Izzy Fry in ‘probably the best shape of my life’ ahead of distance drop
Izzy Fry has said she’s in the best shape of her life following a test of endurance in Birmingham.
Fry competed at the University of Birmingham Track & Field Festival on Saturday, taking on the 10,000m.
Fry was in search of a World Championship qualifying time, and while that didn’t come to fruition she managed a hard fought third place.
Fry also broke the Newbury Athletics Club record, setting a time of 31:47.60.
“It was always going to be tough, as I had some pretty hefty goals,” Fry explained.
“I wanted to have no regrets, give myself the opportunity to reach the World Championship standard of 31:10:00.
“We knew that on a really good day that would be possible, but everything has to align.
“I tried to cling onto the leading girls for as long as possible.
“At 6k I fell off them, so the last four were tough.
“I’m proud of myself for pushing hard.”
Fry prefers a slightly more considered approach, and reflected on her strategy following a tough test in Birmingham.
“Had I been able to run it a bit more conservatively early doors, I think I could have walked away with a time I was happy with,” she explained.
“That’s the way I like to race.
“But that wasn’t the goal going in.
“It was about giving myself the opportunity to get that World Championship time.
“No regrets, but I definitely threw myself in the deep end!”
Fry feels confident however, declaring that she’s in better condition than ever going into the rest of the season.
“I’m in great shape, probably the best shape of my life,” she said.
“I came off that injury early in the year quite well.
“That’s why we went into Saturday with that target.
“We thought, if not now, when?
“We’ll have some recovery now, and we don’t have any major plans moving forward in the summer yet.
“But I think it points towards dropping back down to the 5k.”
Dropping down in distance could allow Fry another route into World Championship contention.
She’s no stranger to chopping and changing distances, but Fry admits there will be challenges in making the switch.
“It will be a shock to the system, as I’ve really been targeting that 10k training,” she said.
“Dropping down will give me something else to focus on, trying to run a world standard there, but that will also be a really big ask.
“There’s slightly less pressure on that distance, and I’ll try to get that sub-15 again if I can.
“Now I’ve broken it, I should have it in the locker.
“In the next few weeks we’ll tap into that, I’d love to break it again and reaffirm it.
“That would be a nice way to round out the season.
“I know that I’ve moved forward a lot this year.
“I’m just waiting for that moment when it all clicks on a race day.”
