Athletics: Tracey's up, running and eager to pull on Welsh vest; Morris over her injury fears In the Daily Post's continued build-up to the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Anglesey marathon runner Tracey Morris reveals her injury nightmare to Tom Bodden.

Byline: Tom Bodden

In the Daily Post's continued build-up to the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Anglesey marathon runner Tracey Morris reveals her injury nightmare to Tom Bodden

BORN-AGAIN marathon runner Tracey Morris feared that her dream of pulling on the red vest of Wales at the Commonwealth Games could be wrecked by injury.

Last summer an operation on a troublesome Achilles was the last resort on the road to regain fitness.

Welsh selectors imposed a three-month deadline when the athletics team was announced in October for Anglesey-born Morris, 38, to prove herself.

And the former Holyhead Welsh schools champion was delighted to run her way back into the team by winning the Bedford half-marathon before Christmas.

The injury forced her out of the 2005 London Marathon, in which she shot to national prominence a year earlier.

"I had been training really hard and had been out to Boulder in February for altitude training.

"Everything was going really well until March, four weeks before," she said.

The problem finally had to be resolved with an operation in Northampton in July.

"Now it's a matter of building back up again and just being careful," she added. "You try and push to see if you can get the fitness and it's a very fine line to see how far you can go without being injured.

"Unfortunately I was injured all last year and it takes a long time to come back."

The former Holyhead Cybi Strider, now a member of Valley Striders, Leeds, secured a personal best time of 2h 33m 52s in the London event in 2004, and finished as the first British woman, which secured her a place at the Athens Olympics alongside Paula Radcliffe.

Her only previous marathon had been 3:39:21 in London in 1999 and she only started running seriously in late 2002, but now she hopes injury is behind her as she focuses on Melbourne.

"I'm training six days week and last week I did 76 miles," she said.

"At the moment I'm going through a bit of a tired phase which we all do going back into full training, you need to do that.

"I did my first two hours 12 minutes last Sunday and it's the first long, long run I've done for a long time and not being a spring chicken any more you are going to feel it.

"I had to keep reminding myself, this is how you feel, remember."

But ask her what drives her on and she struggles to find a direct answer.

"I don't know. I think, I really enjoy running. Being injured that's what I really missed. I did a lot of training in the pool and on the bike and nothing beats running outdoors.

"Even if it's freezing cold and windy. You put your hat and coat on and gloves and it's lovely."

And what about the winning? When asked that, a familiar broad smile returns to her face.

"Running is one of those things that when it's going well it's a brilliant feeling.

"Unfortunately when it's not going well it can also be very depressing, you just hope you get out of that phase and you just take the good with the bad."

When British star Radcliffe broke down at the side of the marathon course in the heat of the Athens Olympics - Tracey finished a creditable 29th in 2:41:00 - it was an example of the mental as well as physical pressures on marathon runners.

"For her, there was so much expectation on the day and I could never equate to that. I am just not in Paula Radcliffe's league.

"Whatever level you are, when you have worked so hard and obviously something like that happens, it is devastating."

The weeks running up to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in March will be spent in a familiar routine, she says.

"Trying to get as much training in as possible really without going too far.

"There is a very fine line. As well as trying to keep well and avoid people with coughs and colds. Something very simple like that can knock your training back for another two weeks."

She will be aiming to bank up to two runs of 21-22 miles in the weeks ahead.

"I just want to run as well as I possibly can.

"I never look beyond the games. I didn't look beyond Athens. I'll tell you after the race.

"I knew the Commonwealth Games were coming up and I did say that I would like to go.

"Last year I never thought I would be coming. That's what running can be like. Everything can be going so well one day and the next day that's it."

Morris, who once turned down a chance to run for England, is grateful of Welsh support ahead of the games: "I'll be really proud to put my Welsh vest on."

And Welsh athletics coach Phil Banning has high hopes in Melbourne for the former Welsh schools champion.

She laughs: "No pressure there, then.

"If things go well, and if I can get a good pot of training in, and I can get back to a good level of fitness I'm happy with...

"But you can never take anything for granted.

"Twenty six miles is a long way, you know. A lot can happen in the race as well."

Morris moved away from Anglesey to study as an optician in Bradford and settled in Yorkshire, taking up running again at Valley Striders to "keep fit"'.

But she loves to return to the island to see family and friends.

"I still like to call Anglesey home," she said. "I just love running along coast roads.

"It's always windy when I run there, I never actually noticed till I moved away but I just love the fresh air and I love running at home."

CAPTION(S):

Anglesey's Tracey Morris at the 2004 Olympic marathon in Athens