Long time PREPD Ambassador and Tokyo 2020 Olympian, Izzi Batt-Doyle, sat down with us to discuss her plans to travel internationally for training and competition, with her eye firmly set on qualifying for two of the world's most prestigious athletic competitions. Izzi also gives us an insight into her endurance mindset and the level of training required to be at the top of her sport.
- Tell us about your schedule for the upcoming months?
I have the national 5km championships this Saturday in Sydney and then fly to the USA the next day for a big block of altitude training in Flagstaff Arizona to build up for a 10km race in May. This race is in California and is the last chance to qualify for the World Championships in July and Commonwealth Games in August at this distance.
The World Champs qualifying time for the 5km, which I'll go for this Saturday, is 15:10 and my PB is 15:04, so I know with the right pacing I can get it done. There’s other girls who also want hit this time so I’m hoping we can work together to qualify, rather than just racing for positions. Then in May, the 10km qualifying time is 31:25 and my PB is 31:43, but this was from the start of last year so I think with a good block of training at Flagstaff it is definitely achievable.
I then fly to London for my first Diamond League 5km race, which is a top level competition I’m very excited to race at!
- How often do you train?
I train every day and mostly get in two sessions a day! Weekly, I run between 140-170km, but it changes depending on what I'm preparing for. Tuesday and Friday are hard track and threshold sessions, whilst Sunday is reserved for my long run. The rest of my training days are easier runs at a very comfortable pace which I can do with training partners and friends.
- How important is physical and mental recovery and what does it look like for you?
Since becoming a professional athlete I’ve put more focus on nutrition and doing all the 1%s. Things like taking PREPD before and after my sessions and getting a good nap in the middle of the day on those days when I might be lacking sleep from an early start. Recovery both mentally and physically is so important to be on top of your game, if you’re pushing yourself too hard you’ll never be able to race at your best.
- Do you have a favourite quote that you train by?
It is a little cliche but “Rome wasn’t built in a day” really applies to endurance training because you’re not defined as a runner by the good or bad sessions. It’s all about consistency over weeks and months and really years, keeping that in mind as more of a training principle is something I really think about and helps with my consistency.
I tell myself in training you have to do hard things to be good and nothing good comes easily. This along with lots of other positive mantras such as “I can do this” and “You are strong” are what I tell myself when training gets hard. I think this positive self-talk is really important, especially in challenging sessions.
- Tell us about your favourite PREPD product!
My favourite PREPD product is the Mango Passionfruit Prime and Recover combo! I just love the taste of that flavour and the consistency. It's definitely the first thing I want to drink after a session, especially those hot sessions where you don’t feel like eating afterwards. It’s like a delicious smoothy I know is amazing for my body and is going to help me recover better for the next session. I have the Prime every night before my key sessions and key long runs, and the Recover straight afterwards. I really enjoy drinking PREPD and look forward to it at night because it’s my little treat after dinner!
- What is one piece of advice for young athletes?
No matter what you do, or what race you're in, just make sure you run your own race.
