Former European cross-country champion explains how she has come to love running again following a family tragedy

Gemma Steel is a different athlete to the one she was. The 2014 European cross-country champion has enjoyed notable success throughout her career, but in recent years shes also experienced unimaginable heartache, first losing her mum to suicide in 2019, then her dad to cancer earlier this year.

Running was her life, but such traumatic events put its all-consuming nature into perspective and, perhaps understandably, she fell out of love with the sport for a time.

I had to reassess what was important in my life, she says, reflecting on the period after her mum died. It made me question a lot of things. I had to do a lot of soul searching. I was still running, but with the trauma it was hard to battle on. 

The pandemic came along at the right time, it actually helped me. I was totally drained and it gave me some time out. Otherwise, Id have carried on battling, racing, running at an average level. It was a blessing in disguise, really.

Steel admits that, without the distraction of college or university as a younger athlete, she felt excessive pressure to excel on the road and in cross country. I never had a fall-back option, it was the be all and end all for me, she admits. Ive had to re-evaluate in recent years and I realise now that theres more to life than running.

Lockdown presented an opportunity to take the pressure off. It also marked a low-key transition into masters athletics.

Self-coached since 2018, the 37-year-old is able to draw on the knowledge she has gathered over the years from experienced coaches John Nuttall, Rob Denmark and Liz McColgan-Nuttall. 

Its almost a decade since Steel posted the seventh and eighth-fastest times ever by a British female athlete over 10km (31:26) and half marathon (68:13) respectively, but thats no longer important. 

In fact, during tough times, it was the unexpected magnetism of parkrun, without pressure or expectation, which gradually recaptured her heart and inspired her to start clocking up the miles again.

Losing my dad to cancer at the start of this year triggered me to start running again in a way, because he had wanted me to carry on, she says. 

I started doing parkrun at Watermead Country Park [near Leicester]. I ran about 18 minutes for my first one then, as I got quicker, I got more and more motivated, she adds.

Parkrun hadnt really entered my consciousness when I was running as a professional. I didnt realise the importance of the community and how it can help get people out of bed in the morning.

People treated me like a normal runner. I wasnt a professional athlete when I was there. I was a parkrunner and thats what I needed. 

I needed to feel like I was part of a community and not trying to live up to expectations of the past, because obviously Im not the same athlete.

In recent months, Steel has returned to her cross country roots and won titles with Charnwood at the British Masters Relay Championships and English National Relay Championships.

Im getting back on track now and Im enjoying it again, she says. Its a different phase of my career. I tried to dabble with other things like arts and crafts, but I realised it didnt bring the same satisfaction and fulfilment that running gave me.

I train on my own and I just do my own thing, Ive always been good at that. I dont need people around me to be able to push myself. I get more satisfaction training on my own and I like to run at my own pace. I find it empowering. 

Steel has gradually built back up to 85-90 miles per week over the past year. She aims to leave at least three days between sessions and is flexible to maximise recovery. Im doing a higher mileage [compared to when I was younger], but Im listening to my body a lot more, she says. Im not putting as much pressure on myself to be in a rigid training programme. I havent anything to prove now, really.

Monday: (am) nine miles (hilly off-road route); (pm) five miles (about 7min/mile pace).

Tuesday: (am) session day with six-mile warm-up (for example, 5-4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4-5 off 60 seconds); (pm) strength and conditioning, either yoga or Pilates. I think thats crucial for me now that Im getting older, she says. I put more value on that than doing another five-mile run. Ive always done Pilates, but yoga is more a recent thing and its helping to increase my flexibility. Its crucial, really.

Wednesday: (am) six miles; (pm) six miles (or a single 12-mile run).

Thursday: as Monday or rest day if racing Saturday.

Friday: five-mile leg turnover (if racing).

Saturday: session such as 3-2-1 x 5 off 60 seconds (if not racing). This session hits speed and endurance and working on speed is vital for me. 

Sunday: Long run of 15-18 miles.

Favourite session

Minute reps with static recovery [around 45sec] I dont get to do them often. Theyre short and sweet. Ive got that sprinters mentality. I like to do the explosive work when I can.

Least favourite session

The 5-4-3-2-1 although I know the ones you dread are the ones that are doing you the most good! I try not to put too much pressure on myself, but if you dont put the effort in you wont perform in the races. There are no short-cuts.

Anyika Onuoras story of racism and sexual violence in athletics is among our top choices when it comes to reading material at the end of 2022

Anyika Onuoras autobiography is such a powerful read that it is no surprise it was shortlisted for the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.

The retired sprinter recounts her ordeal with sexual violence, racism and attempted suicide during a track career that saw her win relay medals at the Olympics, world and European championships and Commonwealth Games.

My Hidden Race talks about the brutal reality of growing up on Merseyside in the 1990s. Then there was stuff put through the letterbox, says the 38-year-old. We got robbed, the car got stolen and they basically put a firebomb in the car.

In one terrifying incident in a hotel she had to fight off an athlete who tried to rape her. On another, she was physically assaulted by a physiotherapist.

Onuora considered suicide in 2012 and it was only when her room-mate, Perri Shakes-Drayton, accidentally interrupted her that she stopped short of trying to kill herself with scissors.

I felt medals were the priority over mental health and wellbeing, she remembers. Nobody ever asked how I was. You were a cog in the wheel. I felt I had to go above and beyond and didnt feel I had a chance to breathe.

A sequel with a difference

First published in 2010, Born to Run became one of the most influential running books ever written, sparking huge interest in the barefoot running movement, exploring the secrets and remarkable endurance feats of the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico. 

Author Chris McDougall returns, in tandem with coach Eric Orton, with a sequel which draws on the experiences of those whose lives and running habits have been changed by the themes explored in that first book.

Its aim is to offer practical advice on everything from training to diet choices, footwear and running form. This will be of interest to anyone who enjoyed the original book.

Belgraves recent history

In 2006 Will Cockerell wrote the splendid 50 Greatest Marathons of All-time and has also written a number of times for AW over the years. Now hes back with a book about his own athletics clubs recent exploits in distance running.

In Millennium Odyssey a review of Belgrave Harriers 21st Century road and country he has restricted his efforts to chronicling the past 22 years and has also ignored the track.

Instead, the book focuses on area and national road and cross-country relays and championships, plus the London Marathon and more. There are lots of statistical tables and lists but this is not by any means a dry stats book.

There are lots of photos and Cockerell is an imaginative writer with plenty of flair and he describes the races and characters in great detail. For the male athletes in particular, he writes, the period was a roaring, rampage of revenge.

Belgrave aside, there are even cameos from the likes of Paula Radcliffe and Mo Farah.

Running for the environment

Running is one of the most environmentally friendly things you can do, right? Not necessarily. Whether it be travelling to events, the impact made by big mass participation gatherings or even buying running gear our decisions and habits are still contributing to the climate and ecological emergency. 

International ultra runner Damian Hall is a fine writer and has set about examining just how much damage the running industry is doing to the environment. The news isnt great but, with typical good humour, an impressive level of research and substantial input from the experts, Hall uses himself as a test case to come up with practical solutions and ways in which we can all make a difference. 

Taking on the marathon

Does one of your new years resolutions involve running a marathon? Or do you know someone who wants to tackle 26.2 miles? This book from journalist and endurance coach Sam Murphy is a practical guide around doing just that. 

From cutting through all of the running jargon through to planning a schedule which will fit in perfectly with your goals, this book is an ideal way to expand your knowledge as well as improving your performance. 

The Commonwealth pole vault silver medallist explains how she managed to overcome serious injury to reach new heights in 2022

The sensitive content warning that accompanies Molly Cauderys Instagram post is an intriguing conversation starter. The 22-year-old Commonwealth Games pole vault silver medallist this summer almost lost a finger in a gym accident a year ago and the hidden image, which is optional to view, presents a graphic account of her traumatic experience.

When I first did it I didnt look down, I just thought: Ill shake it off, its probably not as bad as I think, and it was worse. A lot worse, she recalls.  

Id gone home [to Cornwall] for the Christmas holidays and I was carrying on with my normal gym programme. I was doing snatch, and as I brought the bar down from above my head I caught my finger between the bar and where you rack it, and it just went straight through. It was hanging on by a thread, really.

Caudery ended up having three surgeries, with the first on Christmas Eve. 

It was tough [getting through that injury period], because leading up to Christmas I was in the best shape Id ever been in, she admits. I had this traumatic event. It was unexpected. It wasnt like a pulled hamstring. I mean, I basically chopped my finger off.

The 12 months since then have been a whirlwind, with a return to competition at the start of May, a lifetime best of 4.60m at the end of May and an intense schedule of World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships providing a condensed summer. 

That PB set me up for the rest of the season, says Caudery, who had jumped her previous best (4.53m) as an 18-year-old. One of my main aims for this year was to be more consistent at higher heights and Ive achieved that.

I had a bit of a disappointment at the World Champs, but just to get there was a massive step. I came back at the Commonwealths, which was amazing, and then I finished on a high with a top eight at the Europeans, so overall it was my best year yet. 

Caudery is a former European under-20 silver medallist (2017), a world under-20 finalist (2018) and European under-23 silver medallist (2021). Her performance CV is impressive, but since earning her first England senior vest and finishing fifth at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, injury is not the only hurdle she has had to overcome.

Most notably, having taken up a scholarship at the University of Miami in 2018, she soon realised that her amazing life experience was coming at a cost athletically.

I was barely jumping 4m out there, she says. I loved it, but I didnt thrive in my athletics and that was my priority. I decided to come home in 2020 and give it my best shot.

Caudery returned to the UK at the start of the pandemic and relocated to Loughborough, where she is now in her final year studying sports science. Coached by Scott Simpson and training alongside Olympic bronze medallist and British record-holder Holly Bradshaw, she has put herself in the highest of performance environments. 

Ive got a great support system, Ive got a great routine and Im surrounded by so many other athletes who put you in the right performance mindset, she says. 

Scott is one of the best pole vault coaches in the world, so having the opportunity to work with him and learn from him has been amazing. Training with Holly has been great, too, and shes always really open to giving me advice. Every day I get to learn from her.

The move to Loughborough has been central to Cauderys progression between Commonwealth cycles, as has the natural maturity that comes with age and experience. 

Everyone has to face challenges in their career, but I think you become stronger in the face of adversity, she says. Im now in a place where I know exactly what I want, I know my goals and Id pretty much do anything to get them. 

Plyometric exercises can benefit all athletes, but how do you pick the best ones for you and whats the science behind them?

Plyometric drills such as drop jumps, hops and bounds capitalise on the stretch-reflex capacity of our muscles and other soft tissue. 

When an athlete lands from a jump and prepares to leap back upwards or forwards, the muscles of the ankle, knee and hip will perform whats known as an eccentric muscular lengthening action. They then shorten whilst performing the reactive concentric muscular action to power the athlete up and/or forwards.

This is a largely involuntary, or non-volitional, process (making it different from weight training) and a natural consequence of our bodys soft tissue architecture.

However, this stretch-reflex response can be improved upon. Sports science shows how repeated plyometric training can increase power output, speed of muscular action and increase leg stiffness. It can improve maximal strength, too (ie, the ability to lift weights will get better).

Much of the science behind plyometrics dates back to Soviet era coaching and the work of Yuri Verkhoshansky. Indeed, much of his work goes under the header Shock Method the shock being the impact and the reaction produced as a consequence of plyometrics.

Stiffness is good

Leg stiffness underpins physiological adaptation to plyometric training. Simply put, the greater the stiffness around the ankle, hip and knee joints, the more reactive and more powerful the energy return will be.

Although there are some specific ways to physiologically measure leg stiffness improvement, simple hopping tests can be used, as long as the performer is suitably conditioned in the first place.

Timing hops over 20m, for example, and counting the number completed can be a good test of leg stiffness. Those with superior stiffness will take less time and use fewer hops. Such a test would apply to athletes from all disciplines.

As Andy Kay wrote in the October issue of AW, greater leg stiffness for middle and longer distance runners will see their performance economy improved. Basically, these athletes will be able to run at race pace and below with greater economy.

Sports scientists who reviewed various strength training methods, which included plyometric training, identified this and have even discovered that the fastest 10,000m runners over 20m will usually be the fastest over race distance.

Spoilt for plyometric choice

Sprinters, jumpers, thowers and vaulters are obviously candidates for plyometric training and its these athletes who potentially have the largest arsenal of plyometric drills from which to choose.  

As a long and triple jump and sprints coach, Im all too aware of this choice and knowing which exercises to select can therefore lead to confusion. So how can we make this choice simpler?

Lets start by considering ground contact times. If we work with this, then we can more clearly identify and classify plyometric exercises for training transference purposes.

Ground contact times

In terms of plyometrics, depth jumps from a height of 40cm have a 0.200 millisecond ground contact time, while bounding contacts are 0.174 milliseconds.

Lets connect these times to different athletics events. An elite sprinters foot will be in contact with the track for 0.90 milliseconds or slightly less when at maximum velocity; whilst the equivalent long jumper will be in contact with the board for around 0.110 milliseconds.

The fastest a volitional weight training exercise can be performed is around 500 milliseconds and weve all seen longer when an athlete is grinding out a PB bench press, for example.

So, plyometric drills much more closely replicate what happens across all athletic disciplines compared to weights. 

We thus get potential for greater transference given that transfer of training depends on specificity of movement, muscle recruitment and speed of ground contact and limb speed.

It would be of little specific value in terms of transference to utilise consistently slow conditioning movements and this does include plyometric drills which have significantly slower event-specific ground contact values.

If you were do this, then adaptation would particularly for the training mature athlete be compromised. It would be akin to giving a sprinter a training programme where they only sprinted at 90 per cent of maximum speed. With consistent, relevant stimuli, the athletes mind, muscles and central nervous system will adapt.

Indeed, the science behind plyometrics has indicated how drop height for a depth jump can optimise motor neuron recruitment thats to say a mechanical, muscular response.

Event specificity and plyometrics

You can manipulate different ground contact time plyometrics into a progressive training plan. How? Lets look at sprinting as an example.

Sprint acceleration uses slower ground contacts when the sprinter leaves the blocks and gets up to speed compared to when sprinting at maximum velocity. It is therefore possible to use different plyometrics to train for different parts of the 100m sprint, for example.

Exercises for the acceleration phase would include jump squats, holding weights at arms length. The additional load would slow the rate of force production, yet bring about ground contact times relevant to acceleration.

Quicker plyometrics such as speed bounds and hops would then be used to improve maximum velocity. A lot of sports science shows this to be the case.

How to measure reactivity

There are apps which can use connected accelerometers to measure whats known as a reactive strength index (RSI) basically, these record the air time and height gained from jumps, such as a standing vertical jump/countermovement jump, drop jump or similar. They then use a calculation to measure the RSI. It can also be measured using a force plate while measuring height achieved/time in air and a resultant calculation.

However RSI is calculated and as long as the same protocols are used knowing the score can lead to a degree of performance tracking and plyometric improvement.