Saturday 17 July 2010

Is it a bird...is it a plane...no it's Calvin...

Earlier today I was winning the 200m in Nottingham, when Calvin, my adorable Guide Dog managed to break free from where he was tied up. He came charging across the track, fortunately didn’t impede any other athletes, but knocked me flying, as he raced towards me. I landed heavily on my knees, thankfully only grazing them, but I was in such a state of shock. Calvin didn’t break his lead, but it just goes to show he gets far too excited still when I’m running. The official allowed me to run again about 20mins later on my own, but I only managed 33.2secs in the gusty wind.

My 100m hadn’t gone much better earlier on, with a 16sec flat run, into an evil head wind and muddy puddles, but I won!

I had the Charnwood Open last Wednesday and only did the 100m, which was a disappointing 15.7secs. So things aren’t going too well really. My next competition isn’t until 15th August and I only have 3 more races to gain the funding standards. Right now I’m not on schedule and feel frustrated. I will go training on Monday and talk to my coach, but not sure how I can improve in such a short space of time.

My birthday is on Tuesday, but no major plans arranged. I’m tempted to go to the gym as normal!

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Gateshead Disability Challenge

My fourth athletics competition of the season took place in Gateshead a day after the Diamond League event held at the same venue. Originally, they were asking for specific standards, which would have meant I wouldn’t have been able to run, as I’m having a bad season. However, these were dropped.

This was the first time I would run with the same guide, as the previous three competitions have all been with different people. My cousin got married on Saturday, so we couldn’t travel up to Gateshead until afterwards, resulting in arriving there at 11.30pm. Things didn’t go well the next morning, as they moved my race forward without notifying anyone and when we arrived at the track at 10am, they had called my race. It was essential I had a good warm up because of my calf still not 100%, but I wasn’t able to do anything. I got a couple of runs in down on the track before the start, but then felt even more stressed when the official was harping on at me to use blocks, which I am still learning. I rounded off my bad luck with a false start and held back the second time around.

Bang, I felt like I was being dragged all the way and gripped onto the guide rope as tight as I could. Realistically I should have been able to stay up with her, but I was slow off the start. This put me off balance a little. I came last, but that was expected as I was racing five time Paralympian Tracey Hinton and silver Paralympic medallist Libby Clegg. My time came out at 15.22, my best this season, a tenth off my PB and a tenth off funding. I should have started the season with this sort of time.

My calf felt really tight after I had finished and did a good warm up before my 200m. Bang, I was in lane one so chasing all the way and wasn’t going around the bend at all. I kept barging my guide. As we came onto the home straight, I straightened up and kicked hard at 80m, on reflection I should have kicked again at 50m, but I thought I had really messed up since I had allot of energy left. So, I was really surprised to get a PB of 32.35secs, a tenth of a second off of funding. I know if I get the bend right I can smash that time.

Overall it wasn’t a bad day, but I’m so behind of schedule through injury, lack of guide runner and racing that the World Champs qualification standards look out of my reach. However, I should be able to secure my funding by the end of the season.

I trained on Monday and I was in agony with my calf. Yesterday and today I’m icing it every two hours, stretching it out as much as possible and massaging it too. I’m racing again tonight in the Charnwood Open and then again on Saturday. I probs shouldn’t be running on it at all, but I’ve missed far too many races.

Monday 5 July 2010

Unlucky Is My Middle Name

The past few weeks have been a mixed bag of good, bad and the ugly! I’ve had to miss three athletics comps, which is very frustrating, as I’m just not getting the races in this year. Two were missed because I couldn’t get a guide runner and the most recent because I managed to tear a couple of ligaments in my calf! I have had two other comps though, but neither were very successful. The Charnwood Open was over before it began, as on my first stride the guide rope fell out of my guide’s hand. In a disability event I would have been disqualified on the spot, but after freezing, stunned and confused, my guide just grabbed my hand, but it was all too late really! The time came out at 16.8secs! The other comp was the Metro Games and although I won both of my races with ease, the times didn’t reflect a good performance. I’m still not sure of my 200m time, but the 100m was 16.01secs and there is no reason why I should be running that slow anymore!

On a brighter note I do have a new guide runner, so that is something! I’m running in Gateshead this weekend, followed by the Charnwood Open mid-week and then in Nottingham next weekend. Three comps in a row should help me get some race fitness. This is all assuming my calf is fixed!

On other things, still working hard at uni with an assignment due on Wednesday. Calvin and I are having a bit of a rough time, it doesn’t help that my road is swamped with road works, but we also had a two hour getting lost adventure, Calvin had an accident in the food court as he watered the floor, I have a fat lip after he walked me into someone and I’m getting very tired of his scavenging.

Anyway, life goes on and fifth teen days until my 22nd birthday, not that I have anything planned yet!