by Stuart WeirSteph Davis: ” I can’t believe I’m going to the Olympics” – RunBlogRun: https://t.co/eC0H8k6sXf, @stuartweir,@BritAthletics, #kewgardens, #Muller, #worldathletics, #europeanathletics, #theshoeaddicts, @coachathletics, @caltrackrn, #runblogrun, #runningnetworks, #larryeder pic.twitter.com/1dtW94tyvP
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Steph Davis’s move from 2:40 marathon as a debut, then a 2:32, then a 2:27:40 in Dec 2019. Her 2:27:16 Pb on March 26, 2021, was a negative split and she looks quite capable of going much faster. Steph Davis won the 2021 Muller British Olympic Trials for the Marathon. She is a “Cinderella” story, an athlete of immense talent who took up the discipline just 3 years ago.
This is Stuart Weir’s part 2 of a two part feature on the new British champion.
Steph Davis wins the 2021 Muller British Olympic marathon Trials, photo by Getty Images/ British Athletics
Steph Davis Part 2 Progression from club to Olympics
In part 2 Steph Davis, winner of the British Marathon trials shares more of her approach to running. “At the trials, I knew the shape I was in, that I was in PB shape but I wasn’t focusing on that. My aim was just to come in the top two to secure selection. I didn’t need to go out really quickly to try to make it a quick race – so I didn’t. I just sat in for the first half, knowing that in a marathon anything can happen and I wanted to avoid making mistakes early on”.
She commented immediately after the race: “I felt good out there, particularly during the second half, so a big thanks to Josh the pacer for continuing on that was a huge help, especially down this straight, it was a bit windier. I really noticed that on the last lap when I was on my own. It was an amazing event today, flat course, the corners were fine and I am really happy to take the win and secure that spot and a small PR.
Phil (Kissi, her coach) and I work very closely as a team. I think I am a bit different from other marathon runners he’s coached before. I don’t do the high mileage, it’s just something I have never done. I do a lot of cross-training, but with COVID and the gyms being closed, I had to train at home. Doing 6/7 hours on the bike a week, and then my average running was about 60/65miles through the week. So the focus was on the big quality sessions and it’s always worked for us. We kind of replicated what I did for Valencia, apart from Phil throwing in some extra-long hard sessions to test me and push me to that next level. That’s really helped to get me there and get me here today with that result”.
Having progressed from being a good club runner to an Olympian in just over three years, she says that there is no “secret” to her progress – apart from eating a lot of porridge: “It’s a combination of things. It’s about finding the training that that is right for you. Also standing up for what you think is right for you. I could easily have fallen into that trap of big mileage because everyone else is doing it. But my coach and I quickly learned that wasn’t right for me. We stuck with that preparation for each marathon, making tweaks. We’re thinking more about individual sessions than about mileage for a week. I’ve been learning a lot about my own body and about strength and conditioning in order to keep niggles at bay. And I’ve learned about the importance of recovery. You can’t compare Berlin 2018 to now. In a good way, running is my life and is all-consuming. My friends are super supportive when I turn down social invites or leave early to get my sleep. But if you want something badly enough you’ll work hard at it. There’s no magic secret, it’s just about keeping chipping away to make improvements – in your training as well as in races”.
She admits to a significant change of mindset: “At the moment the mindset is definitely ‘oh my goodness, I can’t believe I’m going to the Olympics’. Equally, I want my next training block to be the best training I’ve ever done. I am continually looking to improve myself. Another aim is just to get there in one piece in the midst of COVID and have no injuries. I want to make sure that I am there in the best possible shape I can be. Obviously, I would like to have the race of my life in Sapporo but the focus at the moment is to get on the plane as fit and as prepared as I can be. It will also be interesting to see how my body reacts to training in hotter conditions. In the past, I have always done OK in warm weather but I’ve never done a hot marathon. I need to set some plans with my coach but the emphasis is just to get there”.
She is a reluctant heroine and a reluctant role model: “I was so touched by the number of people who messaged me afterward saying ‘what an inspiration you are. You got me out on my Saturday morning run”. But honestly, it’s been amazing to hear that I have been an inspiration – that’s not something I expect to hear! And yes I would love to inspire people.
“One thing I would like to teach people is about the cross-training/running balance and to inspire people not just to focus on crazy mileage all the time. At the start of my marathon running, I definitely got wrapped up in that a bit. I never did big mileage but definitely felt that I was behind other people because I wasn’t doing it. There’s no one size fits all. You have to find the balance which is right for you. If that is lower mileage and lots of cross-training, go for it and don’t be sucked in by social media. All the time you see people posting stuff “just finished my 90 miles for the week”. That’s great if it works for you. But what would happen if you didn’t do 90 miles? If you did less and more cross-training, maybe you would be fresher going into the race? I know people could say to me: ‘you might be better if you did higher mileage’. I would say just focus on yourself”.
Steph Davis wins the 2021 Muller British Olympic marathon Trials, photo by Getty Images/ British Athletics
Finally, she sees a positive in the location of the marathon, 600 miles north of Tokyo: “I believe the temperature in August will be in the mid-20s (20 Celsius=68F), which is a lot better than being in the 30s (30 Celsius=86F), I understand too that is likely to be less humid. Obviously, I would have loved to have gone to Tokyo – and got the buzz from being right in the heart of the Olympics – but I think having the marathon in Sapporo will be beneficial from a performance point of view. Of course, nobody knows what the Olympics are going to be like except that it will be very different from previous games. Of course, it needs to be safe and secure and with COVID measures taken very seriously. But that is my first Olympics I had nothing to compare it to”.
Steph Davis really does come across as the girl next door, who can’t quite believe what is happening. She is the girl next door who is going to the Olympics and is determined to give it her best shot but also to enjoy it.
Steph Davis leads, 2021 Muller British Olympic marathon Trials, photo by Getty Images/ British Athletics
