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Search forMarathon man Dan vows to go on
Thursday, July 24, 2008, 08:00
The 33-year-old from Nailsworth is preparing for his second tilt at an Olympic medal, having won Commonwealth bronze in Melbourne in 2006.
With his wife Jess due to give birth to their first child on August 23 – the day before the big race – Robinson would be forgiven for opting to bow out at the top.
But he remains determined to carry on, feeling his best years as a runner may still be ahead of him.
“You never know when you're going to start slowing down, but while I'm still improving it would be silly to stop,” he said.
“The last four years I haven't done many city marathons, so that might become a priority.”
The gruelling and often lonely training regime required of long-distance specialists can take its toll on even the most dedicated athletes.
Yet Robinson has enjoyed his preparations for the Games, where he will be aiming to top the 23rd place he achieved in Athens four years ago.
He said: “Training in a group is great for the fast speed sessions, which marathon runners need a some of, but I really need to get out and put in the mileage.
“Two-and-a-half-hour runs on a Sunday are the staple of my training and 90 per cent of them are done on my own, so I'm used to it.
“I know my routes and what needs to be done, so it's a case of ticking off the sessions one by one now.”
He added: “Getting out of the door is the hardest bit, but having short-term goals is key and if I can't get motivated for the Olympics then there's something wrong with me.”
Dan Robinson
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