Hatti Dean has spent the last 2 months altitude training in Font Romeu in the Pyrenees and is currently in Iten, Kenya. She is preparing for the European cross-country in December, in which she is aiming for a medal, and gaining a good winter base to prepare for the summer track season and 2012.
Hatti said "Training went pretty well in Font Romeu, it's a beautiful venue and great for running, cross-training and recovery (not to mention amazing baked goods as only the French can do!). The aim was to build a good aerobic base for the winter, and this went well. I was coming back from a knee niggle whilst out there so I did a lot of swimming and biking to complement my running and all these forms of training meant that by end of the trip I had gained a good base for the cross-country season, as well as enabling me to train very hard aerobically and reducing injury risk.
This season carries a lot of importance and I'm trying to continue to train hard but sensibly as consistent training is the key and I don't want to take any risks.
I've just had my first week in Kenya after Font Romeu and will return to the UK for the European cross-country trials in November which are my main aim this winter.
I'm so grateful to CSSC for enabling me to enjoy a great month of training in Font Romeu and give me a kickstart to 2012!2
