Note
Third woc in row and for the first time I am not running what I wanted. Long was definitely my aim this year, and I did not get it. I am pleased to be running middle and relay, they were definitely secondary goals.
There aren't many times when I don't have tight calves. And tight calves = tight Achilles. Uusally I can offset this by foam rollering. I first noticed that this wasn't quite working when I did SEDS sprint training followed by Gullane. I thought asphalt was the worst for Achilles, but apparently sand is just as bad, if not worse.
It wasn't too bad though so I managed it through the jk, but after a week of road running at my in-laws after the JK it was getting worse. Burnbanks was bad, the graythwaite weekend it was worse, and by the british sprint and middle I could feel it with every step. After running the british sprint qual it was clear I would find it hard to focus on the nav in the final, and the asphalt would make things worse, so I sat it out. I shouldn't have run the british middle, but I did, thinking it would be more forgiving. It wasn't, and I was limping for a few days after. By this stage it was running 20 mins every other day. 10mila came. 8k with my Tisaren chums, had to be done. It was ok through the first 3/4. It was sore but not too bad. Then with a few K to go I pulled a calf muscle, which was excruciating. Spent the next few days hopping, and I was a bit worried about woc.
Since then it has been gradually re-building. Lots of biking and aquajogging, and the occasional running. 70mins last weekend was a new maximum, but by that stage the advice was 'run the woc long final, 80mins in sandy terrain, and there is a big risk something is going to go badly wrong'. I'm bored of being injured, really bored. It's sad as the long forests were what has inspired me through the year, and they are beautiful, really beautfiful, and I'm not going to get to run in them, but I respect the selectors' decision. I don't really think about the long term, and would always chose to take a gamble. Its good that we have people there to take the tough decisions out of your hands. The middle relay forests are rough, just how I like them, and I am looking forward to the challenge they present.
As far as the rest of the girls selections go, in theory I don't like the idea of not filling all of the places, but it depends on which athletes are performing well, and what their preferences are. There probably aren't many surprises in the girls team. There might have been some raised eye-brows at Tessa running the middle, but it is something she has
been improving at all year. She has 14th and 20th in middle distance world cups this year, and it'll be good to have her in the team. Big question is whether she'll come 14th again! It's a privilege to be in a relay team with two talented friends.
Men's selections were always going to be ugly. GG, Doug and Chris miss out. Terrible for them. All three will be back next year.