Final Preparations for Glasgow 2014

The Countdown is on! It is now only 2 weeks until my heats of the 800m in Glasgow and the nerves are starting to kick in. All the hard work over the past year is coming to a close and training at the moment is simply general maintenance to ensure I maintain my form.

The final racing preparations have taken place, with the exception of the Irish National Championships which are being held this weekend (18th July). 

I raced at the Morton games in Santry and the Letterkenny AC Sub 4 Minute Mile challenge Event in Letterkenny last weekend.

Credit Kieran Carlin

Credit Kieran Carlin

The Morton Games is a fantastic event held every year, it attracts fantastic international fields and the womens 800m was no exception. It was the first time I have ever raced over 800m in a field of this caliber and it was an amazing experience. I did find the race quite physical which some people may find surpassing in female athletics and I think this was a great experience to have pre commonwealth games. I ran another sub 2.03 (2.02.86), my second fastest time this year. I was pleased with my performance although I did feel like my last 100 meters wasn't as strong as usual but I have put that down to being race rusty.

Credit Kieran Carlin

Thank you for Morton Games race photos Kieran Carlin 

It was on to Letterkenny on Sunday to the event hosted by Letterkenny AC. I recovered well and while the conditions weren't  ideal I felt good. I think my race went well but I was left feeling disappointed. Disappointment is not necessarily a bad feeling and it leaves me determined going into the Irish champships and commonwealth games. The event was brilliantly organised and from an athlete perspective it was a brilliant event. The club also provided hot meals for athletes after the race which is always greatly appreciated. It was great to catch up with Emily Dudgeon and Hanna Tarver on our cool down.

Credit Kieran Carlin

Credit Kieran Carlin 

I was also very excited to find that there was a food festival at the same venue as the athletics meet. For a foodie like me it was amazing to have a wander around food stalls and steal a few samples... perfect recovery food! I also found a stall called Lazy Day Foods LTD (http://www.lazydayfoods.com) that sold dairy and gluten free buns and tray bakes so i was very happy and even bought a few treats to take home.

I was asked to be an ambassador for the Go Run For Fun (http://www.gorunforfun.com) event. The first GRFF event in Northern Ireland was held in Belfast, the event also marked the 25000th child to cross the event finish line. It was a brilliant day and i really enjoyed encouraging kids to run and get active.

With Ethan the 25000th participant and mascot Dart

I have been very lucky to be selected as an athlete ambassador for Ford UK (http://playyourpart.ford.co.uk) for the Commonwealth Games. As well as providing transport for the games Ford is also supporting 8 athletes in the run up to the games. Over the past few weeks I have done a number of photo shoots, interviews and filming for Ford which has been very exciting and enjoyable. The images and videos will be used on social media throughout the games so keep an eye out for these on my twitter. Their campaign for the Commonwealth Games is based around the hashtag #PlayYourPart. Show your support by using the hashtag on social media throughout the games.  My first vine of the campaign has been released you can watch it below https://vine.co/v/MQbXiOJxUB3

Very Excited beside new delivery

Few Snaps of My Ford Focus Ecoboost- Including the first selfie