"Runners to the line", "Toes behind the line"

On your marks, get set, go.... I find myself sprinting into the clear, arms up high defending position on the rail, and float around the bend, 3 laps later my heart is pounding in my chest, a weak athlete would slow, give in to the pain, I find myself questioning fate, one last effort to make the commonwealth games, I find another gear, im kicking hard, now im leading, but it's too early. Arms stephen arms, keep driving your arms.

I hear John Allen, "Keep working to the line", it wakes me up and I kick again, catch my balance at the line and its over. I've been running for 11 years now, and It all came down to running fast on my home track in Belfast. I've been lucky to find people to help me along the way, and provide the vital support required that got me both mentally and physically ready for Belfasts Grand Prix.

It's been a really great and enjoyable last few months, which took me from the downfall in Marseille, to the fast tactical 1500m in Budapest, then to Sweden for a painful experience over 5000m, and back to London for Solihulls breakthrough, and finally the big one in Belfast. But the whole journey has been enjoyable and that all began under Coach John Moffett at the Mary Peters track in 1999. Since then ive changed coach a number of times, and continue to have contact with most. You have to learn how to use the people around you, and let their knowledge and experience help you push forward.

I've just gotten word that im selected for the Commonwealth games in India, It hasn't completely sunk in yet. Im blogging from Belfast City Airport, before I board my plane back to London. A great place to base myself for the pre build up training. The commonwealth games will see me race hard in front of thousands, but for me its important to learn from the big occasion. Its an honour to represent the country that made me, the country that taught me to survive on the 1st three laps of my 1500m, and the country that taught me how to fight on the last lap.

For now, I will be enjoying a little lay off period for a week; however, I have some work to do if I wanna be ready for India. Were given these opportunities in life to test us, and see how good we can be. Its time to fight for Northern Ireland, and put our country on the map. Lets bring some pride back to Northern Ireland, someone has to take home glory, why can't it be the small team from Northern Ireland.

Stephen Scullion

Jason Smyth takes hype in his stride ahead of Europeans

Jason Smyth's take on becoming the first Paralympic athletic in history to compete at a European Championships has to be gently teased out of him. The unassuming Northern Irishman's appearance in Barcelona later this month has been generating copy around the world but Smyth is taking matters in his increasingly lengthening stride.


"The first Paralympian to compete in a European Championships - that's what I've been told," the 23-year-old shrugs when interviewed by BBC Sport.


"But I never get too bothered or stressed about things like that. I just focus on myself and don't get distracted by silly things that are going on around you." That approach has worked well for Smyth so far.
The Derryman had perfect vision up until the age of nine before a hereditary condition known as Stargardt's Disease began to cause his sight to deteriorate. It wasn't a sudden loss of sight but adjustments had to made in his life from then on.


"I would be able to see things generally around me," said Smyth in a Sunday Times interview in 2006. But getting things further away would be more difficult. I would be able to see colour and images and people pretty much."


He still managed to become a regular on the school football team although judging the path of the ball or finding an unmarked team-mate was not always easy.I worked much harder than I had ever done previously
However, he was to find his real sporting call in 2003 when he hooked up with Strabane man and emerging athletics coach Stephen Maguire. Maguire, though, didn't even learn of Smyth's visual impairment until after the youngster became Irish Schools champion nine months later.


The coach realised Smyth might be eligible for Paralympic competition and by the following summer he was a double European Paralympic champion, those performances qualifying Smyth for the maximum 40,000 euro Irish Sports Council grant. Further financial help from his uncle Stephen, a successful businessman in the US, enabled the athlete and coach to effectively go full-time.


Double World Paralympic gold - both in new world records - followed in 2006 and, apart from a blip at the World Junior Championships where he got stuck on the blocks, success followed success in the run-up to the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. Smyth arrived in China as the red-hot favourite for double gold and he didn't disappoint as he took the titles with two more world records of 10.62 and 21.43.


Those performances convinced athlete and coach that becoming the first competitor to compete at an Olympics and Paralympics in the same year was a realistic goal for London 2012. But Maguire knew that the training regime would have to be upped significantly for Smyth to reach a level which would give him even an outside chance of making sporting history.


Prior to Beijing, Maguire had already been in regular email correspondence with top coach Lance Brauman, whose group includes Tyson Gay, and the Florida-based American invited the Irish duo to the United States for a training stint in the early part of 2009.


"We went out there last year for six or seven weeks and that led to us going out for the whole winter this year," says Smyth. "My family and my two uncles and their families have bought a holiday home out in Florida. We are there over the winter and they head out in the summer. Otherwise realistically, we couldn't afford to do it."
Last year's six-week stint was a taster but Smyth knew that a full winter was needed in the US for him to have any chance of reaching his full potential.


"We went out last November for two months and then came back for three weeks - then out again for two months and back again. We were out for three different blocks during the winter and spring and I worked much harder than I had ever done previously. We trained six days a week and usually kicked off at 9.30 and kept going until half past two. We would be on the track for a few hours and then we would head up to the gym.
I was in the gym four times a week doing heavy weights, whereas here at home the year before it was once a week. Every one of the six days, we were on the track and sometimes doing really hard sessions. By the time dinner time came around, I was just about ready for my bed - absolutely shattered. I was kind of living a life of just training."


Gay, double World Champion in 2007, missed Smyth's opening weeks in the US last winter as he was recovering from injury but the Kentucky man began to take the Derry sprinter under his wing after rejoining Brauman's group after Christmas.Without a doubt that's where we want to be. Run in the Olympics and retain the Paralympics titles.


"He was always coming over and telling me different little things. He'd be saying 'this is what you should be thinking of, this is what you should be feeling at different stages of the race'. I suppose there was [an element of him taking me under his wing]. Within the group, everybody is so supportive of each other and wanting each other to do well."


The group also contained the multi-medalled Bahamian Debbie Ferguson and Jamaican Steve Mullings and the Irishman in the African-American and Caribbean sprinting posse came to be affectionately known as the 'white rabbit'. The camaraderie is tremendous. Even people that weren't competing would go to competitions to watch the others," he added. And people are always interested in what I'm doing back here." Smyth started his summer season by shaving .01 secs off his 100m personal best in the US as he clocked 10.41 to again better the European Championship standard.


However, the immense value of his Floridian winter was put into sharp focus by stunning runs on successive Saturdays last month as a new Northern Ireland 100m record of 10.32 was followed up by a wind-assisted 10.27 when beating 2004 Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu at the European Cup meeting in Budapest.
That run in Hungary suggested that Smyth is on course for the European Championship semi-finals in Barcelona and a place in the final may not even be beyond the 23-year-old - although Maguire is frantically playing down any such suggestions.


"I would never think about the final," adds an on-message Smyth. "It's all about focusing on one race at a time. I'll try and run quicker and quicker and if that got me to a final, that would be a fantastic achievement. "It's just about getting there injury-free and if I can run in the low 10.20s - whatever happens I would be delighted. This time last year, I wouldn't have predicted that I would be getting near to that kind of category."


The mention of injury is salient because Smyth has been bothered by a hamstring niggle since the Budapest win although he has still been able to train well. He has been named on the Irish tean for the European Championships band intends to have a race on the weekend of 17/18 July "blow out the cobwebs" before the Europeans start on 27 July.


The Barcelona championship will only be the start of a "massively busy" six months for the Londonderry man with the Commonwealth Games following in Delhi in October and the World Paralympic Games in New Zealand next January.


2011 could also see Smyth competing alongside the likes of Gay and Usain Bolt at the World Championships in Daegu in South Korea in the final major outdoor championship before London 2012.


Smyth says that his performances so far this summer have proved to him that competing at the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 is "definitely achievable".


"Legally I've run 10.32 and I should go low 10.20s this year. Without a doubt that's where we want to be. Run in the Olympics and retain the Paralympics titles.


"I'll aim to continue to progress and be in Florida over the winters over the next two years. I don't see why I can't continue to improve and achieve what I plan to achieve."
 
Jason has his own website- Click Here. Interview above with BBC Sport.

A day in the life of Joy Alexander

Well it’s 7am Saturday morning, the day of the NI & Ulster Senior Champs and Commonwealth Trials. At least the sun is shinning and no rain is forecast. Better hurry up and get to the track for the first event – the hammer at 9.30am. Arrive at the track at 8.30am to find the forum staff busying around – is there a steeplechase I hear them shouting over – need to get the water switched on. You’re ok I answer...no steeplechase today!

Off to the store to get the registration tables set up with a lot of help from my friend Lawson and the hardworking Jenni. What a week Jenni and I put in, checking entries, changing timetables, trying to keep everyone happy and on board. That’s the bit nobody sees or fully appreciates! And we do this for fun/relaxation – I keep reminding myself. Let’s hope all goes well today!

Someone’s here with a hammer to check in – I hear someone shout. Give me a minute I’ll be over! Hammer is ready to go and officials are at the cage!

Next job is to decide on call room location and to get it ready. Oh I see Pam arrive with Chris Cohn, the UKA National Technical Delegate, who has come to report on the Championships. Poor Chris straight into giving us a hand getting things ready- he’s just flown in from the Diamond League meeting in Rome – bet he didn’t have to haul pole vault mats or hurdles around there! As ever it is all hands on deck.

11oc’clock all seems to be going ok- think I’ll grab a quick cup of coffee. Trying to keep an eye on field events and getting the track ready for the off. Joy – where is this, where is that, who’s doing this –questions/ queries - just a normal day in the life of a meeting manager!!

What a great bunch of officials we have – I keep pushing for us to try and keep to time – they never complain, just keep going from event to event. We are really lucky – just a pity we couldn’t get a few more to help!! It really is good fun!

Call room – a new venture this year – seems to be going ok. A few teething problems but we do have to keep trying to move our champs on each year. Kate and Eric are doing a wonderful job.

1.00pm – bit behind on time now – hopefully will catch up – I know extra time was left middle of afternoon. Mens 100m what a run by Jason Smyth – these are the times which make it all worth while! Nearing the end of the day back on time all seems to be going ok, some positive comments from a few folk – always much appreciated.

5.30pm Phew – all done – absolutely exhausted! Must put a pedometer on some day must have walked miles! Heading home now at nearly 6pm – don’t work as long hours in my “real job”. Looking forward to a Chinese with some of the officials and then we’ve got it all to do again next weekend with the age groups! But sure we love it really!!!

Joy Alexander

Joy Alexander is one of the most tireless officials in the country. As well as chairing the Athletics NI Track and Field Committee until recently, she is present almost without fail at every meet in NI throughout the track and field season.Her roles at these events include level 5 field official at many events as Meeting Director –not only accomplishing her field duties but also dealing with numerous queries and problems in the most professional way. She was a worthy recipient of the Official of the Year award.

The Athletics NI Officials have just launched a new kit- click HERE to view the press release!

100 Days to go to the Commonwealth Games!

100 hundred days to go to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi!

The Queen’s Baton 2010 Delhi has arrived in India today! The baton will now travel across the country covering a distance of 20,000 kilometres, will pass through the hands of more than 5000 Batonbearers across 200 cities and thousands of villages using all modes of transport including land, air and sea, before arriving in Delhi for the grand Opening Ceremony of the Games on 3 October 2010.

Locally the past few weeks have been busy with the first phase of athletes being nominated and of course others chasing performances for selection. We have had our NI Commonwealth Trials and a fantastic day it was in Antrim. The sun showed up and the pick of the day had to be Jason Smyth's performance in the 100m (10.32s) where he broke the Northern Ireland record. Jason further showed his form beating Obikwelo, the European 100m Champion in Budapest last weekend. Athletics NI have their own YouTube channel and quite a few of the races from the championships are on it.

Wednesday 22nd June saw a ladies 4x400m team post a time inside the guideline – the average of the team is 18 so a great prospect for the future and there are numerous athletes competing around Europe either looking for times or confirming performances.

A busy few weeks ahead and hopefully a few more performance within or close to the guideline standards before the final team is nominated on the 25th July the day after the British milers club event at Mary Peters Track.

I know of one athlete in 1986 who left it to the very last day, Scottish Championships, to achieve the Guideline standard for the Discus?
There is plenty of time yet!!

Can you guess who it is?!

Visit the NI Commonwealth Games Section

Visit the Athletics NI YouTube Channel

A Lesson Learned...

For most athletes in Northern Ireland it is a great accomplishment to represent their Country, some athletes choose to run for Ireland, and others choose to run for Great Britain. However, in the Commonwealth Games it's an opportunity to represent the small country of Northern Ireland.

Up until recently the Commonwealth games were just a competition late in the season that I honestly didn't believe I could qualify for. The times were released last year and my Pb's were a long way away, with some athlete's already qualifying including magnificent junior Ciara Mageean, and the well established 1500m runner Kelly McNeice. I decided that I wouldn't put all my focus into the commonwealths incase I was faced with dissappointment. During previous years, I spent alot of time chasing qualifying times for the 3000m S/C and I believe this affected my performances in other competitions. The problem with chasing qualifying standards leaves room for negativity if you fail to accomplish these goals. Such negativity in previous years has lead me to almost quiting the sport, World Juniors in Beijing 2006, my parents, who have supported me in more ways than they possibly could, spent a large sum of money on a flight for me to chase the time in the AAI National Championships. When I failed to qualify I was massively dissappointed, even though I just ran a personal best and gained a bronze medal in the National Seniors.

My recent changes in attitude have lead to some great improvements in my running, attitude towards the sport, and general approach to achieving success. I decided to forget about chasing qualifying times, and setting limits. I believe anyone can set big goals; however, even the biggest goals can set limits to your potential. The only goal I aim for now, is to reach my full potential in everyway possible, sometimes this is very good, and allows me to push hard in training, and run up to 80 miles per week, but other times its hard work, when I am forced to rest or relax if I have small problems. I decided to search long term into the sport, believing everything else will fall into place, If you go about your business well, and make good choices not only during training 2 hours per day, but also the other 22 hours in the day. You will no longer need to set targets and goals, they will find you, recently any targets I had set for a session, race or season, seem to change daily. It is not a bad thing to set targets, or to have dreams, but I would encourage that you do everything you can to move forward. Every athlete needs to learn to respect how difficult athletics is as a sport, so many factors like Lifestyle, Nutrition, Medical support, and Coaching are essential for elite performances. Consistent training and lifestyle can change everything for you.

Having now been running since primary 6, I believe I have been competing for 12 years, this is a very long time but in running years its very small. In September, I attended St Marys University in Twickenham , my goals were simple, to learn from the established athletes around me. Through watching and experimenting I now have a lifestyle that allows for big improvements. I regularly run between 70-80 miles per week, I have averaged 65 miles for the last 2 years( that includes weeks of due to recuperation or injuries).

At the university I changed coach from Mick Woods, to Nick Anderson, and I am now training with a very experienced athlete Andy Vernon. We regularly take part in Drills sessions, Body weight core work, and General dynamic stretching. These are sessions that I had not included in my training before, and websites do have sample programs for other athletes to see. The biggest change is having company for most runs, and sessions making the hard work a lot easier. I would advise anyone who trains alone, to find company for steady and long runs, most athletes can run at the same pace for these. Training didn't change dramatically at the university, mileage stayed the same, and runs became slower, sessions where longer, and tempos where introduced weekly, the amount of Threshold training I did each week went up to almost 60 minutes on some weeks. I believe this training is neglected by many athlete's and it has been a key ingredient to my improvements.

My ex coach Damien Gill, used to follow a program closely linked to what I do now, he encouraged myself and other North Belfast Harries to get a Vo2 max test which would help are training, after 6 weeks of threshold blocks with Damian I was 2nd in the Schools Internatial, (2005). I am still very stubborn and believe if I had continued this threshold training, I would be a much stronger athlete now.

I have some races set up for the next few weeks, including a 1500m on Wednesday 19th May, this can hopefully set me up for a fast 5000m in Manchester BMC, the Commonwealth Games standard is a fast 13.40.00, I can only hope training goes well, and the race is fast. I have also committed to racing a fast 10k race on track in June or July, and I will have a chance to run under the standard of 28.45.00. It would be a great achievement to recieve either; however, I believe I have done everything possible to run fast, and if I run slower than either of the times, Im sure I will still be happy and learn from the results. I try to analyse most of my races now, and if I have a good race I try to pinpoint any changes that lead to the improvements, and also look at further changes that could lead to better results in the future Sometimes too much pressure is put on reaching times each year, but if you continue to improve each year, the times you ran last year become irrelevant. The challenge most athletes are faced with is staying positive and not quiting one of the hardest sports there is.

Feel free to follow my results and training on Twitter, remember to live each day trying to improve your performances, for every good decision you make in your life daily, all the percentages will add up. A change in lifestyle and attitude towards the sport can create huge improvements, follow your dreams and good luck.

Stephen Scullion

Gladys Ganiel:Making the US Olympic Marathon Trials

I went for my first run 20 years ago. I was 13 and it was the summer before I was to start eighth grade at Harrington Elementary School, in Harrington, Maine, USA.

On Sunday April 25, with two decades of running behind me, I completed the London Marathon in 2 hours, 41 minutes and 45 seconds. This time qualifies me for the US Olympic Marathon Trials, which are scheduled for January 14, 2012 in Houston. The qualifying time for the US Trials is sub-2 hours, 46 minutes. Runners have between January 2010 and December 2011 to qualify. The first three finishers in the Trials race make the US Olympic Team.

I’ve been running for Abbey AC in Belfast and Newtownabbey since 2006. I’ve lived in Ireland pretty much full-time since I first arrived in 1999 to start graduate school, but I’m not yet eligible for either Irish or British citizenship.

Especially since 2008, I’ve really benefitted from the support of Athletics Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland running community, returning to a level of training similar to what I did under Coach Ray Treacy at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island, USA (1995-1999).

London was the third marathon that I have trained properly for. I ran London in April 2009 in 2.47.53, and Amsterdam in October 2009 in 2.46.46. For a period of seven years between 2000 and 2007, I had a chronic pain condition that prevented me from running seriously – even though I was a member of Dundrum South Dublin AC and scored for the club on three occasions when we won the National Inter Clubs cross country championships. I had a lot of pulsing and throbbing in various parts of my body, as if my nervous system wasn’t working quite right.

This was hard for me, because I loved competing. During that time I was completing a doctorate in Politics at University College Dublin. In 2006 I got a job lecturing in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation at Trinity College Dublin at Belfast (on the Antrim Road). That’s where I still work.

In 2007, not long after I returned to Northern Ireland from doing research in Zimbabwe, my pain condition (which no regular doctors or sports doctors had ever really been able to explain), started to gradually get better. In 2008 I married an Irishman, Brian O’Neill, and he and his family have been a great support to me. It especially helps to have a husband and mother-in-law who are good cooks and ready to feed you after a long run!

For my marathons, I have devised my own training schedules and taken advice from my coach at Providence College, Ray Treacy, and North Belfast Harriers veteran Matt Shields, one of the fastest marathoners ever from Northern Ireland. Irish Olympian Maria McCambridge of Letterkenny AC, who was my teammate both at Providence College and in DSD, has also always been supportive and offered a useful perspective on training.

London 2010: Running the Race …

Because of my experience in the two marathons in 2009, I knew I was close to the Olympic Trials qualifying standard and I knew what to expect in the race itself. If you are trying to race a marathon, it is inevitable that you are going to experience a great deal of pain for much longer than is normal in other races.

I had been doing good long runs with some of the top marathon runners from NBH, and judging from my performances in workouts and races I thought it was reasonable to try and run 6.10 per mile pace from the start. My first two miles were right on target, but then I went a little faster than I should have! I went through halfway in 1:19:55, about a minute faster than I had planned for that stage.

That’s not a huge misjudgement for a marathon. But in my previous races I’d gone out in roughly 1.21.30 so I was concerned that it would all fall apart. By 16 miles it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold the pace. I knew that I had to relax and concentrate on running one mile at a time. To think that there were still more than ten miles to go would be overwhelming! At every mile mark, I tried to add 6 minutes and 10 seconds to the time on the clock, so that I had an overall time goal to be shooting for at the next mile marker.

Back in high school, my coach Ric Lamoureux had said it was important to relax in races. He tried to get me to smile as I was running by him, as smiling relaxes the muscles in your face. If your face is relaxed, then the relaxation can spread more easily to your neck, shoulders, and all the way down to your legs. So I tried to smile – although it probably looked more like a grimace of pain.

When I turned the final corner in the race, to run down the mall, I could see the time on the clock ahead and my overwhelming emotion was relief. I knew I would finish well inside the qualifying standard and I was happy that I’d soon be meeting up with my husband, friends, and runners from North Belfast to enjoy the accomplishment.

Next Steps …

Leading up to the Trials, I hope to keep running marathons. I plan on running the Dublin Marathon this autumn, and competing well there for Abbey since the Dublin Marathon is also the AAI National Marathon Championships.

I ran about 70 miles a week in preparation for the London Marathon. I know that mileage total puts me on the low end for women who will be competing in the US Trials, but that is simply the level that I’ve been able to build back up to after my seven-year hiatus and also while working a full-time job. To put it in perspective, the top women marathoners in the world routinely run more than 100 miles in a week. I read recently that Kara Goucher, one of the leading American marathoners, is four months pregnant but still running 70 miles per week!

Before my previous two marathons in 2009, I averaged 60 and 55 miles per week. 55-60 miles per week would have been my normal training load during most of my years in Providence, training for cross country and the 10,000 on the track.

I’m excited, though, because I think there’s a lot I can do in the next few years to keep improving. Apart from taking advice from experienced coaches and runners, I would also read a reasonable amount about training and I have found the letsrun.com website and books by Matt Fitzgerald especially helpful.

I think that after every training cycle you can find something in your preparation that you could have done better, whether it is drills to improve stride efficiently, using hills more strategically, or adding core stability exercises.

But what I’m most excited about is that I am able to run again. I’ll treasure every step, and every smile, on the road to Houston.

It’s not every day you see an elephant on the equivalent of the West Link!

It’s not every day you see an elephant on the equivalent of the West Link!!

Well this was exactly what I did see when I traveled to Delhi with a number of NI Commonwealth Coaches to see the facilities for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in October. The information gathering trip included presentations from the organising committee on various aspects such as catering, transport and of course detail of the various competitions and a visit to the stadia.

The city is full of activity getting ready for the Games with Delhi under going a face lift for the October event. Millions of pounds have been spent on the facilities and the athletes village is starting to take shape. The athletics stadium is in the process of having a major face lift and will be an impressive venue.

It’s now 152 days to the start of the Games and the Indian authorities are certainly putting in the resources to make the event special. The Games will add to the already vibrant and busy city.

It’s also the start of the Athletics season and it won’t be long before the athletes will be posting performances hoping for selection.

The vibrant city of New Delhi, home to 14 million people, will host the Commonwealth Games in 2010. This will be the first time India has hosted the Games and only the second time the event has been held in Asia. The dates for the Games are 3 - 14 October 2010.

The Athletics Northern Ireland team for the Commonwealth Games will consist of a maximum of 10 athletes (inclusive of IPC athletes). The number finally selected will be at the discretion of the ANI selection committee and subject to approval by the Commonwealth Games Council.

Visit the NI Commonwealth Games Section

Jackie McKernan, Athletics NI High Performance Manager & Team Manager for Commonwealth Games (Athletics)