Saw an article in (someone elses) Athletics Weekly about the preparations the British team were making in Africa prior to the race. TGD looks to have had a great experience & a very creditable run on the big day
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Would be good to hear how he found the trip/conditions/facilities/locals/race. etc. Is he back yet?
I've just decided I don't trust you anymore.
Got back monday. Search him on facebook.com and check his pictures out. He ran very well and is to much a big time runner to post on here!
i will post later prob over the weekend as ive been very busy
hi everyone i have finally got around to doing a little report you can read. or if your on facebook you can see my videos and photos of the race.
MY FIST SENIOR GB VEST.
The trip I have just experienced has been the best experience of my life by a long way. It all started with a long flight to south Africa, where I got to meet the rest of the team, many I had heard of but never met, but all were fantastic people in there own ways. The team leader was a character but a very good individual who would help you anyway he could.
South Africa was a very strange place lots of poverty and lots of wealth in such a small place, the riverside hotel was a fantastic place, and the facilities sorted out for us were great, we had the use of a grass track the normal track, gym and two really good physic’s who had me in a lot of pain, horse race course and 2 cars . Truthfully the normal steady running was not the best it was either on a golf course or on the roads, but I was not to bothered as the weather was fantastic, except for 1 night were we had the best storm I have ever seen. We had a couple of locals who helped us out a Scottish ex sas in norrie and one of his athletes in izzie who was a the happiest person I have ever met.
Anyway to the running , its been fantastic living the life of a professional athlete for a few weeks anyway, training was basic really 30 minute run every morning either around the golf course or on the roads, And at night I would either do a hour run or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday a session, Sessions were simple as well either 400s or tempo runs, we did a couple of runs in the mid day heat which was 30, one was the Sunday run were we ran for 20k around a sugar cane fields and another was a Saturday session which was very hard. The amount of water and liquid I had to take was a lot more than I have every been used to, I was constantly drinking, because the amount of liquid you sweat out was laughable sometimes.
Outside of training we could not really afford to do to much as we were there for one reason to train, so we would either talk, shop, hang around the pool, walk to the beach and eat lots of food. There were a couple of days were we took it a bit easier and went to a safari park and a water park which were fun. We spent 2 and half weeks in south Africa get used to the temperatures, which would really help us come the day of the race. In last weeks athletics weekly you will have seen our training base as it got a double page spread.
On the Thursday before the race we travelled from south Africa to Kenya which took us most of the day as we had to get 4 different flights. When we arrived in Kenya and the plane door opened I could not believe the heat it was a lot hotter than I could have ever imagined, Kenya was a very disorganised place, we were late for our flight so some locals managed to hold the flight for us and we walked straight through passport control without passports or anything. When we got to Mombassa we could not see anything really as it was dark but it did look like a poor place, we would see this for real in the morning, We arrived with a very big police and army presence, this was because when we were in south Africa the Americans announced a terror scare on the race. The hotel was another very good one but we would not really do much as it was to close to the race .The following day we got up as we were going to the course to do our run and see the place. When we got to the course it was very hot as it was midday, we went for a walk around the course and looked at the terrain. This is when I started to get a little worried about the race as it was so hot, we then went for a 25 minute run on the course there were lots of athletes doing the same, so it was very busy. When I finished my run and was walking off the course a tall Kenyan came up to me and said good luck for tomorrow ( I could not believe it Paul tergat was saying good luck to me.) Not much else really happened that day I just hung around the hotel talking to a few parents and other athletes. It was early to bed ready for the race.
The big day had arrived and I was nervous from the get go (but this is very normal for me). This was going to be the biggest and hardest race I had ever done. I spent the morning out of the way of everyone as im not the best to be around on race day, we had arranged to meet at 3 and travel to the race, as we were not racing until 5.30. The coach journey seemed to take ages, but we arrived at the course and we were told they were expecting about 10000 people to be there, but there was close to 50000 rammed into the event. This is when the day became very blurred and I find a little hard to recolect as it passed so quickly. When we got onto the course the first thing we saw was the junior girls deciding to finish a lap early. We had arrived at the finish and had to walk down the course to the start, I could not believe all the cheers and shouts we were getting it was the best experience of my life. The plan before the race was not to do much of a warm up as it was 38 c and 85% humidty, so I did a 3 minute jog and some stretching, as I was doing this I was getting very scared because we were watching the other races and people were dropping like flies, most were in a very bad way and need help vey quickly, I was now very afraid. Then it came our race, I had decided to set very slowly and work through in the second half of the race, this would prove to be the correct tactics in the end.
The race started and set of steady, after 2k I was in 135th and I then started passing people lots of athletes who were coming back to me,4k 118th, 6k 94th, 8k 84th, 10k 77th and finished in 70th . Which was 9th European and 3rd brit which I was really pleased with. I was taking water on every chance I could get and I felt really good all the way through which I was surprised at, I think this was due to spending time and training in south Africa before the race. The worst bit of the race was the the last 2 minutes were I was running on empty and just had to grind it out to the finish, when I crossed the line I was helped to the gb tent and had wet towels put on my head and eat some sweets. The race was over now and we got back together and travelled back to the hotel by the time we got back it was 8pm and we had a quick bite to eat and headed of to the after show party for a few beers and laughs. The following day we just packed bought a few presents and travelled the long journey home. Since getting home its been hard getting back into a everyday routine. But this has been the best thing to happen to me and hope its just the beginning of many more, if you would like to see my videos you can there on www.youtube.com under Jason’s world x.
Well done Jason. The race you ran was very good.
See you Sunday.
Take a pat on the back TGD - i doth my cap to you
To the Regiment - I Wish I Was There
So doth I.Originally Posted by Danbert
Take a pat on the back TGD - i doth my cap to you
Thanks for the insight TGD & all the best for the future.
Once you've got a few of these wee XC races out of your system are you going to have a crack at a fell race?
I've just decided I don't trust you anymore.
not after i felt yesterday running with roadrunner, not run on any hills for a few months, and it killed me. The plan now is to have a track season, and get some speed into my legs so i can have a crack at running a 28 minute 10k. I may have a go after the track season and get beat by many of you.Thanks for the insight TGD & all the best for the future.
Once you've got a few of these wee XC races out of your system are you going to have a crack at a fell race
only just read this report jason
very well done there
must have been like running in a furnace
nice one
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