Sky Academy Sports Scholarships: Jessica Judd loving Loughborough life
Monday 1 December 2014 15:44, UK
It has been a rather eventful few months for Jessica Judd. Since she was last seen in action at the European Championships in Zurich in August she has left home, started university, changed her coach and is now preparing to compete in the European Cross Country trials on Saturday.
Despite all the changes it is clear that the Sky Academy Sports Scholar is loving every minute of her new life at Loughborough University.
She is surrounded by likeminded people with some of the country’s best sports facilities on her doorstep. It is fair to say that early morning training sessions are not part of most people’s idea of the traditional student life but for Judd, living away from home for the first time, it could hardly be better.
I feel like I’m getting stronger because everything is here to enable me to. It’s hard work but it is really fun
“It was hard to leave my family behind and it took a couple of days to get into it, being more independent and everything. But it has been really fun, I’ve made lots of friends and settled in really well,” she told Sky Sports.
“I’m being coached by my dad and George Gandy now which is really fun and the training groups up here are just brilliant so I think that’s helped me to settle in. I’m just really enjoying it.
“On a Tuesday session I think we get about 50 people turning up at the track to do a session and it is things like that that help me get through the winter, it makes you better. I absolutely love it up here. I’ve only been home once. I love everything about it.”
With UK Athletics being based in Loughborough, Judd wants for nothing when it comes to not only the facilities but the treatments on offer, all within walking distance of his accommodation.
Useful
“It’s really useful. Just in the case of things like massages, it’s brilliant. Having testing done, it’s all on campus so you don’t have to travel at all. I have massages twice a week now whereas before I had it every three weeks,” the middle-distance runner explained.
“I feel like it is helping my training, obviously we’ve got the track, a brilliant gym, swimming pools and I’ve managed to keep really healthy. I think I’m a lot fitter because all the facilities here enable me to get the best out of my running and just raise my fitness levels.
“I feel like I’m getting stronger because everything is here to enable me to. It’s hard work but it is really fun.”
Of course while she continues to work towards securing a place on the GB team for the Olympic Games in Rio, the 19-year-old runner must also find time to attend lectures and study for her Human Biology degree.
It is far from simple to keep on top of everything, Judd admitted, but after a period of adjustment, everything is starting to click into place. Indeed, studying can even come as a welcome break on occasion.
“It’s difficult. I think because I’ve had a gap year as well I’m coming back into and thinking ‘oh my goodness’ and I’m trying to relearn everything,” she said.
“I’m really lucky that I’m in a sport block here so there is a rugby team and a couple of other runners. My friend does the triathlon and we’re on the same course so that is perfect, we can fit our studying in around training.
“It is hard to balance and it took me a couple of weeks to get into it because I thought it was going to be easy and then the workload just started to gradually creep up. It’s good, it’s just taken me about eight weeks to get into it!
“But now I’m absolutely fine, I love it and I’m really enjoying studying because it gives me something else to think about other than running. When I had fresher’s flu I couldn’t train very well, it was horrible just sitting out but because I had studying to do it took my mind off it. It means if I am ever injured, I’ve got something else to focus on.”
On the track there has also been a slight change of focus with Judd splitting with Rob Denmark, her coach of almost three years.
Enjoyment
“It was a difficult choice to make and I was a bit nervous about doing it. Obviously me and Rob had worked together for quite a while and I enjoyed it. But when I came up to Uni I started to lose a bit of the enjoyment in my running,” she explained.
“I just thought that I wanted to get the enjoyment back in my running. I was looking forward to coming to Uni, being a student because I keep forgetting that I’m only 19. My dad was taking my sessions for a while and I just told Rob that I wanted to enjoy my running and just be a kid again.
“When I came up here I got to join in with George (Gandy). It started out with just one session but now I go to every session in the week. I asked George if he would mind coaching me and he was really up for it. Then when I go home my dad will look after my sessions, but him and George have the same ideas which is really good. So while I’m up here, what my dad would set me, George is setting me. It’s exciting and I really enjoy it.
“It fits around my studies and British Athletics people tend to train at around midday and I can’t do that because I have lectures. A lot of people here are full-time athletes. On a Monday morning we have drills at half past seven because we have lectures at nine or ten.
“It is just a lot easier because it is student times, times that students train but some of the students here are so quick and it’s always nice to try and keep up with the boys. It just suits me really well. If was a difficult decision to make but I’m really glad that I’ve done it and I feel like I’m getting somewhere.”
The immediate concern for Judd is the European Cross Country trials this weekend. Once again, enjoyment is a key part of why she is competing as well as the chance to build a solid fitness base ahead of an important 2015 season.
“This part of the year for me is just to get stronger for the track season, I really want to try and make the World Championships and stuff like that. That’s when it starts getting really serious for me. But this time of year I’ll probably just be happy with running well, feeling strong and if I can make Europeans (Cross Country) that’ll be great,” she added.
It has been all change for Judd, the hope now is that the new lease of life they have provided her with can help to propel her to the next level and make 2015 a memorable year.
