Happy New Year all! I have moved to my new website at: www.sebrodger.co.uk please come and join me over there. If you want to read more about the launch of the website please see 'Athletes delighted with their websites by Netkandi' - http://www.netkandi.co.uk/athletes-delighted
Thanks and I look forward to seeing you over on sebrodger.co.uk
Seb
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Thursday, 17 December 2015
Great to be back in Sussex
It is great to be back with Steve King and my old training group in Sussex!
This is probably the reason why training has been going very well in the past few months as I build towards claiming a place in the Great Britain team for next summer’s Olympic Games in Rio, where my father was born.
This winter, the weather has very kind to us so far, even though occasionally I have had to train in wet conditions, but that's what makes us tough!
Winter training started with a great and constructive meeting in Sussex University with Rob Thickpenny (England Athletics), Greg Funnel (my therapist for years), Paul McKeown (old training partner and doing a masters in strength and conditioning) and of course coach King!
It was wicked to get four brains together in the gym, working out and discussing what is best for me going forward.
Everyone was thinking and working towards my goal, getting the best preparation for the Olympic season in 2016.
There were no egos, just great ideas being bought forward! Thank you all for taking time out of your day to make this happen and Chris Minn for organising the meeting.
Having taken all the advice and exercises on board, there has already been a positive difference. I am already seeing quick improvement which will ultimately make me a better, stronger and technically a more efficient athlete!
Another big difference to my improvement is going back weekly to see Greg at Optimum Muscle Care. No one knows my body better than him. He is so important in keeping my body in line and working properly! Keeping injury free is a must for all athletes and I am fully aware of this after what happened to me in the past two years.
Chris Minn and the Netkandi team have also designed a wicked website for me. Please visit seb rodger.co.uk. Everyone has placed a lot of time, belief and effort on me. I hope and determine that I will not let you down!
Going into the New Year, we are very much looking forward to having a couple of 400m runs indoors, but ultimately everything is geared towards the up and coming 2016 season starting with a visit to the USA.
The year 2015 might not have been my year, but we are all excited and hungry to do well again, just like in 2013 when I made the World Championships.
Thank you for all you support!
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!
This is probably the reason why training has been going very well in the past few months as I build towards claiming a place in the Great Britain team for next summer’s Olympic Games in Rio, where my father was born.
This winter, the weather has very kind to us so far, even though occasionally I have had to train in wet conditions, but that's what makes us tough!
Winter training started with a great and constructive meeting in Sussex University with Rob Thickpenny (England Athletics), Greg Funnel (my therapist for years), Paul McKeown (old training partner and doing a masters in strength and conditioning) and of course coach King!
It was wicked to get four brains together in the gym, working out and discussing what is best for me going forward.
Everyone was thinking and working towards my goal, getting the best preparation for the Olympic season in 2016.
There were no egos, just great ideas being bought forward! Thank you all for taking time out of your day to make this happen and Chris Minn for organising the meeting.
Having taken all the advice and exercises on board, there has already been a positive difference. I am already seeing quick improvement which will ultimately make me a better, stronger and technically a more efficient athlete!
Another big difference to my improvement is going back weekly to see Greg at Optimum Muscle Care. No one knows my body better than him. He is so important in keeping my body in line and working properly! Keeping injury free is a must for all athletes and I am fully aware of this after what happened to me in the past two years.
Chris Minn and the Netkandi team have also designed a wicked website for me. Please visit seb rodger.co.uk. Everyone has placed a lot of time, belief and effort on me. I hope and determine that I will not let you down!
Going into the New Year, we are very much looking forward to having a couple of 400m runs indoors, but ultimately everything is geared towards the up and coming 2016 season starting with a visit to the USA.
The year 2015 might not have been my year, but we are all excited and hungry to do well again, just like in 2013 when I made the World Championships.
Thank you for all you support!
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!
Thursday, 17 September 2015
The road to Rio has started!
 |
| British Championship - way ahead of opposition! |
The last couple of years have been very difficult and have not gone as planned. I have loved my time in Bath, I love the city, love the lifestyle and loved training with my group! Unfortunately, I have not progressed so I decided to make the difficult decision and leave Bath. It was a decision that was not easy to make.
2015 season did not go as I wanted. Injury, changing my stride pattern and bad luck all had a massive influence. The last straw was not making the Great Britain World Championship team this year despite travelling and running races around Europe trying to get the qualifying time.
It has been a great experience and a lot of fun training with James, we have had a huge amount of highs and lows, his constant support has stopped me from going insane! I am really pleased that he will still be helping me in the future. I want to thank everyone in Bath who has supported me through the last couple of years! You will all be missed! I won't be a stranger though! That's for sure!
This season has taught me so many very important lessons, but most of all to love the sport I'm in. For the first time ever, I have not enjoyed racing this season! As many people know athletics is a physically and mentally draining sport, and when things aren't going your way it feels like there's no light at the end of this long tunnel!
The season started badly with an injury which meant that I could not train probably (alot of swimming and cycling but no running). This affected our plans to run 3 to 4 races before the season started.
 |
| European Team Championship ~ Cheboksary, Russia |
After all I have suffered this year, it has made me stronger and now feel very excited and positive going into the 2016 season. My main goal of course, is always Rio!
As frustrating as this year has been, I can only imagine how stressful it has been for my family, coach and friends, they have had to deal with me all year! But thank you so much for all your help and support! This season hasn't gone to plan but as they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and this definitely applies! I will be back!
So a huge huge thank you to James Hillier, I will miss you, my group and support team in Bath, my friends and family!
Also a BIG thanks to Greg Funnel for fitting me in whenever I needed him and always being able to put me back together! He is an amazing Physio and friend.
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Good Season opener
My first race of the year was competing for England at the
Gugl Indoor Competion in Linz Austria. I was very pleased how I ran, going through the line in a new Indoor PB of 47.13. My time was the fastest of all the heats so I won the 400m competition, winning a delicious Austrian cake which I shared with the team.
The atmosphere was tremendous with cheerleaders, great spectators, international athletes and a cuddly mascot called "Speedy". You can see all of this by going to the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX0W2sWLg0I. My race is about 15minutes into the tape.
Bring on the summer season!
The atmosphere was tremendous with cheerleaders, great spectators, international athletes and a cuddly mascot called "Speedy". You can see all of this by going to the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX0W2sWLg0I. My race is about 15minutes into the tape.
Bring on the summer season!
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
2015 opener in Linz, Austria
It's been a while! Apologies for the lack of news!
2014 was a very important year for me, but not quite the year I wanted! I still made the Championships representing England in the Commonwealth Games and Great Britain in the European Championship. It was a honour and I loved the experience. I always tend to find myself performing well in Champs, apart from Glasgow, but let's move on from that!
One of my best performances was in Zurich coming back with the fastest time out of the Brits and making the semi final! This of course isn't good enough, I wanted to be in that final! But considering the year I had with many issues away from the track, I finished the 2014 season on a high! I know that every set back in 2014 will make me stronger and more prepared for my future!
 |
| European Championships, Zurich |
The Christmas break was a much needed. It was fantastic to head back home to be with my family.
It was also nice to return to the track were it all started in Eastbourne!
Winter training has been going fantastically well. In January, a few of us from my training group flew to Tenerife for 10 days. It was so lovely having the sun on my back and being able to run some quick sessions. This is the first time I have been away in January which made a great difference. I did have the option of going to South Africa but my coach and I felt that it was a long way to go, especially as outdoor is our main focus. It's my first time in Tenerife and have been very impressed with the facilities and the warmth even in January!
Some of my training sets can be seen on the following link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-frvKikUdLQ
 |
| Training in sunny Tenerife |
 |
| Looking good in Tenerife!! |
I am aiming to run a few indoor meetings, running the 400m for England in Linz will be one of them, but our main aim is the outdoors and selection for the World Championships in Bejing!
Again a huge thanks to everyone who has supported me the past year, it's been tough but having you all by my side has really made the difference!
Just a quick note on how impressed I am with the new Nike spikes and gear!
2015 will be a big one, watch this space!
Sunday, 31 August 2014
2014 season has been a huge learning curve for me!
2014 has had many up and downs!
This has been my first year moving away from home, under a new coach and in a whole new environment!
First of all I have hugely enjoyed my first year training in Bath, I truly feel I am now in the best, most professional environment.
It has been my first year under the watch full eyes of my coach James Hillier. We have both learn't huge amounts about each other on and off the track, and are both so excited for the 2015 season!
This year has been very mixed for me, after a fantastic 2013 season where I broke through into the GB senior team, I was looking forward to building on last year!
All hasn’t quite gone to plan….winter training went well and was pushing my body harder than it has ever been pushed, in doing so I suffered with a slight nerve issue which hampered my training for a few months. Only slightly but meant I couldn’t really sprint flat out, which was disappointing. I am pleased that by the middle of the summer season this had all cleared up with help from Loughborough!
After chasing a few early races around Europe I ended up running 49.51 in Belgium my 3rd quickest time and fastest time outside of a championships, to secure my Commonwealth selection.
Back from running in Belguim, we went into training for a couple of weeks where I was banging out some of my best sessions on the track, my body was feeling great and I felt confident going into my next race in Geneva. Unfortunately this wasn’t to be. On the 13th of June which of course happens to be a Friday, on the way to the airport I was involved in a serious car crash which left me shaken and luckily not badly injured. After being taken to the hospital in an ambulance, I had my neck and wrist scanned. It was such a relief to hear that I had not sustained serious injuries apart from a few knocks and bumps, whip lash and a small broken bone in my hand. It really makes you reflect, take a step back and appreciate how lucky I was. It could have been much worse! That was the end of my car!
This accident came at a cost after having to back off from training for a week and slowly working my way back. It left me with 10 days to prepare for the British trials! This is a hugely important competition where the top 2 get automatic selection for the European Championships if they have the standard.
I felt ready to race, but after missing a couple of important races leading up to the trials, I felt slightly under par, especially for such an important and big competition.
In the heat, I felt tired and a little bit out of racing touch and disappointingly finished 2nd in my heat. This meant that in the final I was shafted into lane eight. Saturday night, the day before the final, I have never felt so low and disappointed, purely because I have never raced well in lane eight and found myself in the unknown. But you know what, this is track and field, things happen, and they don’t always go the way you planned. After having a chat with my parents and girlfriend, I relaxed thinking that the pressure was off, to go out there and enjoy the final. That is exactly what I did! From lane eight, I came 3rd in my first senior national championships! Even though I was disappointed not to be in the top 2, I proved to myself that from lane eight I can still race and perform. After the final, I felt a huge sense of excitement because I felt I was back! I spoke to my Agent, Dave and discussed my options race wise.
I had a couple of races lined up with good fields, but wasn’t finding any sort of break with the weather! Being a hurdler, with stride patterns, it is so hard to run quick on wind swept tracks, especially down the back straight! I am still learning how to compete in adverse conditions.
Even though I was putting a brave face on and trying not to let the conditions affect me, I was getting impatient and frustrated, especially when I was trying to run a good time for the Europeans. This does NOT work! I run my best when I am enjoying racing and feeling relaxed, not chasing times!
I was also getting frustrated because I just couldn’t seem to find my correct race rhythm. We had been working on a lot of technical stuff with my hurdling and this affected my timing between hurdles but I know in the long run it will all pay off!
I felt very excited going to Glasgow for my country in my first Commonwealth Games. Training had been good leading up to the games, working closely with Malcolm Arnold and his group away from the Commonwealth buzz!
I was settled and prepared for the games, the opening ceremony was incredible, the whole team atmosphere was electric! Everyone couldn’t wait to compete and perform for their country! I have so many great memories of the games, but my performance was not one of them!
Unfortunately they decided to get rid of the heats, which was disappointing especially as I get better round by round!
So all the sudden, there was this pressure to do well in the semi-final. Once again, there was a stiff head wind down the back straight on a cold Glaswegian morning. I basically got my race wrong, working too hard down the back straight into the wind and didn’t have my signature strong finish. Walking off the track I can’t even describe the disappointment.
This disappointment did not last long as I got the call from my coach 30 minutes after stepping off the track saying that I had the Europeans to prepare for! At that time I had such mixed emotions but was so thankful to be given a chance to redeem myself! I had a second chance to race and perform!
I didn’t end up staying to the end of the games, I felt it was important to get myself back into my training environment in Bath in preparation for the European Championships in Zurich.
It was great to get back, catch up with James and get myself prepared! We only had a week to get ready and focused on the Europeans. I had shaken off the disappointment of Glasgow and had some great sessions on the track. I finally felt relaxed and back to my normal self. I don’t know why but for some reason it just clicked! I felt the best I had done all year!
Going to Zurich, I was so excited and so honoured putting on the Great Britain vest again!
In my heat I qualified for the semi-final with 49.87 coming 3rd, moving really really well. I felt so strong and had a huge smile on my face! I was so excited to get back on the track for my semi-final, I felt ready and knew what I had to do! The semi-final was a very strange day, we were delayed in the call room for an hour, which made it hard to stay focused and warm. This was due due to a storm hitting Zurich, and guess what - high winds!!
This didn’t affect the way I executed my race but due to my stride pattern on a super quick track, I felt on top of the hurdles, having to run a controlled first 200 meters, which left me slightly off the pace. I finished like a train, and came 4th in my semi running a seasons best of 49.47 which I was pleased with, but just wanted more. It is always disappointing when you know you could run quicker and just missing out on the final. I loved racing and felt back to where I wanted to be. I didn’t want to stop racing. I am in great shape and have finally found my race rhythm but unfortunately have just run out of season!
See the heat race on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOuedPaR9bA
I am looking forward to the 2015. I am stronger and faster since running in 2013. After having a few extra sessions with Malcolm in Zurich trying something new and going through it with James on my return, we have a long hard winter ahead preparing for a fantastic 2015 summer season!
It has been a real learning curve for me this year, and even though I had some of the lowest points of my career so far, I have always picked myself up, stayed positive and sometimes it has been very hard, I have never stopped believing! I still have got alot to learn and need to be patient. I will be back to my very very best next year! That's a promise!
I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my career so far and this season, Huge thanks to my Coach James Hillier, and Malcolm Arnold for taking care of me in Glasgow and Zurich. My medical team around me have done a exceptional job keeping me in check. Greg Funnel at Optimum Muscle Care once again has been incredible this year, treating me when I’m home. My physios in Bath, Ben McDonald and James Davies, putting up with me everyday!
Huge thanks to my sponsors, Ian Wilson, Nike for keeping me looking fresh all year, British Athletics and the National Lottery!
But most of all, thank you so much to my family. Without you staying close and believing in me through everything, I honestly would have struggled more this year! I sometimes have been a nightmare and very hard to be around as Emma knows all to well! Thank you for putting up with me!
As my 2014 season comes to a close, I wish to thank all my supporters out there, and I promise 2015 will be fantastic!!
This has been my first year moving away from home, under a new coach and in a whole new environment!
First of all I have hugely enjoyed my first year training in Bath, I truly feel I am now in the best, most professional environment.
It has been my first year under the watch full eyes of my coach James Hillier. We have both learn't huge amounts about each other on and off the track, and are both so excited for the 2015 season!
This year has been very mixed for me, after a fantastic 2013 season where I broke through into the GB senior team, I was looking forward to building on last year!
 |
| Commonwelth Games, Glasgow |
After chasing a few early races around Europe I ended up running 49.51 in Belgium my 3rd quickest time and fastest time outside of a championships, to secure my Commonwealth selection.
Back from running in Belguim, we went into training for a couple of weeks where I was banging out some of my best sessions on the track, my body was feeling great and I felt confident going into my next race in Geneva. Unfortunately this wasn’t to be. On the 13th of June which of course happens to be a Friday, on the way to the airport I was involved in a serious car crash which left me shaken and luckily not badly injured. After being taken to the hospital in an ambulance, I had my neck and wrist scanned. It was such a relief to hear that I had not sustained serious injuries apart from a few knocks and bumps, whip lash and a small broken bone in my hand. It really makes you reflect, take a step back and appreciate how lucky I was. It could have been much worse! That was the end of my car!
This accident came at a cost after having to back off from training for a week and slowly working my way back. It left me with 10 days to prepare for the British trials! This is a hugely important competition where the top 2 get automatic selection for the European Championships if they have the standard.
I felt ready to race, but after missing a couple of important races leading up to the trials, I felt slightly under par, especially for such an important and big competition.
In the heat, I felt tired and a little bit out of racing touch and disappointingly finished 2nd in my heat. This meant that in the final I was shafted into lane eight. Saturday night, the day before the final, I have never felt so low and disappointed, purely because I have never raced well in lane eight and found myself in the unknown. But you know what, this is track and field, things happen, and they don’t always go the way you planned. After having a chat with my parents and girlfriend, I relaxed thinking that the pressure was off, to go out there and enjoy the final. That is exactly what I did! From lane eight, I came 3rd in my first senior national championships! Even though I was disappointed not to be in the top 2, I proved to myself that from lane eight I can still race and perform. After the final, I felt a huge sense of excitement because I felt I was back! I spoke to my Agent, Dave and discussed my options race wise.
I had a couple of races lined up with good fields, but wasn’t finding any sort of break with the weather! Being a hurdler, with stride patterns, it is so hard to run quick on wind swept tracks, especially down the back straight! I am still learning how to compete in adverse conditions.
Even though I was putting a brave face on and trying not to let the conditions affect me, I was getting impatient and frustrated, especially when I was trying to run a good time for the Europeans. This does NOT work! I run my best when I am enjoying racing and feeling relaxed, not chasing times!
I was also getting frustrated because I just couldn’t seem to find my correct race rhythm. We had been working on a lot of technical stuff with my hurdling and this affected my timing between hurdles but I know in the long run it will all pay off!
I felt very excited going to Glasgow for my country in my first Commonwealth Games. Training had been good leading up to the games, working closely with Malcolm Arnold and his group away from the Commonwealth buzz!
I was settled and prepared for the games, the opening ceremony was incredible, the whole team atmosphere was electric! Everyone couldn’t wait to compete and perform for their country! I have so many great memories of the games, but my performance was not one of them!
Unfortunately they decided to get rid of the heats, which was disappointing especially as I get better round by round!
So all the sudden, there was this pressure to do well in the semi-final. Once again, there was a stiff head wind down the back straight on a cold Glaswegian morning. I basically got my race wrong, working too hard down the back straight into the wind and didn’t have my signature strong finish. Walking off the track I can’t even describe the disappointment.
This disappointment did not last long as I got the call from my coach 30 minutes after stepping off the track saying that I had the Europeans to prepare for! At that time I had such mixed emotions but was so thankful to be given a chance to redeem myself! I had a second chance to race and perform!
I didn’t end up staying to the end of the games, I felt it was important to get myself back into my training environment in Bath in preparation for the European Championships in Zurich.
It was great to get back, catch up with James and get myself prepared! We only had a week to get ready and focused on the Europeans. I had shaken off the disappointment of Glasgow and had some great sessions on the track. I finally felt relaxed and back to my normal self. I don’t know why but for some reason it just clicked! I felt the best I had done all year!Going to Zurich, I was so excited and so honoured putting on the Great Britain vest again!
In my heat I qualified for the semi-final with 49.87 coming 3rd, moving really really well. I felt so strong and had a huge smile on my face! I was so excited to get back on the track for my semi-final, I felt ready and knew what I had to do! The semi-final was a very strange day, we were delayed in the call room for an hour, which made it hard to stay focused and warm. This was due due to a storm hitting Zurich, and guess what - high winds!!
This didn’t affect the way I executed my race but due to my stride pattern on a super quick track, I felt on top of the hurdles, having to run a controlled first 200 meters, which left me slightly off the pace. I finished like a train, and came 4th in my semi running a seasons best of 49.47 which I was pleased with, but just wanted more. It is always disappointing when you know you could run quicker and just missing out on the final. I loved racing and felt back to where I wanted to be. I didn’t want to stop racing. I am in great shape and have finally found my race rhythm but unfortunately have just run out of season!
See the heat race on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOuedPaR9bA
I am looking forward to the 2015. I am stronger and faster since running in 2013. After having a few extra sessions with Malcolm in Zurich trying something new and going through it with James on my return, we have a long hard winter ahead preparing for a fantastic 2015 summer season!
It has been a real learning curve for me this year, and even though I had some of the lowest points of my career so far, I have always picked myself up, stayed positive and sometimes it has been very hard, I have never stopped believing! I still have got alot to learn and need to be patient. I will be back to my very very best next year! That's a promise!
I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my career so far and this season, Huge thanks to my Coach James Hillier, and Malcolm Arnold for taking care of me in Glasgow and Zurich. My medical team around me have done a exceptional job keeping me in check. Greg Funnel at Optimum Muscle Care once again has been incredible this year, treating me when I’m home. My physios in Bath, Ben McDonald and James Davies, putting up with me everyday!
Huge thanks to my sponsors, Ian Wilson, Nike for keeping me looking fresh all year, British Athletics and the National Lottery!
But most of all, thank you so much to my family. Without you staying close and believing in me through everything, I honestly would have struggled more this year! I sometimes have been a nightmare and very hard to be around as Emma knows all to well! Thank you for putting up with me!
As my 2014 season comes to a close, I wish to thank all my supporters out there, and I promise 2015 will be fantastic!!
Saturday, 21 June 2014
Commonwealth Games, Glasgow
So, so, so happy and excited to announce I have been selected to run the 400m hurdles for England in this summers Commonwealth Games in Glasgow! I think this is probably my greatest achievement. It is hard to top the World Championships, but the Commonwealth Games is really on par with the Olympics.
But before this, there is a small matter of the National Championships in Birmingham on the 27th - 29 June (my birthday weekend!). The championships are also trials for the European Championships in August. Preparations have not been idea especially after a van crashed into me on my way to Bristol airport for a flight to Geneva on Friday 13th, but after the shock, I feel good, prepared and ready for the Nationals!!
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