Desire to try longer distances puts Dean in good shape

SHEFFIELD'S Hatti Dean admits it will feel like she is running the steeplechase for the first time at the European Championships –having spent last season experimenting over longer distances.

Five years ago Dean made the jump up from flat 1,500m and 3,000m running to the steeplechase – making her international debut 12 months later at the last European Championships.

The 28-year-old failed to make the final in Gothenburg and despite making the British team again for the World Championships in Osaka in 2007 again stumbled during the heats.

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Dean missed out on the Beijing Olympics a year later with a stress fracture to her ankle before choosing to run predominantly 10,000m races and half marathons in 2009.

The Hallamshire Harrier decided that was not for her at the start of 2010 and insists her year-long break from the steeplechase has left her feeling fresher than ever ahead of the European Championships.

"I did the steeplechase until last year, I had done it three years in a row and last year I had a bit of an itch to try the longer events," said Dean – who has been selected for the Aviva GB & NI Team.

"I did a few 10km races and half marathons but I just didn't enjoy it as much as the steeplechase so I have come back really enjoying it. I feel I have a real strength for it and it feels really new to me again.

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"It feels like I am doing the event for the first time and that is exciting. I know now that I have done enough long distance races to satisfy that need and now I want to fully focus on the steeplechase.

"The steeplechase is going to be really competitive and there are some good Russians, good Eastern Europeans and good Portuguese runners.

"But I know about running the heats having run at a major championship before and I know that the first one is going to be different to the second one and which one I am in will make a big difference."

Dean's preparations have been far from plain sailing as she suffered from an inflamed metatarsal six weeks before last month's European Trials and UK Championships in Birmingham.

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The Sheffield ace recovered in time to travel and finish second, although her time of 9:40.69 – a season's best – was agonisingly short of the A qualifying standard.

Dean went in search of the time and found it in the Netherlands clocking 9:40.00 – bang on the standard – days before the team was announced and is adamant she can run quicker in Spain.

"I had the injury about six weeks before the trials and I had planned on doing two races in that time in Warsaw and Istanbul," she added.

"I couldn't run and that was frustrating and as a result I have only raced the 3,000m steeplechase three times this season.

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"I would have liked to have run 9.30 or something like that but I am really pleased to have made the team and I am coming to race fast and I do feel that I have that little bit more left to give."

Aviva's support, both at home and abroad, is helping the team prepare to compete at their best. Watch the Aviva GB & NI Team live in action at the Aviva London Grand Prix. For more details visit aviva.co.uk/athletics

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