For ACT’s shining 400m hurdler Lauren Boden August 3, 2012 is definitely one date that is marked in her dairy.  Why? Because this date marks the beginning of the track and field timetable at the London Olympic Games, it also marks the 24^th  birthday of this 400m hurdle star. Omen or not? 

Hopefully for Lauren Boden she can say this is a positive omen, which will help to bring her Olympic dream alive and made into reality.

Lauren opens up to Runners Tribe readers, speaking about the backbone of her success, pathing her own path and the emotional roller coaster ride she has been riding this past Australian athletic season.

RT: Since realising your Olympic dream and putting your heart and head into making it reality, it must be a relief knowing you have been nominated by Athletics Australia to be part of the Athletics team for London Olympics.

LB: It is such a relief to have been nominated by Athletics Australia for the 400H at the London Olympics. It means I can get straight back into base training and really prepare myself to be in the best shape possible by the time London comes around. It can be very stressful having to chase qualifying times and leading into the 2011/12 domestic season Matt (Beckenham – coach) and I planned a few comps to target and really go for the ‘A’ qualifying time (55.50).

RT: Talk us through the emotions and feelings that came over you firstly in Sydney when you ran an Olympic A qualifying time and also when you received the news from Athletics Australia over your nomination in the athletics team for London.

LB: At the Perth Track Classic I missed the Olympic ‘A’ qualifier by 0.11s but instead of getting annoyed and anxious I knew the Sydney Track Classic was a week later and I just hoped the conditions would be good there! In Sydney I warmed up well and was excited to be racing. Matty and I discussed stride patterns and the wind was not ideal for me, however I stuck to my guns and insisted on the same stride pattern from Perth.

The race went to plan and as I came off the last hurdle I just tried to turn my legs over as fast as they would go. About 20m from the finish line I could hear the crowd roaring and I just lunged for the line and looked at the clock to see 55.48 come up. I couldn’t believe it and just prayed that it would not round up over 55.50! Thankfully it didn’t and I could not wipe the smile off my face, knowing I had just run the ‘A’ qualifier for the London Olympic Games!

At the Selection Trials in Melbourne it was very wet for my 400H race and despite the conditions I still expected to run close to the ‘A’ qualifier, to really cement my spot on the Olympic Team. I ran 56.01 to win the trials and received the call from Athletics Australia three days later to say that I had been nominated for the Australian team. I laughed and cried and then started figuring out whom I should tell and in what order! It still gives me goose bumps and makes me smile when I think back to my run in Sydney and then that phone call!

RT: Still only 24 years old, how long have you and your coach Matty’ B been planning and working towards achieving your Olympic dream?

LB: I’m actually turning 24 on August 3^rd, which is the first day of the athletics at the London Olympics, so hopefully that is a special omen! I have been under Matty’s amazing guidance and coaching since December 2002 and since then we have always set realistic goals and tried to build a strong base that will sustain me for many years of running to come. I was never a kid who grew up wanting to be an Olympian so I think the dream began in 2005 when I won my first Open 400H National Title and then went on to World Youth from there.

The Olympic Games are the ultimate competition and to get there it is a long journey. For Matty and I, I think we have just kept chipping away, working on weaknesses and biding our time. As athletes we want everything to happen immediately, so to have the vision and patience to wait for the right time, I think that is the key. And even now, even though London is this year, there is still a part in the back of the mind that is thinking about the 2016 Rio Olympics too.

RT: You have been involved in Athletics since you were young, having started Little Athletics at the age of five and progressing into senior competition in later years. In the 2004-2005 season you claimed your first senior national title and went on to be crowned 400m hurdle champion on five separate occasions.

At a youth/junior level you had the opportunity to represent Australia in both the 400H and long jump. Later, you competed for Australia in Melbourne at the Commonwealth Games, World University Games and then in 2010/2011 you had a breakthrough, making your second Commonwealth Games team and placing 4^th in the 400H final. As well, you furthered your success in in 2011 by making the Australian team for the World Championships in Dageu.

With such a long list of creditable achievements, do you feel like you have been in the shadows of dual 400m-hurdle World champion, Jana Pittman since the beginning with her dramas and achievements?

RT: I think that being in the same event as Jana, there are always going to be comparisons drawn. But I am my own athlete and have never expected to achieve what Jana has achieved at the same age. Jana is an amazing athlete and has achieved success that very few Australian athletes get to experience in their career. Every athlete and their journey are different, so for me, it has been about development and making the most of opportunities when they arise. During 2007/2008 people wrote me off and said I’d never make it in senior athletics, but Matty and I were taking our time and developing aspects of my training that we felt needed improving and would reap the greatest rewards.

I do not feel like I have been in Jana’s shadow, I have had so many great opportunities internationally over the last 7 years, as well as being able to shine on the Australian circuit too.

RT: Secondly, do you feel like you are finally coming out from this shadow and making your own mark in Australia and internationally, with Jana being away from the track due to injury and focused on less in the media?

RT: I think I have always been ‘on the scene’ so to speak, it just depends what the media choose to focus on. I have been training hard, racing domestically and winning national medals for the last 7 years and I don’t feel like I’ve been in Jana’s shadow. For me, I feel like it is time to prove myself internationally and when this happens I think that Australia will know there are two world-class 400m hurdlers in the country!

RT: From now right up to the August 5^th which is the first round of the women’s 400m hurdles in London, what does your training and racing program look like?

LB: As soon as the selection trials were over I went straight back into base training, in preparation for some races throughout Europe in the lead up to the Olympics. I will be competing in Japan in early May, just for a different stimulus, but this will still be in the middle of heavy training. I then plan to run in Canberra on June 10^th and head to Cologne, Germany to base myself, probably from mid-June onwards. I will be looking to race once a week, similar to our domestic season in Australia and then go to Tonbridge to base before going into the London Olympics village at the end of July.

RT: You have a great amount of support around you from your family, friends, training group and coach, medical staff and sponsors. Do you believe that having such a supportive team surrounding you has contributed to your success in Athletics?

LB: Without a doubt, if it were not for my amazing support network made up of my family, coach, training squad, friends and sponsor, I would not be the athlete or person I am today. To have so much love and support around me make me feel like I can step out on the track, any day of the week and race stress-free. There is always a friendly face in the crowd and to know that so many people genuinely care about what I do, it is quite humbling and very encouraging. I can’t thank them all enough for their on-going support, but I can vow to always run my best and do them proud!

RT: Do you believe having an elite training squad around you with the likes of Brendan Cole and Melissa Breen to name a few and a coach like Matt Beckenham,  a former Australian Olympic representative in the 400 hurdles helps you to deal with the lows you experience in your sport, heighten the highs when achieving goals and fuel you in training and in competition to get the best out of yourself, as they can empathise with you?

LB: The great thing about Matty and the MattyBDEPT training squad is that everyone is on a level playing field, we all respect each other and support each other no matter what the competition is or what situation we are in. I think it is quite unique, to have such a dynamic yet close group of people, who train and socialise together but know how to separate the two. I love coming to the track to train because I know I am going to be smiling most of the time I am there, enjoying the company of the training squad and then knuckling down to get the hard training done.

I’m sure it is something that is often taken for granted but having the right training environment is so important for performance at any level and I really have to thank Matty for being not only a passionate, innovative and amazingly knowledgeable coach, but for continuing to support myself and the rest of the MattyBDEPT squad. Matty has had a fabulous year so far, with two athletes already named on the Olympic Games Team and the potential for more to be added. I can’t wait to experience the pinnacle of our sport with the greatest coach, Matt Beckenham J

For me 2010 was to be the first building phase towards 2012.  Injury prevention coupled with consistent training were the two key factors to ensure a successful year on track.  In 2009 I got recommended to see Damien Benson, by fellow athletes Lachlan Renshaw/ Sianne Toemoe. Lachlan had suffered similar Injury issues and had great results with Damien, so I decided to give him a go.

It turns out that my glute med/min on my right side was shortened and not activating upon my foot strike and as a result my muscle firing order was compromised. My lower back and hamstring were taking too much load. Thus, when I began sprinting sessions my hamstring would take a beating. Eventually over time my hamstring fatigued and tore several times over a period of 3 months. Fortunately, due to Damien Benson, Charlie Zammit and Chris Jones and 6 months of countless exercises I managed to rectify the problem and strengthen the muscle in question.

My regular treatment schedule is as follows:

Charlie Zammit – Massage therapist once a week or every 10 days depending on the time of year and intensity of the training cycles.

Chris Jones – Osteopath, once every 10 days or as needed.

Damien Benson – Chiropractor, once every 3-4 weeks.

A new year, a new beginning and a good season, I hoped. The whole winter of 2009 was spent building a foundation for the summer and getting fit in the process. I had a few minor scares along the way with an Achilles tendon issue, sciatica pain, plantar pain, lower back tightness/disc problems BUT all in all I came into summer with a relatively uninterrupted winter.

My first race in 09/10 Season was at Narrabeen over 800m. It would be my first race since my 400 h in Bern, Switzerland 15 months ago. I was scared, excited and ultimately relieved when I finished uninjured. The time (1min.58s) was irrelevant to my upcoming season but on the other hand a good indication that I was fit.  It gave me a huge amount of confidence for my first hurdles race.

I raced the 400mH on the 12^thof December out at Homebush warm up track. The result was concerning to say the least, I ran 54.0s and felt terrible the last 100m. The time was the slowest I had run for 3 years and I was worried my winter base wasn’t as good as I thought. However, my coach assured me that she had planned for me to be in shape for the Domestic season Feb-April, and not December. Fira explained to me the importance of timing and reminded me that I hadn’t hurdled in 14months. “Give it time” she said.

I had full confidence in Fira, and she had planned the race to check my shape and identify any weaknesses. The race was used a template to plan the whole season and rectify my weaknesses. The weaknesses were obvious. I didn’t have the top end speed I needed and my hurdles endurance wasn’t there. The solution was simple – HARD WORK. I had to work hard on my last 100m, endurance and increase my top end speed. So, I started a hard block over Christmas which included lactic session after lactic session of long hurdles work. My favourite session over that Christmas break of 09/10 was a hurdles endurance session which aimed to replicate the fatigue element of the last 100m of a race. The session is run at race pace and Race stride pattern. The idea is that you start fresh and run hard but relaxed, the rest is long enough to get your breath back but not long enough to get rid of the lactic. By the last 2-3 reps you should be feeling like you do at the end of a race. So the emphasis of the whole session is on the last two reps, they must be quality and technically sound. The session is as follows:

With the solid base from winter and the hard work over Christmas under my belt I felt confident that I would have a good season and finish up with a PB.  The aim was to run a PB for both the flat 400m and 400m Hurdles and Qualify Delhi commonwealth games if I had an amazing season. Realistically it was possible BUT I was shocked at how much I progressed in terms of times and confidence. I ended up running 3 consecutive PBs for the 400mH and 2 consecutive PBs for the 400m. I lowered my time from 51.98s to 51.17s for the hurdles and 48.94s to 48.64s for the flat 400m.

My 400 hurdles PB was set at Melbourne GP in March and I believe that is where I peaked in 2010. I had a good run at The NSW state titles (51.38s, 1^st ) but a disappointing finish to the season where I placed 4^th at Nationals in Perth in a time of 51.58s.   However, I moved into winter with a strong season behind me and new sense of focus. I was ready to train the house down and build on 2010.

Hi, my name is James Roff, I am a 400m Hurdler and I have been asked to write a blog for runner’s tribe.  I thought I would begin by comparing my last two seasons and show everyone what a difference one year can make.

2008/2009

After spending 7 years with my current coach (Fira Dvoskina) I had hit a wall, and the improvement curve was starting to look more like a downhill slide. I was 21 years old and my PB of 52.76s was set 2 years prior at the NSW state champs in 2005. I was frustrated and seriously considering giving up athletics all together, something had to give…. but I didn’t know what to do.  Fira then shocked me, and herself I think, by forcing me to move on and join another squad under a different coach. She saw that I was burnt out, unmotivated and in need of a change. It was probably the hardest thing she has had to do, in terms of coaching me, and equally hard on me, but absolutely necessary in order for me to improve. Luckily, I went from a world class coach to an equally world class squad in that of Chris/Jana Rawlinson. Who better to be coached by and train with than Chris and Jana Rawlinson, both of whom are both Commonwealth games gold medalists, Olympic and World Championship representatives, with Jana being one of Australia’s few Dual World champs gold medalists. 

So, with the start of 2008, I had a new squad, new coach and new sense of purpose and motivation. I was out prove to myself that I still loved the sport, and to Chris/Jana that I could train harder than anyone they had met. This change was the catalyst for my 07/08 season and a sign of good things to come.

Over the following months, leading into early 2008, I was training consistently and I could feel a PB coming! On January 26^th 2008, I was selected to run in the Canberra GP after some excellent persuasive techniques by my new coach, and friend Chris Rawlinson. So when the day came, I had to perform, not only for my coach but for the selectors who had put me in on the promise that I would run well. The pressure for me was exactly what I needed. I ran a seamless 350m, before hitting a lactic wall and fading in the closing stages to finish 3^rd behind Brendan Cole (eventual winner) and a New Zealand athlete. The time was 51.98, a new PB and my first time under 52s mark. I was over the moon and more importantly on the way back up the improvement curve.  However, the rest of the season was a mixed bag of results culminating in a disappointing 5^th place at the national championships in Brisbane.

Australian Domestic season 2007/08

52.45s Sydney GP 3^rd

52.48s NSW State Champs 1^st

Nationals Heat 53.20s, Final 53.08s 5^th.

After a disappointing national champs I worked hard over the next two months to build through a solid transition block. This block would be a springboard for my very first European campaign. I was excited, nervous and overall in positive mind frame about the challenge that lay in front of me.

The European summer saw me based in Loughborough University - basically an English version of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The facilities were amazing and conveniently positioned, with the track, gym and recovery pools all within walking distance. However, all of this seems insignificant when you are training tired, feeling flat and racing worse. I opened with a 50 point 400m flat and an even slower 200m 22.69s. Something wasn’t right, I just felt off… maybe it was my body wasn’t used to running fast in winter, maybe I was unfit, maybe I was still jet lagged. Who knows? Whatever it was I needed a change. So Chris decided to give me 3 days off and then start with some race specific sessions. The sessions would be monitored closely to focus on quality over quantity, with rep times to be in race specific target times.

Over the next two months I travelled all over Europe, trained hard and gained confidence from race to race. I concluded my trip by staying with a good friend and fellow athlete Ramon Huber and his family. It was in Switzerland that I found harmony, consistency within my training, racing and overall mental attitude. This resulted in my second fastest time over the hurdles with a 52.22 in Bern. Finally I was content, but not satisfied of course!

Europe taught me a lot of things but most importantly that life is a learning experience and every athlete needs to experience things to learn more about how they work, train and compete as an athlete. I learnt that I run my best when I’m in a familiar environment, surrounded by a supportive caring people and have a set routine. Switzerland was perfect; I was staying with a Family exactly like mine (Ramon’s family) in a place that reminds me of my second home (New Zealand) and I had a solid routine. I would wake up and train in the morning, cook the Huber’s lunch, stretch and rest and then train again in the afternoon. I had my home away from home!

European Season 2008

England -Bedford International Games 53.45s

Italy - Celli Leguri 53.80s

France: Taree 53.21s, Chambery’ - 53.20s

Switzerland: Jona 53.05s, Bern 52.22s

At the conclusion of my first European campaign I had a much needed break of 3-4 weeks. This was the first time I had missed a winter in 3 years and my body struggled to adapt to the back-to-back seasons. On top of the dual season I moved to Canberra to live and train full time. The experience was amazing, hard work and draining all at the same time.  My body began to buckle and the result was a devastating hamstring tear that put me out for the whole 2008/2009 domestic Season. An MRI showed I had torn my right hamstring (biceps femoris tendon), a 7cm tear was visible running from the outside of my knee up in to the midsection of my hamstring. It was my first major injury I had sustained and I struggled to deal with it. So to cope with being out, I needed to be distracted and occupied to replace the feeling and satisfaction from training hard and competing. 

In previous years, I had done a bit of hurdling coaching with Cranbrook school, and so while I was injured I made a conscious effort to increase my coaching efforts and took on Jobs at both Cranbrook and Joeys College.  I believe that this helped massively in both my mental and physical rehab.  After Spending 08/09 season Injured I made sure that I did everything possible to find out why it ( my injury) happened and how I could prevent it from reoccurring. And so, this year more than any other “Prevention over cure” was so, so, so important.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 - COMING SOON TO RT