Runnerslife

Meet The Guest

Richard Goodman

Recent winner of the UK Junior Championships, Richard Goodman has taken time to talk to RunnersLife after representing Great Britain at the European XC Championships in Dublin where he placed 5th, 3 places behind our own Nick Goolab. It is even more impressive when you know he is only 16 years old at has another 3 years in the age group. RunnersLife would like to thank Richard for his time and wish him luck in 2010.

 

Personal bests

800m- 1.54

1500m - 3.54

3000m- 8.34


How did you get into running?

I've had three track seasons and I'm in my third cross country seasons. It all started when I was asked to run for my school in a local cross country fixture between local schools. A coach from Shaftesbury Barnet harriers was down watching the race (which I won) and was very interested in me coming down to run at the club. It took me a while to really appreciate the sport and stop playing Sunday league football. Running wasn't a very popular sport in my school so I never had the opportunity to try it out until that local cross country race - the rest is history!


How does training work around school?

I prefer to train in the evening, however in the cross country season I sometimes go for a short run of 25 minutes before school. If not then I cycle to school to wake my body up before a long day of work


Was the victory Liverpool (Junior Winner) a surprise?

Training was going really well, I was really enjoying it. I raced earlier in the year and surprised myself with how quickly I ran. I always had at the back of my mind I may be able to make top 10. However leading up to Liverpool I thought to myself I'm in good shape why not aim even higher possibly top 6. well race day came I prepared extremely well for it- stuck in with the leading pack, covered all brakes and managed to hold of wilko, goolab and hay for the win. I think my win in Liverpool was a surprise for some of the older athletes but no I wasn't surprised with my result.


Can you talk us through the race at Liverpool?

Firstly I would like to mention that I forgot to put my number on before the race which got my a little angry and annoyed with myself- this sort of took my mind of the fast tempo and the beginning.

I moved to the front quite early on in the race as I didn't want to play a chasing game in such an important race.

The course was very wet and muddy which slowed the race down, with a lap to go I was still up with the top group- I thought to myself hey why not give it a go see if I could get a medal, I was feeling good (better then I had expected) coming into the home straight I had James Wilkinson right up my back side- I new I had made top 6 so anything more would be a bonus.

I had the finish line in sight and try my hardest to hold of the others. crossing the line was a big relief. It was great to know that all that hard work had paid off. 


How did it feel to get the call up for GB in the European XC Championship?

It was a very special moment- I was told top three had automatic selection from other coaches/athletes; I wanted to be reassured before I could start telling all my mates.


What was the trip to Dublin for the Championships like?

The trip was awesome, it was a great experience. Travelling with athletes like Steph and Mo really made me feel special and privileged to be here.

I didn't really know James, nick or, Mathew before hand as there a little older than me. I new Johnny and Callum from previous races etc however I must say our team spirit was extremely high. We got on really well with each other and spent allot of our free time watching TV, or playing cards together. We really bonded as a team, which I think helped us to win the team title.


How did the race pan out?

The race was excellent, I tried not to panic too much, I stuck with the fast early pace and managed to work my way up before the final lap. 3 athletes pulled away one being Wilkinson. I thought just to hold my position, as I was extremely fatigued at this point. With 300 to go I had the finish line in sight and drove for home, holding off a lad from Portugal. well if you told me at the beginning of this year I was going to finish 5th in the European cross country 3 years under age I would have simply thought you were mad...I couldn't be happier with my result.

Training

 

Easy runs

The majority of my training time is spent doing easy runs, No faster than 7 minute per mile.They are as important to me than a training session

 

Steady runs

Again the majority of my time is spent doing steady runs and at around 6.30 per mile, I find they help me recover from a hard session


Speed/interval work

I usually do three sessions a week and we vary the types of sessions we do... for example a typical speed session would be 12* 300 at 45.... A typical endurance session would be 4* 1600, 2*1000, and 2*800. Something a bit faster would be 6*400m 58/60 seconds with 2 minutes recovery.

The hardest session I do is probably 400metes down the clock (61/62) - starting rest at 75 - reducing rest time by 5 seconds each rep.

I am fortunate to have a big park opposite the track were we do most our minute efforts on during the cross season. However if were in the mood for some speed my coach prefers we do them on the track.


Do you train on your own or in a group?

I'm fortunate enough to have two very good athletes that live very close to me- I do all my runs with them.


Mileage

What is your mileage at the moment?

50/60 miles per week, depending on when I'm racing etc.


What is your longest run of the week?

1hour 30minutes on a Sunday


Do you run big mileage when racing?

Couple weeks before hand I'll step the mileage up but with a week to go ill really taper down for the race

I personally think if athletes want to succeed with athletics at an older age its vital to be running good mileage as a youngster (50-60) these are done at an easy tempo not pushing it on every run. It's important not to do too much too soon though.


Strength work

Circuits?

Big fan of circuits!!!

Weights- I am a member of a gym. When I get time to go, I will use the free weights concentrating on core muscle groups. I believe it's important to have a strong core as it will benefit you when you're very tired during a race.

 

Massage

Do you ever use it?

Never had one

 

Diet

Any special diet?

Not anything specific, I eat a lot of fruit during the day... I tend to stay away from eating crisps and chocolate. 

 

Group training

I believe group training is very important- It keeps my mind active during the longer sessions... We encourage each other during reps which is vital for our self esteem's. I am lucky that my group is top notch- were all get along really well

 

Rest / Recovery

My coach isn't a big fan of breaks, he's more of a fan of taking weeks of structured training and making us do some steady runs instead.


What will your training be Christmas day?

Nice easy run! Maybe 60 minutes on the beach


Any racing over Christmas period?

Hopefully not, cutting down on racing and focusing on training.


Plans for the next few months?

The next few months are extremely important- I'm taking it easy training wise for the next couple weeks.

I'm going to Spain for a week to do some warm weather training, then hopefully come back and start preparing for nationals, Sothern's, intercounties and more importantly world cross trials!!!

Richard

Team RunnersLife

 

 

 

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