Be the Inspiration: Angie Petty and Rosa Flanagan

Endurance is a vital ingredient in middle distance running, and track training buddies Rosa Flanagan and Angie Petty each know what they need to blend with it, to make it to the top of their disciplines.

For Flanagan to excel in the steeplechase, she needs an extra boost of energy to literally overcome hurdles.  A miss-timed jump can break her rhythm.

Steeples is a continuous chasing game, where you need endurance to catch-up to the next person, and get around them for the jumps. You need to be in the best position when you come off the jumps. Its a continuous game that doesnt end until you cross the finish line, the 3000m specialist says. 

For Petty to shine in the 800m, she also needs speed. The perfect ratio she aims for is 60% endurance, 40% speed.

Its all about putting in the mileage, says the World University Games gold medallist who is aiming to push her mileage up to 100km a week. Even though the 800m isnt a long event, you need the mileage to open up your speed and be able to compete over a number of races in an event.

Flanagan and Petty team-mates at this years World University Games and the IAAF World Championships - train together regularly in Christchurch. While Petty has natural speed, she works with Flanagan to build up her endurance.

In her six-days-a-week training schedule, Petty does a lot of repetition work: 1km sprints, or 500m hill reps; sometimes running for 90 minutes at a time. Shell even try to squeeze in two runs in a day.  Its all about building up your aerobic system, so you have more to draw from in the race, says Petty, who also goes to the gym to build her strength.  

There are times when Flanagan finds training extra tough as she tries to balance her athletics career with part-time study, towards a degree in applied management specialising in human nutrition.

There will be days when you know youve got a hard session coming up, and you just dont want to do it. Its important that I never skip a hard session or a training for whatever reason I just have to keep going. Ultimately its all worth it, when you get the result youve been striving for.

Petty too admits the demands of an elite-level training schedule can be difficult to manage, but she is pushed along by her love of running. On cold miserable days, she reminds herself that every bit helps every time she pounds the pavements or hit the track, she sees it as shaving a 0.1 second off of her race time.

At the same time you need to be smart dont push yourself to injury, or run when youre sick, she says. Recovery is an equally important part of the middle distance runners recipe for success. Both athletes ensure they warm down properly so theyre ready for their next event.

Competing for their country is a huge motivation for both athletes.  Petty focuses on trying to continue New Zealands strong legacy in middle distance running, and at the same time, wants to break new ground as a female athlete. 

The inspiration Petty has taken from Kiwi legends like Peter Snell and John Walker has been invaluable, and she enjoys knowing that she now inspires others.  She does some coaching to give back to the sport she loves.

Im always trying to make my family, my husband, my coach and my country proud.