Lynsey Sharp: ‘I could contend for relay spot’

AFTER the winter warmth of South Africa, training in British conditions has been hard going at times in the past few weeks.

Eilidh Child, centre, congratulates her Scotland relay team-mates in Glasgow last month. Picture: PA

One session in Loughborough a few days ago with Eilish McColgan and Gemma Steel was particularly tough - not half as bad as conditions have become elsewhere in the country, of course, but rain, hail, snow and a bitterly cold wind still proved a real test of character for us.

This is the bread-and-butter time of year for athletes. The work is not glamorous, away from the public eye, and there is no immediate reward. But it is absolutely essential, and without the slog in the depths of winter you have no chance of being successful at the height of summer.

In any case, having missed nearly all of last season because of injury, I’m grateful to be part of everyday athletics life again. My training a couple of months ago was designed to get me fit enough to work at the level of intensity that is normal for a professional athlete. I’m at that level now, and it’s a good place to be.

Yet, while I’m looking forward to getting back on the track once the outdoor season starts, I can’t simply afford to get back to where I was in the summer of 2012. The sport does not stand still just because you’re absent for a few months: times and performances move on and the competition gets stiffer, which means my goal is to return as a better athlete.

We’re all trying to improve all of the time, of course, but in my case the specific aim is to add that little bit of speed. I’ve got a reasonable record of finishing well in big events such as the European Championships, but I’m sure that in time I can improve that aspect of my 800-metre running.

What’s more, knowing you have that extra turn of speed to throw in at the end makes you a lot more confident from the start of a race. That helps you respond well to sudden changes, because you know you’ve got that extra weapon in your armoury to draw on.

I always wanted to be an 800m runner, and I enjoyed cross-country events in primary school and in my first year or two at secondary. But in my earliest years in track and field I also took part in shorter events such as the 70m hurdles, so sprint training is not entirely new to me, even if the vast bulk of my work in recent years has been middle-distance and endurance-based.

One reason why last month’s British Athletics camp in South Africa was so enjoyable – besides the sunshine – was the fact that so many of the other athletes there were sprinters. My room-mate Hayley Jones ran the last leg for the British 4x100 relay team that won world championship bronze last year, and her team-mate Annabelle Lewis was also with us in Stellenbosch, as was Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. They are coached by Rana Reider, who was there as well, so altogether there was a lot of emphasis on sprinting.

I’m under no illusions that I’ll ever be as fast as Annabelle or Hayley, never mind Harry, but all being well I would like to be considered for a place in Scotland’s 4x400m relay team for the Commonwealth Games. The 800m will always be my priority, of course, but the emphasis of my training at present has encouraged me to think that I could come into contention for the relay.

Eilidh Child, who captained the Scottish team at the Sainsbury’s Glasgow International Match last month, is a certainty to be in the quartet. So is Gemma Nicol, whose considerable international experience stretches back to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester 12 years ago.

However, beyond those two there is some uncertainty. Lee McConnell is back in training after giving birth to her son last year, and all being well she will be involved too. But at major championships it’s common to name six people in the squad at the start, which means that even with Lee’s inclusion, several places will still be there to be fought for.

If it turns out that I’m not fast enough, so be it. I’ll accept that and concentrate on giving everything I’ve got in the 800m. In fact, in a way I might even be pleased by that turn of events, because it would mean there was a lot of healthy competition to get into the squad.

Still, the way things are going in training makes me increasingly confident that I could have a part to play. I feel leaner, and fitter with every passing week, and more and more hungry to get back out there racing. Just please, somebody, assure me that no more snow will fall on Loughborough any time soon.