Adjusting to change is vital in all walks of life and sport is certainly no different. At the beginning of every year, I sit down with my coach and plan the year. Unfortunately, things rarely follow that initial programme and this year plans have had to change already!
At the end of last year I managed to complete my first ever consistent training block after battling illness for the majority of 2014. It was a great feeling to be running fast and strong with no set-backs over a four month period. Regrettably, after making a few changes to my plan over the Christmas period, I ended up falling ill after the long haul flight to South Africa.
Training hard and consistently weakens the immune system which makes it extremely easy to pick up bugs! Airplanes seem to be my nemesis and I find it very difficult to not fall ill especially after long flights. I'm going to invest in a mask that Chinese tourists are renowned for wearing in the hope that this reduces the chance of contracting viruses! It may sound a little excessive but sickness really does impact on an athlete’s programme. A simple cold virus can be gone within a week but lie dormant in the body until an athlete hits another arduous week of training when it may rear its ugly head again! I experienced this throughout 2014 and found it highly frustrating to deal with.
After being ill for the initial two weeks in Stellenbosch, I finally managed to start jogging again... before twisting my ankle! They say bad luck comes in threes, so I'm holding my breath waiting for the final blow. Normally, a twisted ankle wouldn't cause too much hassle and I would proceed with my training but this was different... the pain didn't fade and only got worse each day. I decided to come home direct from South Africa to get a scan and start rehab as soon as I possibly could.
For a strong minded athlete, going to bed one day fit and healthy, and then awakening in the morning with an injury is hard to take. It's very easy to get absorbed within athletics - where all you live and breathe is the sport. However, it's just as important to remove yourself from this false bubble and realise what really matters. In the grand scheme of things the interruption of a few weeks or months from running really isn't the end of the world!
Unfortunately, I've had to cancel my indoor season and focus on my rehab in order to make sure I am back fit, and more importantly healthy, in time for the outdoor summer season.
The World Championships are in Beijing, China this year and remain my major goal. These championships occur very late in the year (mid-August) so I definitely have enough time to turn things around, but my luck really does have to start changing and things cannot afford to veer off-plan from now onwards.
If anything, the injury has reinforced for me how much I want this. Running is all I have ever known or wanted to do. From October to December, I had managed to get myself into the best physical shape I have ever been in, so it has made me even more determined to achieve my goals this summer because I know they are possible and within my grasp. I've been working hard in the gym and on other forms of cardio like the cross trainer and bike, whilst I rest my ankle. Fingers crossed this keeps me in relatively good shape and means it doesn't take me too long to hit form again. It has also confirmed that cycling is decidedly not the sport for me! My quads are never going to reach the muscle power of Chris Hoy’s any time soon!
I've always been told 'running has many more lows than highs' but that the lows are often forgotten in favour of the highs, so this is just another obstacle to hurdle.
