I thought I would give you all a brief report on my World Championships, which has just finished.
I am back at my training centre here in Nottwil Switzerland, my home away from home. It has been a very hectic few months on the road, but it’s great now to be able to sit down during a few easy/rest days and have a think about everything that has happened and just enjoy the moment.
Well, my past two weeks in France flew by. It feels like only yesterday that I was in the build up to the Championships, but I can safely say I have achieved all my goals going into these games. This year is a new beginning for me, as I have stepped up to the distance events. Lyon was the first time that I have raced the 5km and marathon at a championship, so I felt refreshed and a little nervous before these games, not knowing what to expect. I had said all year that I just wanted to be competitive in the 1500m and 5000m at these championships.
After a few days in Lyon doing our final training sessions my games started, with one of the biggest honours an athlete can receive, which was being named Australian Flag Bearer for the opening ceremony. It’s a huge honour to lead the team into a major championships and it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life.
My race schedule was another busy one, with races on every day, but I came prepared and fully fit. My program started well with an unexpected Bronze medal in the 400m. I was very pleased to come away from this event with a medal after only finding out that I was entered 48 hours prior!
This hit out allowed me to gain more confidence in my following races, knowing I was in great shape, but sometimes things happen that you are unable to control - sometimes you win and sometimes things don't go your way - and that’s what happened in my favourite event, the 800m. There was a little rain before, which cleared, so I prepared for clear weather with a wet track. Unfortunately for me my glue we use on the gloves didn't work and I ended the race with no grip and unable to push, but I had a go.
My next two events were what I went to Lyon for - the 5000m and 1500m. I am still learning how to race the 5km well, and will take a few more big races and many more mistakes to know how to race them well, but I raced smart and in good positions in all races and somehow managed to go with a break in the 5km final to come away with an unexpected bronze medal. The 1500m was a very tough race with all 10 guys able to win. I was in a bad position from the start, but got lucky, with space near the end allowing me to almost come away with a bronze medal, missing out by just .02 of a second.
My great games ended on a down note with the 4x400 relay. We were in a great position and one I believe allowed us to have the best chance of ever winning a relay gold medal, but with sport, and especially with relays, anything can happen and usually does.
After a great semi final we were filled with confidence, but that all came crashing down when our 3rd leg athlete somehow crashed at the 200m mark. That's sport.
My final event of a very big week in Lyon, France, was the marathon, but my run of great marathons finished in this one big time.
I gave it my best shot and hurt for 42km – which is in no way fun. We had a huge lead pack for the 1st 8km until the first hill, where we had an attack that broke up the field. Unfortunately, my old shoulder injury started hurting just then and while I tried to stay with a small lead pack for another 9km, I couldn’t stay with them and was slowly dropped. After pushing the rest of the race alone, I managed to finish. I was happy to finish, and to learn a few things for the future. It was one of the hardest marathons I have done, as it was raced in almost 30-degree weather and started at 10am. Most marathons are raced early in the morning and in very cold conditions, but with the heat and the late start, half the field didn’t end up finishing. The fact that I did means I can take away some real confidence for the future.
Well that’s the rap of my races from Lyon 2013. I am now back into training only a few days after and already building for the next challenge. I have a number of races over the next few months before the final goal of the season, the New York Marathon on November 3rd.
I am looking forward to getting home to Geelong for the summer and being able to catch up with everyone. Till then keep searching the world for the dream and train hard.
