Birmingham Grand Prix Feb 16

Birmingham was officially my last race of the indoor season. This was decided in December 2007 by my coach Brooks. It was nice knowing so early that I would not be going to or trying to qualify for the World Indoors. My focus of the indoor season has been working on my strength and other aspects of my race. The best place as I have said in the past to put everything that I have been working on in practice into place is in a race.

Birmingham was a challenge for me because of the timetable running both the 60m and 200m. According to the schedule there was to be a heat and a final for the 60m. Going by the times that I had been running in the 60m I half expected not to make the final and to use the heat as a warm up for the 200m. You must appreciate that the warm up areas for indoor meets are not the best. Sometimes racing is the only or the best way to warm up.

My coach Brooks was in Birmingham for my race so it was great to catch up with him. A little nerving because he had not seen me run in nearly 4 weeks. So I admit I was trying to impress him in my warm and of course my race. When he looked at my warm up starts he commented on things that I needed to do and focus on (which somehow I had forgotten) so all round it was great having him there.

The heat for the 60m was at 15:17 I ran a seasons best of 7.36 finishing 4th which qualified me for the final. The final for the 60m was at 16:30. I ran 7.36 again finishing 6th. This is when I took the deep breath and mentally re accessed if what I had planned on paper was actually a good idea. The 200m final was at 16:58.

I ran another PB for the 200m exactly 1 week since my last PB over 200. I dropped the time to 23.37.

15:17 - 60 METRES Women - Heats - Heat 2 OFFICIAL RESULTS
First 3 of each heat (Q) plus the 2 fastest times (q) qualified

1 Tahesia HARRIGAN IVB 7.24 0.130 Q

2 Angela WILLIAMS USA 7.25 0.157 Q

3 Laura TURNER GBR 7.33 0.185 Q

4 Joice MADUAKA GBR 7.36 0.154 q SB

5 Johanna MANNINEN FIN 7.37 0.104 q

6 Montell DOUGLAS GBR 7.38 0.178 SB

7 Anyika ONUORA GBR 7.38 0.118

8 Bettina MULLER-WEISSINA AUT 7.40 0.158
really happy with the time but not the way I ran the race.





16:30 - 60 METRES Women - Final OFFICIAL RESULTS

1 Angela WILLIAMS USA 7.15 0.163

2 Kim GEVAERT BEL 7.15 0.151 SB

3 Jeanette KWAKYE GBR 7.20 0.201

4 Laverne JONES - FERRETTE ISV 7.28 0.203

5 Laura TURNER GBR 7.29 0.164 SB

6 Joice MADUAKA GBR 7.36 0.168 SB

7 Johanna MANNINEN FIN 7.37 0.176

Tahesia HARRIGAN IVB DQ



16:58 - 200 METRES Women OFFICIAL RESULTS

1 Joice MADUAKA GBR 23.37 0.196 PB

2 Christine OHURUOGU GBR 23.41 0.310 PB

3 Moushaumi ROBINSON USA 23.49 0.312 PB

4 Ivet LALOVA BUL 23.72 0.175 SB

5 Hazel-Ann REGIS GRN 24.97 0.196

Ellena RUDDOCK GBR DNF 0.235


Positives from the day
1. I ran a PB which is also a calander PB. Never in my life at this time of the year have I ran this fast.

2. The combination of the 60m and 200m in such a short space of time I had never done before. I was happy with the fact that I did not feel like I had been to battle body wise like I have in the past.

Negatives from the day
1. I did not attack the top bend as I would have liked in the 200m

2. I ease up at the line. Or was it a case of the 400m girls closing in on me in the last 6 steps.

So with all of my positives and negatives I put the 2008 indoor season to bed. Later on this week I will be returning to Orlando for the next phase of my training program. This time I will be away for a solid block of time which means I will be able to get alot of work done.

All I have heard is when will I be running a 400m. Those who know Brooks know that its coming. So I will leave it to those interested to search the net for the time. You will only hear it from me IF.................


I promise not to go silent over the coming months. But, will change the topics that I blog about to be either stuff that's going on in Orlando or things that spark my interest generally.