Underneath, I wrote the qualifying times I needed to make the team. 3000m Steeplechase – 9.45; 5000m – 15.24; 10,000m – 32.15. As I hobbled across the room on my crutches and cast, I attached it to the fireplace. It seemed silly. I was eight months injured with a further three months of recovery still to go. Walking pain-free was a more realistic goal but something inside me couldn't let Rio go.
I wrote down three different events even though the 5,000m and 10,000m were both events that I don't even compete in but I noted them regardless. I knew that after two surgeries my ankle may not recover in time to cope with such a grueling discipline as the 3000m steeplechase. This was the event that brought me my first ever GB vest. It was the event that has allowed me to race around the world and represent my country at the London 2012 Olympics, and in front of a home crowd at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealths. It's brought me so much joy, yet equally so many tears. Due to constant injury battles, I knew it was an event that I may have to forget in order to have 'GREAT BRITAIN' emblazened across my vest once more.
Making it to the Olympic Games is a long and daunting process. From the moment I placed that paper on my fireplace until the second I crossed the line at my Olympic Trial, the pressure has been building up inside me like a water balloon ready to explode.
There are three boxes to tick en route to making an Olympic squad. I ran my first qualifying time back in May at the Payton Jordan Invitational Meet in Stanford, California – 15.09. Box ticked. I had one more qualifying time to run but I wasn't sure I would be able to achieve it. Feeling exhausted after a training block at high altitude coupled with a lot of travel and serious jet lag. I put myself on the start line at the IAAF World Challenge competition at Hengelo (Netherlands) and came away with my second qualifying time – 15.16. It wasn't the performance I was looking for but still... box ticked.
The final box to cross off, was a top 2 finish at the British Olympic Trials. Almost unbelievably, I fell ill just five days before my race. I went into full panic mode.The pressure was on. Of all the weeks to fall ill, this wasn't the one. I backed off training, took obscene amounts of vitamin C and was alcohol gel-ing my hands like the world had turned poisonous. Waking up on race day, I was strangely calm. Realisation quickly sank in that all the hard work was done and there was nothing more I could do now. I was fitter and faster than I've ever been. This was it, it was crunch time. All those hours spent aqua-jogging in a circle and sitting on a spin bike for hours on end, staring at a wall – were all for this one moment. Rise or fall.
Box ticked.
Crossing the line was a mixture of relief and happiness. I had booked my place at my second Olympic Games – Rio 2016. It hadn't quite sunk in until a journalist asked me how I felt about becoming a two-time olympian. Two Olympic Games in two different events. At the age of 25, it's something I never thought would happen. The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of our sport and I remember as a child, being glued to the TV, watching all the athletes glide around the eight lanes of the track. Now, I would be joining them once more.
First up, I had the European Championships last weekend. It was actually my first ever Europeans as a senior athlete. In 2012, I wasn't allowed to run because the federation deselected all athletes who had qualified for the London Olympics and in 2014, I missed out on selection by less than half a second! I did however represent GB at the European Under 23 age group so I was excited to be competing here as a senior, five years later!
Five years ago, I made it through to the final and finished 6th in the steeplechase so was excited to see what I could do over the 5,000m this time around. A lot of the GB athletes bound for Rio skipped this championships to focus on the big one next month but for me it was all about experience. I'm new to the 5,000m and championship races can be tricky as they are usually quite tactical. It was important for me to have a feel of racing before competing on the world's biggest stage.
I never thought I would be disappointed with a 6th place finish at the European championships but sadly, I was. The good thing is that both myself and my coach know where we went wrong.
The experience was what I needed it to be..... a small stepping stone to the main event.
