Hi everyone!

When I last blogged I was in Portugal at the holding camp, awaiting the arrival of the rest of the GB team! Two days later they all arrived and the vibe in the holding camp began to heighten. We developed a strong team atmosphere, and away from hard training and concentration there were always plenty of laughs.

Training went really well in Portugal, particularly in the last few sessions before arriving in Berlin. The nerves and anticipation were starting to build as to how the Champs would unfold. I do not think I could have waited any longer, I was eagerly waiting to get to Germany!
We were the in the first wave of athletes to arrive at the Estrel Hotel which was our home for the next 10 days! It was the biggest hotel I have ever seen, with 4 wings. Everything was really impressive, apart from the food! I think we were thoroughly spoilt at our five star resort in Portugal, so we had high expectations!

Not long after we arrived at the hotel the other nations did too so I was really starting to feel the championship vibes! I had a whole 3 days to prepare for my first round, so I really put my head down and concentrated on the competition.

I had some first round nerves, but it was a comfortable race so I went through to the Semi. I was originally expecting to be in the first Semi Final, but on the morning of competition my coach Ayo, told me that I was now in Semi 3. I had psyched myself up to be in the first semi, so I had to re-focus and prepare. I was really nervous about this one as I have never made a World Final! I knew that I had to finish in the top 2 in my race, or be one of the 2 fastest losers. The first lap was quite slow, but my coach told me to be patient, so I finished in 2nd place and made it through.

The morning of the Final arrived, and I went through my preparation. I finished in 8th place, but I had mixed feelings after the race. I was happy to have been in the Final, but at the same time I was annoyed as I know I could have done better and taken home a medal!
Tip of the month ‘make sure you always pack your favourtite healthy snacks in your suitcase like cereal, cereal bars , my personal fav- cashews. Just in case the food isn’t up to scratch you will need to keep up your strength!!

Talk to you soon!

Maz xx

Hey everyone!

Can’t believe a month has flown by so quickly. When writing my last blog I had just begun my campaign for 2009… since then I have had a few more runs; including a great win over the 800m in the Golden Spike grand prix, Ostrava, I took some good scalps there. I have also managed to get in a couple of 400m races, the last of which I won in a seasons best time of 52.3…not bad for a half miler.

I moved house three weeks ago, which is probably not advisable in season and although I wasn’t too busy, it was still stressful! My new house is just perfect; spacious and light and with this I feel a whole new sense of organisation and order which is an essential part of the lifestyle of a professional athlete. Training full time for me has meant that I am always on the go so it has been important for me to get the work /life balance right as you should in any career. The only difference with Athletics is your work goes with you…everywhere and all the time!

What I do in my down time often makes or breaks a training session and consequently affects my competition. Since becoming full time I have learnt to incorporate naps into my days. I have been blessed with the ability to try my hand at two events the 400 and 800m. Whilst the 800m is my main discipline, I come at it from a 400m/speed background. Training for both you can imagine at times can be conflicting! I continue to adapt well and I have completed my biggest ever endurance volume and that hasn’t come at the detriment of my speed as we so often see. My coach Ayo Falola has structured my programmes in such a way as to peak when it matters and I have every confidence that come Berlin I will be more than ready to meet the challenge ahead of me!

So that’s it from me…as always it’s been a pleasure, thanks for taking the time. Look forward to meeting some of you at the next McCain roadshow!

Maz’s top tip for July: REST and RECOVERY are just as important as training! Listen to your body, it never lies!

Well it’s that time of year…

the atmosphere is buzzing around the track especially with the great weather lately, definitely given me a boost in training.

My season has gotten under way finally. I ran my first 800m in Hengelo and whilst racing a few girls with a race or two in hand I was still my competitive self and was rewarded with a pleasing 2.00.58mins opener! Definitely bodes well for the season ahead!

My excitement for the season began a couple weeks back however at the very first McCain roadshow in Nottingham. We had an awesome day of athletics. After my usual Sunday morning long run I headed off to join the action in Nottingham’s Market Square. The turn out was fantastic and the rain posed no deterrent for the budding young athletes and their equally competitive parents! Everyone was so keen to learn about the core skills behind track and field: power, strength, speed, endurance, nutrition… even I learned lots on the day! I was soooooo impressed with the giant pod, I’m wondering if I could get one in my garden? Probably not so I’ll just look forward to the pod visiting London in July!

So this is my first blog and I’m going to try my best to be as informative and give as much advice as I can so if anyone has any specific questions related to running please ask away and I will do my best to answer as many as I can each month!

Maz’s Top Tip for June: As the weather is hotting up it makes me think hydration! Make sure you’re drinking at least 500ml of a sports electrolyte based drink at least two hours prior to exercise.

Thanks for reading!