When did you start running? I took up running seriously at university, although I’d always had a go whenever I had the chance. My first ever GB race was in 1998 at the World Championships in Birmingham. I won a gold medal and there were about five people watching – a stark contrast to the Paralympics in 2012.
How on earth do you fit 30 hours’ training, a job and two children into one week? I always say: ‘Give a job to a busy person if you want to get it done.’ I never go to bed without making a list first. I am lucky that training is my hobby and my family loves coming training, so it’s family time too. My local Virgin Active health club has a brilliant kids’ club so everyone enjoys it when I’m training. I am lucky that my husband Haydn is always there in support. My coach, Steve King, is really flexible too. And working for British Athletics, I know that they understand my commitment to my running too. So it’s teamwork all the way!
Where is your favourite place to run and why? Two favourite places. First, any athletics track. Second, the Brighton seafront – great for people watching.
I hear you are also into triathlons – any plans or ambitions there …? I did my first triathlon in 1998 and was the first disabled athlete over the line – I also did the running component of the Virgin Active London Triathlon last year, the day before an operation on my slipped disc – it was a chance to meet the Hoff! I would love to do it again it this year but it clashes with the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games at the Olympic stadium on 28 July and I’m due to run there.
What’s your greatest running achievement? My 35.25sec PB in the T35 200m Paralympic final last year. I had ruptured a disc in my neck a few weeks before the race and there was not a single part of my body that wasn’t strapped. It must have been the fear of being watched by 80,000 people!
When someone asks for a training tip, what do you tell them? Find something you enjoy doing so it doesn’t feel like training.
Do you like a running gadget? If so, what’s your favourite?
A resistance sledge – I tow it in training to develop more power for my starts. Haydn made it for me and it’s a really cool piece of kit. Do you run to music? I love training to music whenever I’m down at my gym but not on the track. I actually have to think very hard to control my muscles when I’m sprinting so there’s just too much to think about there to cope with music as well.
What’s your favourite post-race indulgence? A Magnum Gold and a small glass of prosecco. Followed by bed.
What is the worst thing about running? I don’t like being cold – my cerebral palsy (CP) is much more difficult to manage when I’m cold – so the British climate has its challenges sometimes. And my running does generate an enormous amount of washing.
And the best? Everything! It’s such a good release for the mind and body. Everyone can do it with just a pair of trainers. All distances, all events. It truly is a sport for all.
What do you eat on the morning of a race? Same thing every day. Eggs – laid by my chickens – homegrown spinach and half a tin of sardines. And a Maximuscle protein shake. Diet is so important to anyone who wants to get the best out of their body.
What’s the furthest distance you’ve ever run? 10k is the furthest; that’s like a marathon for me. Anything over 45 minutes becomes neurologically challenging for me with my CP. My brain goes before my legs.
Have you ever run barefoot? I have done session this morning which included a barefoot lap. The muscles in your feet are as important as any other and they get overlooked if left in trainers all the time. I do barefoot drills as well – three times a week.
If you had to choose who to watch, would it be Mo Farah or Usain Bolt? Probably Mo as he’s British and I enjoy watching tactical racing more than sprinting, despite the fact that I am a sprinter myself.
Who is the greatest runner ever? Jesse Owens, winner of four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics – what a fantastic example of how to overcome prejudice. While Hitler’s propaganda promoted concepts of “racial superiority” and depicted ethnic Africans as inferior, Owens countered this by winning four gold medals. His running spoke for him.
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