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Meet The Guest

Jemma Simpson


Personal Bests

800m - 1.59.07

1000m - 2.39.70

1500m - 4.06.39

Mile - 4.47


Major Championships Record

Olympic Games - 2008 4h 800m
World Championships - 2007 6th sf 800m, 2009 5th sf1 800m
European Championships - 2006 6th sf 800m
Commonwealth Games - 2006 6th 800m

Other noteworthy performances

2000 - 1st Commonwealth Youth 800m
2001 - 8th World Youth Championships 800m
2002 - 4th World Junior Championships 800m
2003 - 3rd European Junior Championships 800m
2005 - 2nd European U23 Championships 800m

 

 

 


You attended Millfield school which is known for sports, is this how you got into athletics?

I was already running by the time I went to Millfield School. They offered me a scholarship because they recognised my talent at a young age. They actually approached my coach at a race when I was 12 years old and asked me if I would like to attend.

How was your time there?

My time there was fantastic; I loved it and made some great friends for life there. The sporting benefit was that every child who goes there has to partake in some kind of sport as an after school activity for at least 3 days per week. So as some of my friends went off to play hockey or go horse riding, I would go to the running track and train then we would all meet up for dinner before going back to our boarding houses. It was a great lifestyle - education, socialising then sport with competition at the weekends. I met some amazing talented people there and it really opened my eyes up to what you can achieve in life.

You then went on to St Mary's, was this a purely athletics decision?

The main reason that I went to St. Mary's was because during that particular year I had to find a new coach, I was introduced to Mark Rowland(coach) and decided that I wanted to be coached by him. St. Mary's offered me a scholarship to be based there to train and study and it worked perfectly. I also had the option to go to Loughborough or to America but I chose St. Mary's because I thought it would give me the greatest sporting advantage being coached by one of the best coaches Britain had to offer. Plus they offered the combined course that I wanted to study which was English literature and Media.

How was your time at St. Mary's University?

My time there was brilliant. Being a girl from the countryside moving up to outer London and experiencing living close to the city gave me yet another perspective on life. It also meant that I was living by my close group of friends I had made at boarding school. They all came from the outer areas of London like Esher, Sunbury, Richmond and Kew. It was also the first time I shared living accommodation with other fellow runners. We had a great time running and socialising, many a laughable moment I recall. My training group was separate from St. Mary's at the time. I trained with Hayley Tullet (world bronze medalist) and Micheal East (Olympic sixth placer) and others within the group. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to learn off some of the best. For my stage of development it introduced me to the lifestyle of international athletes.

Was it easy to fit studying around athletics?

Studying English was particularly hard because they expected you to read a book a week. With training hard I found that every time I picked up a book I would fall asleep after four or five pages! Books like Ulysses were very demanding after an intense training session .I ended up having to split my final year so that I had more time to study and train.

You finished 8th at the world youth champs, how did the whole experience help you for the future?

That particular race was one of my biggest learning curves. On paper I was second fastest and everyone on the team kept telling me I was going to win, so when the race started I went off like a lunatic, went through 400 in 58 seconds which at the time I couldn't handle, I hit lactic hard down the back straight and had nothing left to come home with. I was absolutely gutted but it taught me a lot about racing and I went on to become an astute tactical racer. By the following year at the World junior champs I ran a sensible race and I came fourth with a personal best in the final.

You then went on to 4th at World Junior Games, gold at Commonwealth Junior Games and bronze at the 2003 Euro Junior Championships....do you have a favorite race out of your time at these games?

My most satisfying race out of the three you have mentioned was probably the world junior (4th ) even though I just missed a medal. I think this is because I hadn't put any expectation on myself and I just ran the race without worrying. I just didn't expect to get so close to a medal. Ironically the girl who won was Janeth Jepkoskei who I compete against now. She went on to become World Champion and Olympic silver medalist.

British women's middle distance is strong at the current time, has this helped you to progress?

Yes, most definitely. We are all so strong at the moment we are inspired by Kelly Holmes and then inspired by each other that we can be the best in the world and compete with these girls.

Do you all get on outside of competing or do you prefer to keep it as 'business' and keep competitors at arms length to keep the competitive instinct?

It would be difficult to be best friends with your direct competitors but Jenny and I shared a room a couple of times when racing on the circuit, we got to know each other quite well and we get on great. She is a lovely person and deserves success.

Does your sub 2min performance compare to running at the Olympic Games? 

My dream in life was to compete at the Olympic Games and be a part of a special experience. Although my performance suffered in Beijing I still feel that being there has been my greatest achievement as an athlete. Hopefully next time I will go on to achieve even greater things at the games. Running sub 2minutes is just part of the process.

How was the whole experience of the 2008 Olympics?

The experience was once in a life time, very few people on the planet get to experience an event of that magnitude, I think I spent the whole time there with my mouth wide open!

How did you feel when you joined the sub 2min club?

Well the first time I did it I scraped it by a hundredth 1.59.99! On that particular day I wasn't feeling very well and nearly pulled out of the race. But I ran and came through so strong at the end I passed everyone on the home straight and got second. I couldn't believe it when I saw the time it was a shock.

Where are you currently training?

Right now I am in Font Romeu preparing for the European champs. For the rest of the year I feel like I am all over the place. I have spent time in Eugene Oregon, Albequerque New Mexico, Teddington London, Loughborough and Cornwall. Chris and I seem to live out of a bag all the time. We are looking forward to the time in our lives when we can stay in on spot.

How is training going out there?

Good, I am in the shape of my life. A few niggling problems but I can't remember the last time I ran without some sort of niggling injury so I just get on with it.

What are you plans for the next few months? 

European Championships, to make the final and win a medal. Also to join the 1.58 club!

Are you racing anywhere before the Europeans?

My next race will be in Monaco, then off to the European Champs.

 

Training

Interval work

It depends on the time of year. I usually do a session once or twice, no more. An example would be 500/300 x 2 8mins and 1min recovery for 800m specific work.

Do you change surface dependant on time of year?

I tend to stay off the track in the winter, usually run on trails or grass.

What do you find the hardest session?

Hills, they are inevitably painful no matter how fit you are.

 

Typical training week

Monday: easy running and weights

Tuesday: session and recovery run

Wednesday: one run and weights

Thursday: tempo run and easy recovery run

Friday: Rest or easy run

Saturday: session and recovery run

Sunday: Long run

Mileage

Average at 60miles per week with 60 -70 minutes on a Sunday

Strength work

Weights twice a week

Group Training

I love training with people. It's not essential and it depends on your event. But running with a group allows you to get the job done without having to think about it too much, makes training enjoyable and before you know it you have got a whole winter under your belt - stress free. It also depends on what type of athlete you are. Some people simply cannot train with others without getting competitive about it. In these circumstances you may find that you leave your best performances in training and not in the race.

Much of training is about learning to judge pace. Some people that struggle with this may find that they have to drop out of a session for going too fast too soon, others may save everything for the last rep. In training we are looking for a physiological effect, if you don't train to maximise this effect you may have wasted a session and your adaptation and progression will be slower.

I have a training group in America which is very good. We take a professional approach and Mark Rowland is strict about executing sessions effectively. 

 

Rest / Recovery

I love my annual break at the end of the year, mentally more than physically. I always take 3-4 weeks off with no running but maybe some biking and swimming dependant on how I feel each day. I tend to go on holiday and have complete rest.

 

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