have a short bus transfer rather than a flight.

View from Team GB block

Start lists for day 1 came out today and I am in heat 3 which I am happy with. Qualification is Top 3 and 3 fastest times. Usually 15 advance into the final, so I need to be on my A game to ensure a place in the final.  

This morning i will do some extended strides at the track with a short warm-up/cool-down. The track is only about 200m from our apartment block which is great.  

Go TEAM GB!

...two on the podium for "Team Font Romeu"

Running the 1500 this weekend at the UK Champs this weekend was a nice change, it was also a good workout. The heat on Friday night went out steady, 2:23 through 800m. With Lisa Dobrisky, Stacey Smith and Celia Tayor in my heat, I knew I couldn't leave it down to the last 200m. I started to move through at around 600m to go and put myself right behind Lisa at the bell. It felt good to stride out, and safely make it into the final. I was surprised at my splits over the last 800m, 66 over the penultimate lap and 48 secs over the last 300m. 

You never know how the final is going to go. Last year it went out very slow, however Stacey Smith had the World Championship A standard in mind. After a swift first lap of 63 seconds, I was sitting in about 6th place. I should have tucked in behind Lisa Dobriskey and Hannah England who ran a nice evenly paced first 800m, however i let them go to much over the second lap. 

I have been finishing very strongly in all of my races this year, and I was able to steal a bronze medal on the home straight. Sadly, I could not catch my Font Romeu housemate Hannah England!

I am hoping to run a couple more 1500's this year and get my PB down.

After the race it was important to start the recovery process asap. I warmed down with Stacey Smith and got in my recovery shake, Endurox r4. Since I was in my spikes 2 days in a row on the track I needed to make sure I went into this week without any tightness. Thanks to my lottery funding I was able to see Neil Black to ensure i got a good flush and eliminate any tight spots that may have occurred. 

On sunday I enjoyed a nice semi-long run around the Royal Sandringham estate. It is a short running distance from my house and very pictures. Sorry to say i didn't see Will & Kate or the Queen! 

I am very to run the steeplechase at the London Diamond League on Saturday. It is a very nice feeling to go into a race thinking that you have done all the right training. My number one goal this weekend will be to go with the pace in the first 1km. If I can do that I will put myself in great contention for the win. I trust in my strength and kick over the last 800m 100% and will be looking for a big PB!

You can watch the London Diamond League on Saturday on BBC one from 13:30-16:30. (Women's Steeplechase @ 15:05pm) For timetable and Entry lists click here:
http://www.diamondleague-london.com/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/

...time to step it up!

My first steeplechase of the season, at the Birmingham diamond league was a little disappointing, however, I did manage to get 4th and most importantly run under the A standard for the World Championship. It was drizzling rain and wasn't great for steepling, but with my current fitness level, I thought I could still set a PB.

The race went out perfectly in 3:10, however I didn't! I found myself lagging in the first 1km. It could have possibly been the transition from altitude or maybe just nerves from my first steeple of the season. Once I got into my running I really felt great. I managed to run a fast last 1km which was an encouraging sign that I have a lot of strength.

The next day I returned to Font Romeu. The warm weather we had for the 3 weeks prior to Birmingham disappeared, however, Hannah England joined me in my apartment which was something I was looking forward to. We lived together when we attended Florida State University. Even though our training this time of year is very different, we always like to be at each others sessions and do our core/strength/pre-hab exercises together.

The track in Font Romeu sits quite high and is a little exposed, so it can get quite blustery. As if 6000ft isn’t hard enough! They don’t mind bikes on the track, so I had Barry Fudge block the wind for me on my sessions.

Last Tuesday I left Font Romeu to run in the Spitzen Leichtathletik Meeting in luzern. Our main goal (my coach and I) for the race was to "compete" and place as high as possible.

The race was paced to 3:06 for the first 1km. I sat in at around 4th position for most of the race until I moved up in the last 1km. Just like Birmingham, my finish was very strong. However the leader managed to gap me which was something I need to focus on preventing. Especially if I want to make the final in Daegu.

My time of 9:35.46 was again under the World & Olympic A standard and I was awarded with a nice 1/2 Carat diamond for winning!
The next morning US steepler Delilah DeCrescenzo and I decided to go and explore the mountains of Luzren. Note to self; don't take to many turns without leaving a paper trail! Our 80minute run included a nice 40 minute brisk walk back to the hotel! However we did get to see Luzern and its beautiful trails : )
I returned to Norfolk on Friday night and have been enjoying some good ole countryside running. My coach and I decided to get some quality sessions over the next few weeks at sea-level before heading out to the training camp in Ulsan on August 14^th.

On Tuesday, Tim & Pauline Ash with City of Norwich Athletics Club, drove over to help time and support me while I ran a hard track workout. Lynnsport is renowned for being extremely windy. Even on a still day, Lynnsport will be windy! Thankfully Ruth Senior and Iona Lake came to help with wind blocking duties!

 I will be running the 1500m at AAA's this weekend, and then hope to run a fast time in the steeple at the London Diamond league the following Saturday. I am hoping for a performance that will attract some sponsors. I have been unable to pick up a kit sponsor for the past 2 seasons...time to step it up!