Training During A Pandemic

This week’s Thursday’s Thought was brought to us by Miss Pye who had a chat to her friend, British 800m Champion, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke about training during a pandemic.

Miss Pye talked to Shelayna about how influential her PE teacher was growing up.

She said: “I went to Baylis Court School in Slough and quite a lot of the girls in my year were talented. My PE teacher encouraged me to start down at the running track. She took me there regularly and encouraged me.

“I was good at school but from a national perspective I wasn’t that good, but she saw something in me and kept encouraging me throughout my school years and we are still friends to this day. She has been pivotal in my development in sport but also in my development as a person. She comes to all my events and even came to the Olympics in Rio!”

Shelayna is an ambassador for Get Berkshire Active, she believes that keeping young people active is vitally important. It can help build friendships and it helps build physical and mental fitness. 

She said: “A lot of my friends have been made through sport and a lot of experiences and opportunities I have had have been through physical activity.

“Taking part in physical activity is even more important now as it is something we can have control over and set a routine around.”

Shelayna is currently based in Philadelphia in the US at a training camp during lockdown.

She has been able to keep up a routine with running, but it has been difficult when gyms were closed during the winter. It has also been difficult for Shelayna with events being cancelled to know where to take her training and when to reach her peak.

Shelayna is hoping though that the trials for the British Championships to qualify for the Olympics will go ahead this year.

In closing, Shelayna offered some words of wisdom to our pupils who are training hard in their sports on their own during lockdown:

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, you have to stay disciplined but you have to stay in tune with your feelings. Stay focused on your goals and keep pushing and try to stay as motivated as you can as we will get out of this.”

Thank you so much for joining us today Shelayna!