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Welcome to my website where I will tell you a little bit about my athletics story. So here I am.....a friend suggested I should put up a website with all of what's going on and what's gone on in the past with the whole hurdles malarkey. The story so far..... It all started way back in primary school days really, I was like one of the tallest in the school by time I was in year 6. My nickname was 'Daddy long legs'. (Kids can be so evil!!) Back then I used to hate being the tallest coz you would always get caught doing anything, but it came in handy for something! I used to love sports day when it came round, as it was my little time to shine, I think I used to win the sprint events and the relay, we didn't have hurdles back then, I think I managed to win the skipping race and the come second in the wheelbarrow one year. Anyway I loved athletics from day one. I remember watching Seoul 1988 Olympics and thinking I would love to do that!! I went onto to Prospect School as my secondary education, and there was a teacher called Mr Rimmer who I kind of looked up to because he knew so much about sport. He taught me a lot. Sports day again was something that I really looked forward to every summer. My event back then was the triple jump, I think I had the town sports record at one point 12metres 82. I played football for the school too, we had a quality team, players like Gary James, Justin Maye, Ashman (David James) in goal, Lenny (Daniel Langford), Ernie as the midfield maestro. Mostly it was me and Gary up front, we used to terrorise defences as we were fairly quick back then. I must add that Gary was faster than me in them days (he'll like that!) Football kind of took over athletics really from the age of 14-18, it seemed like the best thing to do at the time although I used to dip in an out of both sports, I played for the county and went on to play semi professional for Wokingham Town youth team and Reserves, I had a little spell at Bracknell FC too, that was cool. The fun began at the Berkshire schools champs (held at John Nike Leisure centre, Bracknell), where I ran 14.2 (hand-timing) for the U17 boys 100m hurdles (3'0"). The qualifying time was exactly that, I got picked for the English Schools champs in Sheffield, I managed to get to the final and ran 14.20 (electric timing). I think I came 6th or 7th. I was still playing football at this stage, so it wasn't too bad a performance. I was happy to even get to the 'schools' let alone get to the final, I only really realised that I could run at a fairly decent level, when I ran in the English schools at Bury St Edmonds in 1999, when I ran 14.60 for the 110mh (3' 3"). Notice Andy Turner and Rob Newton both in my race who where both in Athens for the hurdles this year!! Check out the link (Senior Boys 110mh) English Schools 1999 Bury St Ed Anyway I went onto to decide to train properly at this hurdles stuff, so I went searching for a coach as at Reading AC there were a shortage of hurdles coaches, I went to Bracknell AC, they didn't have space!! So I went to Windsor Slough and Eton. A guy called Danny Hodge took me under his wing and showed me the basics. I also did some stuff with Kirk Harries and a sprints coach called Simon Duberly. I was learning fast. I had to make allowances though as I was due to start working full-time in September. It was always going to be hard to squeeze it in from day one. I decided to knock footy on the head and concentrate on one sport, my dad would always be saying to me 'you have to concentrate on one sport!'. So I took his advice and off I went, I linked eventually started training with a guy called Joe Sweeney and the rest of his group, (Julian Golley, Charmaine Turner, Wayne Hay, Mikey Murray and some others), we had a sweet little group, really worked each other hard and we had the most jokes. I was working Monday - Friday 9 -5.30 and I was training 4 - 5 days a week so I would finish work at half 5 and be down the track for around 6, half 6. I put a good winters training in and I got ready to make the jump up to U23 level, where you have to hurdle the full 3' 6" hurdle height, The beginning of January we went winter training in Tenerife, where we put some good training in, (I could be found in the bars most nights too!!!) I went on to do the indoor season and had a nightmare....see the men's 110mh As you can see I was a DNF (did not finish) I was in brilliant shape and got flying to the first hurdle, hit it with my lead leg and all my forward momentum went straight to the ground. Flat on my face. Gutted. I think Julian still has it on camcorder, all in front of a few thousand, that knocked me a bit. I flew to Glasgow for the Scottish champs at the Kelvin Hall a few weeks later and did exactly the same. I was pretty low at that point, almost gave up altogether, but the peeps in my group and my girlfriend at the time got me to stick at it. I went on to finish my winter training (March - May) and then came out roaring for the outdoor season. I ran a PB for the full 110mh 3' 6" height...14.59 at the U23 AAA's national champs and got a bronze medal, my highest honour to date. As a result I got picked for the U23 GB team as a reserve and my services were required as someone dropped out, but they couldn't get hold of me, the race was in Getafe in Spain, and the person that took my place ran 15.2 or something, I was chuffed as you can guess. That was to be my last sniff at the GB team.... Winter training came around again this time 5 or 6 days a week, still working 9 -5 Mon - Fri, not easy. I would go training straight from work and get home eventually at about 9. Winter was going sweet, I was doing PB in all my runs, weights and plyometrics, there were times that I wanted to give up because it was too much with work and all, but I stuck at it. There wasn't much time for much else than work and athletics, my girlfriend at the time was really supportive in the circumstances, most would have walked out. Then came the 'Hammy'. I was doing a session in December 2000, when we decided it was too cold so we came inside to the indoor track. We were doing some fast 60m runs and after the 4th I think it was, I felt my hamstring just go 'ping'. As soon as it happened, I knew it was bad. In hindsight I shouldn't have come from the cold into the warm and done really fast runs as my muscles were still cold from being outside. Anyway, I missed the whole winter and lost out on about 100quid as I had booked go warm weather training in Tenerife in early Jan. My outdoor season was stop and start really, and I was using all of my private healthcare to fund the physio I was having, but if you have got health care, you will know that there is a limit!!! I managed to run 14.66 at the AAA national outdoor champs that summer. Not bad considering I was injured. ..... but I couldn't get into any real form as my hamstring was always going. Onto the winter 2001. In the winter 2001 I was training with a guy called Eric Shirley Jnr, Eric previously had ran for GB for the 400m hurdles and had worked with Colin Jackson's coach Malcolm Arnold, so he knew his stuff. I worked with Eric throughout the winter and I learn some basics again, he broke my technique down right to basics and started from scratch. My hamstring would come and go and I was more or less living in the physios room, money being spent on it was starting to take its toll too. It was costing me 30 pound an hour and some weeks I was going for an hour twice a week. I didn't do the indoors that season because of my hamstring injury, but after March time 2002 I was starting to put some decent form together and my hammy was alright, I went warm weather training in Gran Canaria and we put in some good work I was on form...until about 2 weeks before the commonwealth games trials, and 'here comes the hammy!'. We went on anyway and the hamstring was alright on the day, I think it was just nerves which let me down, being down there in the city of Manchester stadium was so scary, the atmosphere was brilliant though, I will never forget it. I ran 14.72 and came 6th in my heat. That was the beginning of the end of it all really, I did the AAA's nationals in July and ran 14.99, but I met Colin Jackson in the tunnel after the race, that is a moment I wont forget. I had a race in Ireland (representing West Waterford) in August and there was no buzz, at this point I was seriously thinking about giving it all up, I did the last British League match at Watford at the end of August and I ran a P.B for the 200m, still no buzz. By this time if I am honest, I had given up in my mind. It was too much with work and money and time, it was more a job than a hobby now. Maybe it was the pressure of trying to make the commonwealth games? Or the persistent injury? I don't know. But in Oct 2002, I made a call to Eric, to say I was calling it a day, I was telling the guys down the track a few weeks back that I might, they thought I was joking. That phone call to Eric was one of the hardest ever, like telling your girlfriend you're leaving her! It was a similar feeling as I knew Eric had put so much into training me. At the end of 2002 I joined a Sunday football team called Kidmore end, this all came about when I went to a party and bumped into an old mate, and I said I have given up running, and he asked me to come to play, I missed playing football a bit, and fancied a new challenge, so I spent the season with them, I was top scorer and we got promoted to the Reading Senior division. It was alright, that summer (2003) was the world athletics championships and I watched it with all my family, they were saying I should run again, and I was saying, no I am enjoying my football which I was. But when I was watching it, I did think....what if..... I decided to look for a Semi Pro team again at the end of the season 2003, I went to Andover FC, I figured I could cut it at that level like the old days.... I was wrong. The manager persisted to play me centre midfield, I aint no Patrick Viera!! Next season for Kidmore was tough in the top division, about 4 of our players decided to leave and head for Aussie land, we got beat 6-0 in our 1st game, so I left there and decided to get stuck into the Semi-Pro football. I started a new job, which required me to stay in Cambridge for 5 weeks and only come home at weekends, this nicely coincided with the release of Colin Jacksons autobiography, which I read whilst I was up there and on the long journey round the M25 on the coach. Reading that book brought back all the memories. There was a gym at the hotel where I was staying so I went there a couple of times a week, reading the book was fuelling my enthusiasm. I got back to working in Reading and there was a gym there, so a few times a week I would link up with my colleague and friend Kelvin Wright, and we did circuits and weights. I had no intention of racing in 2004, none at all. I fancied the idea of competing in the multi events for a laugh, that's all it was really as I had done no prep for the season at all. So I did the a hurdles race down Eton to see where I was at, I did a quick hurdles sesh on the Thursday previous to just blow out a few cobwebs and I felt ok, so I thought 'lets go for it'. Saturday came round, and my girlfriend was telling me to chill out and just do what I used to. Sounded easy. I got to the blocks and I was really nervous, I didn't know if I was gonna do ok or make a fool of myself. I just got out and ran, it felt so natural, the time 8.27. The hamstring....nothing, if a little tight. So I kinda thought, that's not bad as my p.b is only 8.08. I had the multi events coming up soon (in March) and it was Feb now (2004) so I popped down the track and did some long jump and pole vault. I did another hurdles race at Eton again just before the multi events in Cardiff.. The result, 1st race 8.24, the second 8.21. Here is where it ranked me in the UK. I thought it was kinda cool but didn't think much of it, the multi events was a nightmare, especially the pole vault, and I felt really stiff after!! I did reasonably well, and considering I had been out for so long, I did some ok performances. I did bits and pieces of training between March and May, not much down the track, the occasional visit, like once a fortnight! I was doing just circuits and weights in the gym a couple of times a week, if I had the time. There was no pressure, I was doing it because I wanted to. I didn't have any coach (I still haven't) I decided to go down the track and offer to run in the Southern League for Windsor Slough and Eton at Bracknell (old memories) to help out. It was only a low key meeting and I won by about 5 metres in 15.2 into a strong headwind. Not bad off the back of no training. So I got picked for a meeting up in Liverpool, British league this time so a bit more challenging. I ran 15.0 and was flying out of the blocks, just a lack of fitness got me at the end of the race. The hamstring was still cool. Then a few weeks later, a mate at work was
browsing the net and I was explaining to him about the athletics and we typed
in my name to find out I had been entered for the Olympic trials in
Manchester, I thought it was a joke at 1st, But apparently my 15.0 had got me
picked. I wasn't going to run at 1st, but I though, sod it. I have nothing to
loose and everything to gain. A week before I got the flu, but I was
determined now and I was up for it. So I took the figures, and had a little think.....8.21 indoors, 14.7 legal, 14.31 windy. No injuries. Minimal training. Surely I could better that?? So I have decided to put a 'little' winter training in and see what happens in the indoors next year. The main focus at the moment is just getting fit! So I have been doing circuits and rowing and running in the gym, twice a week, and swimming at the weekend all throughout September to build a bit of fitness. Now for October, I will be doing a bit more specific work. Weights on Monday, Cardiovascular on Tuesday, rest on Wednesday, Track work on Thursday, rest on Friday and Swimming at the weekend if I can, there's no pressure for me to do it, that's the difference at the moment. So its safe to say I have the bug back again, I watched the Olympics and thought, I could have been there....but for now I will just focus on getting under 8 secs indoors for the 60m hurdles, which I think is achievable, and just take it from there I just have to make sure I have massage every fortnight minimum to stay in one piece (a guy called Bob Fudge down the track sorts me out. He's wicked) and hopefully the hammy should be sweet. Sub 8 seconds should get me ranked in the top 10 in the uk....... So that's mission sub 8 secs really, took us a while to get here, but I had to give you the whole story to fully see where I am coming from. Its late on Sunday night now and I have work tomorrow and this has taken up most of my weekend. So I'm outta here. But I will be updating the site once I master this web design stuff, I will try and get some of my latest training plans up here and some pictures of me training down the gym and down the track ASAP, thanks for taking the time to read. Oh yeah and I still have the Windsor Slough and Eton club record!!! Windsor Slough and Eton club records Catcha soon. Stoddy
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