Time to Rediscover the Roads



Playing on the hills



I was delighted to break the magic 2:40 barrier in Frankfurt last year - but unfortunately my mishap at Seville this year meant that I could not improve on that time. After Seville, I learnt that the rules of the Commonwealth Games meant that no reserves were allowed. This was rather disappointing as I had the slowest time of the 4 of us that had run under the qualifying time. Whilst I would never wish an injury on anyone, and have complete respect for the talent of the three faster ladies, a nice story, such as a pregnancy announcement, could have meant that a reserve was called up.

Still, when I saw the marathon team announcement in April (after the London marathon), I knew it was not going to be. Without a target race, I had the luxury of drifting a bit. I could enjoy playing on the hills and trails, running for fun rather than focussing on road training, and managed to run in some events (old and new) that intrigued me.

The marathon route

It was therefore rather a shock to come back from holiday and receive a phone call from Scottish Athletics, telling me that I had been substituted in at the final track and field selection meeting. The call came late in the evening and so, although I didn't sleep well overnight (unsurprisingly), I did wonder if I'd dreamt it on the following morning. Several thoughts were whirling round in my mind - I was obviously devastated for Freya, having to pull out with an injury at such a late date, but I was delighted to have the chance to run on the roads for Scotland in Scotland. Equally, I was petrified at the thought of the event, with all of its ensuing publicity, and how I might embarrass myself, my family, and my friends. I only have a few weeks to prepare, but I want to get my body and mind into the best form I can, enjoy the run on the day, and indeed the whole experience, as that is all anyone can ask of themselves. I think the next few weeks will be a combination/permutation of eating, sleeping, working, running, stressing and so on - but with a bit of excitement added in! I'm sure everyone will understand if I appear to withdraw and become less sociable than usual, but it'll be worth it when I see you on the streets of Glasgow on July 27!