Lisa Dobriskey's Blog
A positive feeling about the year ahead...
Saturday 2nd January 2010
Well 2009 certainly ended very differently to how it had begun.
December proved to be quite a month with the wedding, honeymoon, my birthday, and Christmas all packed in... ending with New Year's Eve which was also my new sister-in-law's 18th birthday. So nothing was done by halves.
As exciting as it's all been, I'm glad to now be back in Loughborough, and back to some sort of normality (although it does suddenly feel a bit flat with all the celebrations over).
Ricky and I continued training whilst on our honeymoon in Italy - although some of it was disrupted by catching a cold (but this is normal for this time of year).
We are usually on a lighter programme over the Christmas period anyway as we use it as a bit of a recuperation phase to be ready for the next training block in the New Year. I've really enjoyed my running over the past few weeks - particularly as we were able to run as and when we wanted to.
The informality of the programme makes it refreshing mentally as well as physically. We just have to go out and run. We take out circuits, weights and sessions and just work on building an aerobic base. It means I'm aerobically fit, but not quite as race ready as I'd like to be (particularly with the forthcoming Great North Cross Country on 9th January. But it will only take a few weeks of routine training before I feel like a proper athlete again.
Although December was such a great month we had some very sad news early on. Peter Holmes - a friend and training partner - tragically died whilst snowshoeing in Canada where he had been working for a while now. Whilst at Loughborough, Pete was pretty much the backbone of the Loughborough student Athletic Club, and one of the friendliest people you could meet. He helped me out many times in training sessions, dropping back to shout me on when I was struggling on those final reps. He was a real inspiration and will be very sorely missed.
As for 2010...well it's all come round so fast and I know it won't be long before the next track season is here. I certainly hope this year will be a lot less stressful and go a bit more smoothly than the last one!
I'm really excited by the European championships in the summer, but, firstly, I have the delights of cross country to look forward to. I will admit I'm not the world's greatest cross country fan, but it's good to take yourself outside of your comfort zone once in a while.
I hope to compete in some indoor races too, but these will be off a very limited preparation and used as training rather than provide specific targets. My main aim for this summer is to run under four minutes consistently... but, more importantly, not to get injured! This year, though, is off to a far more positive start than the last, so let's hope this continues! A Happy New Year to you all.
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Cross trainer points to rift...
Monday 9th November 2009
After being in Kenya for two weeks now, I've fallen totally in love with the place and the people. It has been an incredible experience - both in training and in lifestyle.
We all seem to have adapted to the altitude, but the undulating trails and weather still make every run a challenge. I've brought my cross trainer with me to supplement my training so have been also spending plenty of time on that in order to prevent my getting injured!
Cross training outside - overlooking the rift valley - is far more inspiring than staring at a blank wall for an hour at home - so I'm not too sure how I'll cope with that when I get back.
On our rest day we took a trip into Eldoret which is the main town outside of Iten (where we are staying), and it was great to have a good look round and escape from our little "bubble" on the mountain. It was very busy to say the least, and a very bumpy road trip - but again we were welcomed by the locals and had a terrific time.
Since then it's simply been a case of: train, eat and sleep with the exception of an evening salsa dance class led by our physio Mateio which was so much fun (even though, with the odd exception, we were all terrible!!).
As for the rest of our time here... we now only have one week to go and, with our coach, George Gandy, leaving today, it'll just be us athletes left. The training routine makes the time fly by, but I'm hoping it won't pass too quickly as I really don't feel ready to leave just yet!
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Slow progress...but not for the Kenyan youngsters...
Thursday 29th October 2009
With the track season well and truly over, and my two-week break now behind me, I'm easing back into what will become the long hard slog of winter training. In Kenya. The first few weeks are always nice and gentle. It's a long winter and I learnt the hard way last year how important it is to progress gradually and allow the body time to adapt.
The winter programme is the backbone of the summer ahead. It's the time to build a base which will include higher mileage and an increased focus on weights, drills and general conditioning.
This year we've decided to try a slightly different approach by coming away to a Kenyan altitude training camp. The big mistake I made 12 months ago was rushing myself back to fitness. So coming to altitude forces me to take my time and run more slowly. I've been to altitude once before - in 2005 - but where we are now, in Eldoret, is much higher and as it is a different time of the year we are at a different phase in the training programme.
We arrived here on Tuesday after a very bumpy road journey from Eldoret airport and are based at the top of the rift valley. The views are out of this world. It's such a peaceful place and the lifestyle is so different from back home. Running is so much a part of the culture here that on our first run we were joined by several groups of children running to school in bare feet. They must have been around six years old yet were able to keep up with us for quite a while!
Runners are everywhere, and athletes from all nations come here to train.To be able to do so in the same environment and in the presence of some of the world's greatest ever distance runners is truly inspiring. Saying that, the first couple of runs have been quite frustrating...
Its important to run very easy and at a low heart rate for the first few days at this altitude - which means running painfully slowly! The lifestyle is equally slow and its hard to adapt to such a pace of life by just sleeping, eating and running. It's something I think I can get used to, though, and a dream lifestyle for an athlete! I think I might come out of this trip with a lot more patience.
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New York rounds off memorable season...
Sunday 20th September 2009
The past few weeks have flown by in a bit of a blur, but there's no doubt that the highlights were winning a silver medal at the World Championships, and, five days later, running sub four minutes for the first time over 1500m.
This was followed by two wins; one in front of a wonderfully receptive home crowd at Gateshead, the second in Rieti where I narrowly beat reigning world Champion, Maraym Jamal.
Sadly, I was then brought back down to earth with something of a thud at the World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, trailing home in eighth in what was a very tactical race. It was disappointing to underperform on such a big stage - but there wasn't very much left in my legs, and emotionally I felt completley drained. However, I raced in Poland three days later, and was much happier with my performance.
The Pedros Cup meeting in Poland was a very special one as my fiance, Ricky Soos, ran 1.49 in the 800m. It was a long-awaited return to the track after five years of injury. Although his time was somewhat shy of his pb, 1.45, it's a huge step forward and gives him a lot of hope for next year.
Although each of us has been to an Olympics we have never been on the same team as senior internationals so, hopefully, we'll be able to manage that next year (fingers crossed!). We're off to New York to compete in the Continental Fifth Avenue road mile next and are both really looking forward to visiting the City where we are then planning on spending a couple of extra days at the start of my official break from training!!!
It's been a great season and I've learned so much from all the ups and downs. I feel I've really broken through into the top echelon and am really excited about the forthcoming years-especially a certain event in 2012!!
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Opening a new chapter...
Friday 31st July 2009
Before this week, the last time I was in the Monaco stadium was on Boxing Day 2008 but, rather than running, I was in the pool for the first of my many aqua-jogging sessions. I'd just been diagnosed with a sacral stress fracture of the back when I should have been on a flight to New York to race... so the mood was pretty low.
To return seven months later for the Athletics Super Grand Prix, therefore, was so exciting and I appreciated every second of it. In finishing fifth in the race won by reigning World Champion Jamal, I ran 4.02.28, my third fastest time ever and close to my legal personal best which I set in Beijing last year.
I had hoped for anywhere between 4.03 and 4.05 given the amount of training I've missed, so to exceed my expectations has given me a huge lift. Tuesday turned out to be a good day as I also heard of my selection for the World Championships.
What a relief!
It's been difficult having four girls and only three places on the team, but it's generated healthy competition between us. Tuesday's race saw both Steph Twell (who was also named in the team) and Hannah England (who, unfortunately, was the one to miss out) run PBs. Between us we seem to keep raising the standard and, with 2012 looming, I feel that the event in Great Britain can only continue to go from strength to strength.
After my race I spent some time with my parents and youngest brother who all live close to Nice. My mum flew home with me on Wednesday night (arranged by Dad as a suprise) so I had a couple of days to unwind around some light training.
I must admit the past few weeks have really been stressful so just having some time to relax a bit has left me feeling refreshed and ready for the coming weeks ahead. I'm off to Portugal for the holding camp next Thursday (6th August) but I still have a couple of sessions left in the cold before I leave. It seems amazing how things have turned around in just one week. I feel I have now closed the chapter on 'the comeback phase' and can now begin one centred around 'the World Championships'.
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Stepping up the pace in Monaco...
Sunday 26th July 2009
Finally, the 25th July has been and gone. The day had been looming over me for the past four weeks as I raced against the clock to regain competitive fitness.
With the Crystal Palace Grand Prix now completed, I must admit to feeling a lot happier and far more relaxed than I have done for
some time.
Although we are still unsure where I stand in terms of selection for the World Championships, I can only hope that being the first Brit home, and a third-place finish will be enough. It's up to the selectors now.
I feel as though I gave a good account of myself and was reasonably pleased with my performance. It wasn't anything special, but I think it's fair to say it was solid...and indicated that there is more to come. The early pace was surprisingly slow and I was happy with how I responded to the changes in pace. I thought this would be my main area of weakness with so few races
behind me.
On Tuesday night I shall be racing in Monaco which - in contrast to Crystal Palace - should be a fast-paced race with a very strong field, so another good test.
I feel a lot more at ease going into this race with two solid performances behind me, and a lot less vulnerable. It's going to be a real examination, but I hope it will tell me a lot more about my fitness...
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On track and ready for the showdown...
Tuesday 21st July 2009
After a difficult six months, things are finally starting to pick up. The past four weeks have been very positive in terms of training and in making progress from my most recent injury.
I've had to make significant adaptations to my training programme, but, having a coach as meticulous as George (Gandy) gives me confidence that I'm as fit as I possibly can be in the circumstances.
The physio and medical support I've received has been fantastic... so I guess now it just boils down to my doing the best job I can.
After racing in Lucerne last Wednesday I feel I have a fresh perspective on everything and I'm really excited to be racing in the Grand Prix meeting at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Although the 1500 has turned into something of a showdown - with three athletes racing for two places on the British team heading for Berlin - I am just grateful to be racing uninjured, and to be feeling as though I am ready
to do myself justice.
Watching the trials on TV was something I never want to have to do again. It was harder than any training session. Being at the World Championships is so important to me as I really believe I still have time to build on my performances of last year.
Obviously, there are feelings of apprehension and the inevitable nerves, but the race is almost a relief from the stress of the year so far. These races are what I train for and the challenges that come with them are what drive me forward.
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