British 10,000m record holder confident of returning to competition in time for Paris Games
Eilish McColgan returned to the starting line this Friday night for the first time in over a year.
Although she did not compete, the Scot was one of the pacers for the women's 10km speed race at the ASICS Festival of Running, pacing the first 5km of the four-lap course around Paris.
The Scot, who famously won gold in the 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games two years ago, tore his hamstring during the Berlin Half Marathon last April. As she began preparing for her marathon debut in London, a few weeks after sustaining an injury to her knee and being forced to withdraw from her competition.
After a summer of rest and recovery, the 33-year-old was scheduled to return to the world stage in the 10,000m at the World Championships in Budapest, but unfortunately, another knee injury prevented her from returning to competition. Ta.
After a long road to recovery, McColgan said he felt there was no additional pressure and that his body felt physically healthy, as he was able to use the first five kilometers of the weekend as a “tester”. revealed.
McColgan is set to compete in his fourth Olympics this year after finishing 10th in the 5,000m and ninth in the 10,000m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. To begin my preparations, I will be heading off to high altitude training next week to improve my fitness. .
Irish McColgan (Alvin Durand)
A.W. We caught up with McColgan after the 10km ASICS Speed Race:
What was your pacing like for the 10km race?
It was obviously a bit too early to race properly as I have only just returned to training. I wanted to participate in the ASICS event and be here with everyone. It was nice to do something different and pace the girls for half of the 10km race.
Did you have a race plan in place?
It's been a year since I last raced and it was really just to get used to running in super shoes again.
I had a very long-term injury and was quite hesitant to return to training knowing if my body would be okay running around corners again and in the rain and cold. I think it was really a bit of a tester. He had never run more than 2km reps in training, so getting up to 5km today was just a quick workout to see how his legs felt. Everything was great.
Physically, I'm in good shape and have enough strength to get back on track.
How is your recovery from injury going?
I'm definitely on the road to recovery, but it's not something that will go away quickly and I'm getting a little better every day.
There are still a few scars from the injury, so we have to keep an eye on him every day. I've been increasing my training and trying to run more each week. I'm probably doing 50 miles a week now with two track sessions, which is a lot more mileage than I did last year.
So, I'm back and gradually improving day by day.today [ASICS Speed Race] This is a step up from wearing proper racing shoes and running on uneven surfaces in the wet and cold. Today was a bit of a risk for me because I've been running all the time in Dubai with perfect flat terrain and perfect weather, but I wanted to be here. It was a nice way to get involved, but without any pressure.
How difficult was it to sit on the sidelines and watch?
I think it's mentally difficult. Because I just want to get back to doing what I love most: running. If you stay on the sidelines, you won't even be able to go outside and get some fresh air to clear your thoughts. Of course, that's difficult.
I knew I would come back. Probably many did not think that it was possible. Even some of the doctors I saw told me it would be difficult to come back, but I believe in myself, I know my body, and I don't know how long I can continue playing the sport at this level. I know it's going to be a few years. .
It's going to take a lot of effort to get back on track, but it's great to be running again now and feel like I'm on the path. In fact, I am planning to head to the highlands this week, so it will be my first training camp of the year in preparation for 2024.
Irish McColgan (Alvin Durand)
Do you still have any goals for this year's Olympics? How are you preparing for it?
Yeah, that's what I'm training for. That's certainly what I want to achieve this year – that's A goal. It will be a huge accomplishment for me to participate in my fourth Olympics.
I have a qualifying time but I need to show that I'm fit and fit, so I head to the highlands on Monday. I'm hoping to return to the highlands for the next six or eight weeks and base myself there all summer to see how far I can go. I know I can run well from high altitude, so I delayed it to make sure I could run completely again.
I think that would really help improve my fitness because I run every day and want to do track sessions and hard workouts before going to my first training camp, and I have I'm going to give it my all. If I manage to make it great, and even if I don't, at least I know that I worked 100% and gave it my all to get there.
Do you have any plans to return to competition by Paris 2024?
I don't have any other plans. This race was too fast for me. I wish it had been eight weeks later, but it was a little too early.
I think we're probably looking at something in the next 6-8 weeks as the first race. It's not a record-breaking attempt or anything. It literally comes down to showing that you're healthy, showing that you're feeling good, and then trying to move forward towards hitting your 10k qualifying time of 30 minutes and 40 seconds.
Ideally, he could break 31 minutes at some point by the end of June, which would give him the best chance of selection. I'll probably be looking for a road race in the next 6-8 weeks as a starting point and for track season.
How are you enjoying ASICS Festival of Running Events?
It's pretty incredible to have over 100 athletes from 38 different countries, it's a very unique event and you don't get many opportunities to compete in competitions like this.
It's all about ability, some people are breaking personal records, and some are probably breaking national records in the low 14's to 19's.
It's great to be a part of it. As ASICS front runners come from all over the world, this is a community event and today elite athletes, front runners and the local community will be here. Some of the youngsters have previously competed in youth races.
This is a really unique event and it's great to be in Paris ahead of the Olympics and it's been a pretty special week.
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