The British middle-distance runner-turned-coach looks back on his triumph in the 2011 European Indoor 3000m in Paris.
I was 32 when I started running. It was British Athletics that got me into it because 2008 was the first time I had to compete in the Olympics. I had never jumped a hurdle until I was in my 30s, so I didn’t have that natural braking ability. I was training but I liked running on the flat more and just felt like I wanted a change.
In 2010 I would run the Commonwealth 1500m and the track and field and that was a turning point. I had a bit of a crush on the dome. I had gone for the 1500m but I ran both because I had passed this qualifying time and there was a place in the sprint but I ended up fourth.
I spoke to my coach John Nuttall and said, “What do you think are my best options for 2012?” He went. Going into the winter of 2010 and gearing up for the 2011 season, we went to high altitude training in Kenya.
We had no intention of playing indoors that season, but when we started going to camp, I felt really good.
I discussed it with John and we thought. I went back and did the GB v USA game in Glasgow. I beat that and beat Liz McColgan’s stadium record. I did the Grand Prix in Birmingham and ran a 3000m PB of 8:39 there.
Going into the European Indoor Championships, I was probably the fastest on paper, but I’d been fourth twice in those championships over 1500m before, so it was: “Will that ever actually happen to me?”
We talked about tactics. Polish athlete Lydia Choietska had won the title twice before and probably won. There were some Russian athletes who were also good. It was about weighing the best strategy, but I just felt that no one was really going to take it as a fast race. As long as it was a good clip and I was there at the front and ready to hit, we believed I could win because I got a good shot.
However, I would never really trust myself to sit and kick. In the past, I probably would have sanded it and then hung it. It was probably the first time I did exactly what John told me to do in a race. He said: “Make sure you’re in the front rows, but if someone passes you, that’s a good thing. You tag on them.” That’s pretty much what happened.
I never believed in my shot, but I did that day. I took the lead, but the Russian girl, Olesya Sireva, was coming at me, so even when I crossed the line I knew it was pretty close. Is this the first time I’ve won something? I had. It was a beautiful moment because it was a long time coming.
Earlier in my career, I won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 over 1500m. At that moment you say: “I hope I have more days like this.” And then I made teams and made it to the finals, but often I was fourth, or I wouldn’t be great in the finals, or I wouldn’t make the finals. You think your chance to get on the podium has passed, so that was a really nice moment, especially because since I turned 30, I’d come off the track and ask, “When do you finish? ?” not “What’s next?”
Helen Clitheroe (Mark Shearman)
Jo Pavey is a prime example of this, and there are many athletes, especially female athletes, who are running well into their 30s. I was 37 years old. I was the oldest person ever to win the European Championship title. I remember being told at the time that it was rare to run so well on a track that you were more likely to be a good marathoner in your thirties. It was just so nice to go. “We can still do it.”
I changed my training a bit as I got older. I was probably cautious during the hard sessions and recovered before the next one. More thought was given to it, just because I respected that it would take me a little longer to recover. As long as you take care of yourself and take care of your body, you can still run fast. I felt like a lot of people thought about when I was going to graduate, rather than thinking that I could actually get on top of the podium.
As athletes, you can be a little cheeky about making a team or going to a championship. There are some athletes that you know are regular medal winners, but the vast majority don’t get that many medals. That’s the real truth of it.
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I’ve had these conversations with many athletes I’ve known or even coached over the years. They may wonder if they should bother running at the Commonwealth Games or indoor championships, but I say.
Not many people can stand on the Olympic podium. As an athlete, you should look at the opportunities to represent your country and focus on the opportunities that will give you the best chance of placing as high as possible in the competition.
The European Indoor Games, European Outdoor Champions and Commonwealth Games are the competitions that offer this. For some athletes it’s a stepping stone to better things, but for others it’s the absolute highlight of their lives.
As Mark Woods said
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