Ask the athlete: Jenny Meadows

You ask the questions, the track and field star gives the answers. Here we hear from the world champion 800m medalist who now guides Keeley Hodgkinson’s career

What are your memories of the 800m in Berlin in 2009 when you won bronze at the World Championships?

If someone asked me what was my favorite race of my career, I would say this. It was the first time I possibly converted my time and form in training to a world race.

I was really nervous before that final and I actually remember looking in the bathroom mirror and saying a good word. I wanted to do my best and I looked at the female competitors and thought I would beat a lot of these women every day in the Diamond League. It was a big shift in my thinking that I deserved this opportunity.

Everyone was completely shocked when I won a medal except me, [my husband] Trevor and my real intimate team. I don’t remember sleeping that night and I received literally hundreds of messages. I think it really dawned on me that people take so much pleasure in watching me run. All the hard work paid off for that one medal and the first one was definitely the best.

When did you and Trevor first notice Keely Hodgkinson and what were your thoughts?

Trevor knew Keeley before I did as he competed in the UK School Games. I kind of followed her results as we only lived six miles away so she was a real local athlete. We met her in 2018 and were really impressed with her attitude. It’s not just about talent, it’s about dedication, motivation and how you apply yourself.

We got to know her well and I have to give kudos to Keely’s mum Rachel as she would text me and ask me questions like what medicine was ok to take if Keely tested for doping. The fact that someone behind the scenes at Keely thought this way was very impressive.

Keeley actually had an injury in 2019 and she came to us with Trevor for advice and told us she couldn’t run. She had shin splints and we told her not to run for four months, which made her a bit anxious! However, he put her on a progressive program and spoke to her coaches at Leigh Harriers. What we were really impressed with was how much Keeley applied.

Sorry, Joe [Galvin] – Keely’s trainer – then got sick and they had made a decision that Keely should be trained by Trevor, which she had somehow made up in her own head as well. There was no hesitation and we knew she had the right mindset, she was ready to do everything we asked of her and more, and it’s been a really great working partnership ever since.

What advice would you give to young aspiring 800m athletes?

Probably a few tips actually. The first is to just concentrate on yourself and not look at what others are doing. Obviously I’ll get back to Keeley, but what she’s doing at 19 and 20 is not the norm. I reached my peak in athletics and achieved my personal best over 800m when I was 28.

Everyone has a different journey and that is what I would say to most coaches, parents and young athletes. Don’t judge yourself based on others as there is no right or wrong way to do it.

The second thing I would say is don’t be too picky too soon. I think I knew I was an 800m runner and that was my preferred distance at junior and at English schools. As an intermediate athlete I competed in the 300m and fell as I knew I had to be as fast as possible. Then, as a senior athlete, I moved to 400 meters.

I then went on to ride that distance at Under 20 and Under 23 level. I always knew that eventually I would be best in the 800m, but the thing I have to say is that the 800m distances were really good for me. They gave me championship experience, they helped me and things like 4x400m were really good for me. If I had done the 800m every year I think I would have burned out, so it was good to change things up and do a bit of variety. Fun is what will keep you in the sport.

I would also say that you shouldn’t discount how much training and postural work you will need to do. I think a lot of people get caught up in the mileage and only think about the current sessions, but miss the underlying stability. It’s not just about doing it before a session, it’s about doing it in isolation. Don’t just talk during the warm-up because you have to treat it as a focused session and I was taught that from a very young age.

» This article first appeared in September issue of AW magazine