Last year, time seemed to move at a snail’s pace. We were all caught in a weird limbo; unsure as to what was going to happen next with many variables and even more unknowns. The start of 2021 seemed to be following a similar trend, with the majority of my races cancelled and most of Europe heading into another lockdown. But over the last month, there has been a real shift in the tide of this virus and each week has seen us gaining positive momentum and speed - much like my training!
My main focus over the winter months was to build a strong endurance base with no real insight as to when I would be racing next or what I was building towards. But over the last eight weeks we have made an effort to build in some more quality sessions and to increase my speed as more and more races pop up on the athletics' calendar.
Of course, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding travel restrictions and races being given the go ahead from governments. But over the last year of the pandemic race organisers worldwide have managed to find ways to host events in a safe and responsible manner. It requires a lot more organisation than normal, and with far more Covid tests than you can begin to imagine, but it’s allowing professional athletes to get back to doing something they love. It gives me high hopes that we are building towards something. The Olympic Games being held in 2021 is a real possibility and is also becoming a realistic goal.
This excitement has definitely spilled over into my training. I’m putting together training weeks which are far better than I’ve ever done before. I often wondered whether, as I got older, I would perhaps lose the speed in my legs. But I feel faster and stronger than ever. Not only have I been working hard on the track, but I’ve been getting stronger in the gym and really focussing on my sleep and recovery outside of training too. I can see that the small changes and all those little one percent improvements are starting to pay off.
A fortnight ago, we decided to test how my latest spell at altitude had gone by competing in a 5,000m race at the Continental World Tour competition in Eugene, Oregon. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I was in the midst of a heavy block of altitude training, up at 6,000ft in Colorado Springs, and only dropped down to the competition’s altitude the day before, which is something I’ve never tried before.
Typically, athletes like to race a few days after coming down from altitude to get the biggest gains, whilst others like to be two to three weeks down at sea level before racing. It’s entirely up to the individual and depends on how each person responds but I’ve always competed on day three after being at altitude. It was a little bit of a risk to race so close to travelling but we wanted to maximise our altitude time in Colorado and keep the continuity and momentum of my training going.
I felt really controlled through the first half of the race, sticking behind the pacemaker to help shield myself from some of the wind. It wasn’t too bad weather-wise - a typical day in the UK - wet, cold and windy. It felt like I was back in Manchester! After six laps, the pacer dropped out and I found myself solo at the front. My mum/coach wanted me to focus on running a strong final one kilometre which is exactly what I did. I crossed the line to take the win in 14.52 minutes which I was happy with considering it was only six seconds off my personal best. I know from training there is a big 5,000m PB in me but finding the right kind of races to achieve it is challenging and even more so in the midst of a pandemic.
The Hayward Field stadium in Eugene was truly incredible. Sadly, there were no spectators but I’m hopeful that when the World Championships are hosted here next year in 2022, they will put on a brilliant show. The facilities are world class, so it felt pretty special to take part in one of the first elite competitions held in the newly-renovated stadium.
The following morning, Michael rented a bike and I headed out with him for a run to link up with fellow Scots, Jemma Reekie and Guy Learmouth. I’d say one of the best things about our sport, is the people in it and the community you build. We enjoyed a long run of seventy minutes which we managed to squeeze in before heading back up the mountain to Colorado Springs.
Our trip to the Springs was entirely unplanned and we had no intentions of staying as long as we have done, but with ever-changing travel rules and lockdowns across the world we have stayed the full duration of our USA visas.
Our extended stay in the US has worked out quite well in the end as races have been plentiful out here - plus we got vaccinated. But alas, our time has come to an end and so after flying to California for one final race we’ll need to leave before we get kicked out by border control! I lined up over the 1500m on Sunday at the Golden Games event in Mount Sac and was pleased to come away with 4th position. It was good to test myself over the shorter distance and see what speed I have in the legs before heading back overseas for my first Diamond League of the season, followed by some very important Olympic qualifying races.
Momentum is building as the 2021 summer season starts to take shape. Of course there will be speed bumps and detours along the way but, after 2020, we are well versed in it.
