| I’m 22 and have been specialising in the | | | | Lunch depends on what mood I’m in really, it has |
| Heptathlon since the age of 13, I run for City of | | | | to be something that I’m going to get a lot of |
| Sheffield and I also run for Trafford Athletics Club as | | | | carbohydrates from, so I can burn off the energy in |
| well. | | | | my second session. |
| | | | | |
| Start at the beginning - what time do you get up in | | | | I’ll have a sandwich or something similar, I’ve |
| the morning? | | | | been having a lot of porridge recently. |
| | | | | |
| I tend to get up about quarter to eight, which feels | | | | It fills you and is a slow release of energy, so |
| like a really early start to me. For breakfast I have | | | | I’ve been eating quite a bit of that.To drink I like |
| something fairly normal like cereal, toast and yoghurt. | | | | V8 fruit juices. It has eight different fruit and |
| | | | | vegetables in, so it counts as a portion of your fruit |
| We get nutritional advice from UK Athletics, we can | | | | and veg for the day. |
| see someone whenever we need to. You have to | | | | |
| be quite strict with what you eat, I’m quite | | | | After lunch I have a little sleep, watch a bit of TV |
| small anyway and I have never had a weight | | | | or just chill out and rest a bit, to recover from my |
| problem, so it’s more about getting the right | | | | first session before heading back down to the track |
| amount of food to support your training. I train a lot, | | | | again for another |
| so I can eat pretty much what I want – but I d | | | | 3 hours. It will generally be technical work, a weights |
| try to eat healthily | | | | session, or something like that and I finish around six |
| | | | | pm. |
| So do you have the same breakfast every day or | | | | |
| do you eat something different on competition days? | | | | And are there other people there training with you, |
| | | | | or is it just you and your coach? |
| I eat something different on competition days. If | | | | |
| I’m competing in the afternoon I’ll try to get | | | | In the morning sessions it’s generally just me and |
| as much fuel in the morning, so I’ll have cereal, | | | | my coach and then in the afternoon there are some |
| toast, bit of fruit and just try and get as much in as | | | | of the other girls in our group who join in. After my |
| possible, because I probably won’t eat for a few | | | | session I’ll go and get some treatment, a |
| hours after that – And that’s really important | | | | massage or some soft tissue work which I do about |
| on a competition day. | | | | three times a week. |
| | | | | |
| Talk us through your daytime routine | | | | I train at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, |
| | | | | where there is a big white indoor 200m track, and |
| I get ready, put all my kit together and then I’ll | | | | weights rooms and gym. We’ve also got |
| drive down to the track, and start the session at | | | | access to all the physiotherapists that are based |
| about 9 o’clock. Then I train for about three | | | | here, and the treatment rooms, Its perfect as I can |
| hours, but within that there will be some technical | | | | just step off the track straight into physio, it’s |
| work, so its not flat out for all that time. | | | | perfect. |
| | | | | |
| My coach writes me a programme and each day we | | | | At the end of the day I don’t really hang around |
| have a different event to focus on. So on a Monday | | | | I just drive home, cook some tea and then just relax |
| in the morning I would do a running session and some | | | | and fall asleep. I like most food, but I am pretty keen |
| hurdles and in the afternoon I would do circuits, and | | | | on Jamie Oliver’s cooking, so I might do one of |
| some shot putt, it’s all structured to cover each | | | | his recipes – I particularly like a Stir fry with |
| event during the course of the week. | | | | ginger and chicken with noodles and vegetables. Its |
| | | | | really easy to cook and only takes about 10 minutes, |
| Is there anything that you do every day? | | | | it has to be quite easy and quick as I am usually |
| I do some form of running every day, but it will | | | | starving by then |
| never be the same session, it’s always different. | | | | |
| | | | | I do always have a pudding too, which is mostly |
| So you’ve been training for 3 hours, which is a | | | | chocolate. I really need something sweet after a |
| long time. What happens next? | | | | savoury meal, so if its not chocolate I will have a |
| | | | | yoghurt or a muffin. I don’t have to watch my |
| I’ll go home, get some lunch, try and have a little | | | | weight as I will just burn it off the next day. |
| bit of a sleep and then I’ll come back down to | | | | |
| the track, for about half past 2 - 3 o’clock ready | | | | I probably try to go to bed about 11, I like to have |
| to start my next session. | | | | at least eight hours sleep if not more – I need a |
| | | | | lot of sleep. |