performance athlete feature

Doctoring her way to success

Fitting her training around a busy job as a junior doctor is an art that Rebecca Robinson has down to a tee, JACKIE NEWTON discovered

WORKING up to 80 hours per week as a junior doctor does not seem to have been a hindrance to Rebecca Robinson, who will compete for Britain at the IAAF World Half-marathon championships next month. As well as rewriting her road PBs this year, she helped Britain to third in the team race at the European Mountain Running Championships and last weekend she won bronze at the Commonwealth Championships uphillonly race in Cumbria.

Her working day usually starts at 8.30am and she is scheduled to finish at 6.30pm. But she can also be on call and night shift duties for 12-14 hours a day.

“A week on call can be 80 hours, although sometimes it’s just 60,” she laughs. “Fitting in training and a social life into the few gaps left outside of sleeping hours is important, but there’s not much time to relax.”

So how does she fit in her training which has bought her success on roads, cross country and the mountains? “The

Rebecca Robinson: has enjoyed offroad success and selection for this month’s IAAF World Half-marathon despite a hectic work schedule

balance between work and running is usually hectic,” she says. “The nature of my job means it can’t come second to sport, but I have adapted to working

n Extract from Rebecca Robinson’s training diary Monday (6am) 60 minutes steady run before work 8am-6.30pm Tuesday 6 x 3 minutes and gym work at home. On call: 8am-8pm. Would have liked to go to the gym but more

time-efficient to do the session at home today. Wednesday Started work at new hospital so steady 40 minutes in a nearby park to

orientate myself. Thursday (7.30am) 40 minutes fartlek before work. “Normal” day 9am-5pm

for a change! Friday (7.30am) 40 minutes steady. (11.00pm) 20 minutes steady. Worked 9am-10pm. Shouldn’t have

done the evening run because I was tired, but needed the fresh air after a long day at work. Saturday (7.30am) 50 minutes before work. Work was scheduled 9am-9pm but finished 11pm. Probably did an

extra two miles running through hospital corridors, no breaks! Sunday (7am) Wanted to do a long run but exhausted after shifts, so only did

60 minutes steady. Work 9am-11pm. Work = 80 hours. Training = 6 hours

Pet er

Hart l ey

roads, as it is more accessible and this seems to be paying dividends with her progression on this surface. She has set PBs this year of 15:48 for 5km, 33:28 for 10km and 73:11 for the half-marathon, the latter of which at the World Half trial in Bristol earlier this month secured her selection for Birmingham.

long hours. When I made the decision to make this my vocation, I knew what I was getting in to, so the long and awkward hours are something I accept without malice. In fact, running keeps me sane, it is something I love, just as I do my job. My running is all about me, but my job is all about making patients healthy and in some cases, saving their lives. So there is never a time when I feel sorry for myself. This is what I do and I want to do it above all else.

“I have to do most of my training alone because of my work but I am lucky to train with Freya Murray for some of my sessions. It is great to have a training partner who is exceptionally motivated, disciplined and enthusiastic. I never lack the motivation, but sometimes when work has been particularly tiring, I have to be careful with training too hard as it can be counter-productive.”

With her current time constraints, she does most of her training on the

Robinson hails from Bowness-onWindermere in the Lake District, where her parents own two hotels. She says: “It is a beautiful part of the world when the weather is good and still beautiful, but tough when the weather isn’t so good.” She would rather be out on the fells, though, particularly when preparing for mountain races, but that opportunity is infrequent now she is based in Newcastle upon Tyne.

“Mountain running is challenging in many respects, so I think every athlete will find different aspects hard,” she says. “For me, adapting to off-road running is a challenge. At the Europeans, I felt I was prepared for the climb, although lacking the opportunity to prepare for altitude (it finished at 2300m), but the early part of the race was over rough terrain. I lost a lot of ground, which was hard to claw back due to the gradient (960m of climb in 9km with a very steep and craggy final 2km). You need to be mentally strong for the mountains and this is an area I am working on. Long days at work as a junior doctor are good for mental strength, but getting out on to the fells is the best preparation.”

It is clear to everyone that her work ethic, determination and sheer doggedness are her main strengths. She has a very busy lifestyle and a lot of big decisions to make, including where she will specialise in medicine. “It would be wonderful to have some more time to focus on athletics for a while, especially looking forward to tackling the longer distances, but for the moment I have to balance everything that is going on in my life.”

I make things tough. I rate pain on a scale of one to ten and today when I rated

‘‘‘‘

the pain, I knew that I

had felt worse

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performance basics

AW Basics concludes its look at green vegetables and why they are so important for your health

THERE are so many health fads these days in the form of tablets, capsules and drinks, but nature’s very own foodstuff in the form of vegetables in particular, outweigh any benefits these over-the-counter products could ever have. Here are a few of the best for athletes.

n Cauliflower Cauliflower, although classed by most as a “green” vegetable due to its green leaves which are discarded when preparing for cooking and eating, is a member of the white family of vegetables. It contains allicin, which can improve heart health and reduce the risk of strokes, and selenium, a chemical that works well with vitamin C to strengthen the immune system. Cauliflower can also help to maintain a healthy cholesterol level. Folate is also found in cauliflower, which is a B vitamin needed for cell growth and replication. For this reason, it is often recommended women who are pregnant eat significant amounts of cauliflower in order to help their unborn children develop properly. It is an excellent source of fibre, which helps to improve colon health and can even help prevent cancer.

That’s not all. Cauliflower contains substances that help increase the liver’s ability to neutralise potentially toxic matter and is also a blood and liver detoxifier. Importantly, it also contains substances that when chewed trigger the liver to produce enzymes that can remove cancer-causing chemicals. It is helpful in kidney and bladder disorders, asthma, high-blood pressure, arthritis, bad complexion and constipation.

Cauliflower: full of cancer-fighting chemicals

Finishing your greens

Chicory: low in calories but good for digestion

n Chicory Chicory is a light and refreshing vegetable (almost 95 per cent water) and contains very few calories. It is closely related to the lettuce and contains insulin, which helps diabetics regulate their blood sugar levels. It is beneficial for digestion, the circulatory system and the blood. The leaves are a good source of calcium, potassium and one of the richest sources of vitamin A, which is useful for the eyes. The flowers, seeds and roots of this herb are medicinally used in the treatment of liver disorders.

Chicory is often eaten like celery or is roasted and used with, or in place of, coffee. It’s also used as a sedative, mild diuretic, laxative, and digestive agent to manage indigestion or dyspepsia. It is used generally as a salad green. It has an extremely high vitamin C and vitamin B9 density and if you consumed 100kcals of chicory out of the 2300 we on average need every day, you will have gained almost 100 per cent of your requirement in vitamin C and fibre and almost three times your recommended vitamin B9 intake.

n Peas Green peas are probably one of the most common vegetables on our plates. They are rich in dietary fibre and some studies have concluded that they may be beneficial for those having problems with high cholesterol. They contain high amounts of iron and vitamin C and have been found to help strengthen the immune system.

Interestingly, they slow down the appearance of glucose in the blood and thus help keep energy levels steady and have been found to aid energy production, nerve function and carbohydrate metabolism. They also contain the nutrients that are important for maintaining bone health. The folic acid and vitamin B6 in green peas are good for promoting cardiovascular health and, being rich in antioxidants like vitamin C, they can help keep cancer at bay.

They are bursting with nutrients and provide excellent amounts of eight vitamins, seven minerals, dietary fibre and protein and their supercharged nutritional profile can enhance your health. Green peas are one of the most important foods to include in your diet, especially when you are feeling fatigued and sluggish, because they provide nutrients that help support the energy-producing cells and systems of the body. They are a good source of iron, a mineral necessary for normal blood cell formation and function which, if lacking, will result in anaemia, fatigue, decreased immune function and even learning problems. The peas that you buy in the supermarket have been quick frozen within two hours of being picked and this allows them to keep their full nutritional benefits.

n Spinach Along with Brussels sprouts, spinach is high up on the list of vegetables most hated by youngsters. However, as far as nutrition goes, it is hard to beat. It has a high source of iron – one cup of cooked spinach provides around 35 per cent of the recommended daily amount (RDA) and 377 per cent of the RDA of vitamin A.

It is extremely rich in antioxidants and is a

Peas: rich source of fibre, iron and vitamin C

good source of vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as magnesium, manganese, folate, iron, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids.

Spinach is sold loose, in prepackaged bags, canned, or frozen. Fresh spinach loses much of its nutritional value with storage of more than a few days. Refrigeration slows this effect to about eight days and storage in a freezer can keep it for up to eight months.

Legendary cartoon character Popeye appeared to have superhuman strength after consuming spinach due to the iron content being mistakenly reported as 10 times stronger than it actually was. This was due to German scientist Dr Von Wolf misplacing a decimal point in his calculations! In fact, broccoli and cauliflower have almost double the iron content of spinach.

Spinach: high quantities of iron and antioxidants

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