Written by Brett Davies for Runner's Tribe
June 10th this year marks the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest middle-distance performances of all time. Britain's Sebastian Coe's world 800m record of 1.41.73. At Florence (Firenze) Italy on a calm summer evening, the legendary distance running icon produced what was...
It’s been just under 2 years since my last blog entry…why has it taken so long to put something together? Well honestly I’ve been waiting for that break through run to happen so I’d have a bit more to talk about. Sadly that’s not been the case, but I...
The 2004 world cross country (WXC) in Brussels was certainly the highlight of my career. It was my 4th world cross country (my first time in the 8km race) and without a doubt, going into it, I was in my best shape of my career to date.
I had always doubted my ability in these big races, i.e. Olympics, world track and field champs, world indoors etc, but for some reason, when I ran in the WXC, I always knew I belonged at the front. In the back of my mind in WXC races, I knew I could beat everyone (even the Africans) if I had a good day. I had no fear and always raced aggressively, putting myself in medal winning positions even at my first one in 2001 (where I placed 6th). I was incredibly consistent at the WXC year in, year out. I was never able to achieve this consistency on the track or road.
My name is Sophie, I'm 29 years old and live in Cambridge, New Zealand. I am part of the NZ High Performance Triathlon Team targeting Olympic Qualification for Tokyo 2021. I started the sport of triathlon as a 16 year old in 2008, and have loved being in the High Performance team from then up until now. A big highlight for me was competing at the 2019 Tokyo Test Event. My training is a little different than many other triathletes. My coach and I are not big on volume, but prefer specificity and a "quality over quantity" approach. I train around 20hrs a week, including 4-5 runs, 4 rides, 4 swims, 2 gyms and 1 yoga session a week. My favourite sessions are speed sessions where I might do 300m reps as fast as I can run. I love the feeling of running fast and I find the most satisfaction from these sessions. I occasionally enjoy long steady runs but prefer to do these with company so we can have a chat and a laugh! Nothing beats a bit of banter with friends. My husband George and my friend Ryan Sissons paced me to a PB 5km last year of 16:37 which I found a lot more fun with them beside me!
I had another great 2014/15 summer track season and by the end, had taken 23s off my 10k, 14s off my 5k and 16s off my 3k PB. Although my times are getting down there, I knew I needed another big winter if I wanted to be mixing it...
Taking Risks
As a young runner, I really didn’t know much about racing, training, people in the sport etc. I guess I grew up in a country town playing hockey, backyard sport and watching football etc on TV. As I got into running in my late teens, I really enjoyed...
Prologue:
My last Runner’s Tribe blog was in September of 2013, it largely covered the World Cross Country Championships and the domestic season that followed. At times I touched on injuries throughout the piece but never delved into specifics as I wasn't sure of the severity of my predicament. It...
I am currently up at Charlottes Pass, NSW for a training camp. Charlottes Pass is the highest village in Australia at nearly 1800m above sea level. In the past I have used Falls Creek as a place to stage the annual summer training camp, however this year it was...
Leonora is a remote outback town which is about an hours plane flight East of Perth. It’s a truly unique event held during the WA long weekend. This event involves fireworks, markets, kids’ activities, horse racing, a live concert (by Eskimo Joe this year) and of course the street...
RT Journals: Systematic Approach to Long Term Results by Eddie Vining
David Brailsford was given the arduous task of helping a British rider win the Tour de France when he first started as team manager with Team Sky back in 2010. Instead of getting hung up on this ultimately impossible...
