Porridge is my recipe for success

IHAVE fond memories of the London Stadium, particularly breaking the British 1500m record there last year. The World Championships are going to be so much fun. People say it’s a fast track and you get that feeling when you’re striding out to warm up. It’s done well for me so far!

It’s going to be exciting. The programme is perfect for me to double up in the 1500m and 5,000m. The 1500m rounds are first, starting tonight, and, if I can reach the final on Monday, I’ll have 72 hours before the heats of the 5,000m begin. I guess I’m just lucky I can do so many different events. I’m fortunate I’ve got that armoury of a good sprint, but I know I’ve got the endurance as well. I HAD less than 24 hours between the 1500m and 3,000m finals at the European Indoors in March, so I tried various ways to recover. It must have worked as I came away with two gold medals.

I’ll see my physio, wear compression socks and have a 10-minute ice bath. It’s not pleasant but you just have to tough it out. I had a go in an ice chamber for the first time last week as well, and managed to stay in at minus 180ºC for two minutes.

Trying to get lots of sleep will be the main thing, but it’ll be difficult if I reach the 1500m final. It doesn’t start until 9.50pm and it’s the last event of the night. If all goes well I can’t imagine I’ll be getting back to my bed until way after midnight. IT WAS a bit of a surprise to see Caster Semenya decide to double up in the 1500m and 800m. If you had to put money on her going for another event alongside her specialist 800m you’d probably say the 400m would suit her more because she’s so strong. She hasn’t run 1500m much.

But I will race whoever is on the start line. I just have to focus on myself. My coach Andy Young and I have plans for different races, so we will look at whether my tactical approach will change if I line up against her. You have to see how you’re feeling going into each race and try to look at every eventuality. I TRY to avoid superstitious routines. You don’t want anything to go wrong and upset you. I wear a bit of make-up to run, but I don’t have any lucky jewellery or wear anything special. I shared a room with an American long jumper once and she had about 12 different bottles of nail varnish. That’s not really for me.

But my bags are always full of instant porridge pots. I take them everywhere. They’re so easy to prepare. All you need is hot water, so I eat one before a race. You can take the girl out of Scotland . . . !

I have an army of people coming from Glasgow to support me. Major championships are often far away so everyone seems to be coming down — my mum, dad, gran, little brother, aunties, uncle and cousins, vet friends, training partners, school teachers. Some only have tickets for the finals — no pressure, then. LONDON will be my third world championships and I’ll be running in a third different event. In Moscow in 2013 I did the 800m, then in Beijing two years ago I did the 1500m. This time it’s the 1500m and 5,000m.

It’s such a big learning curve pulling on a British vest and competing for a major title, so that experience can only be a good thing.

I feel lucky to have been exposed to major championships at an early age. If I had one piece of advice for my 20-year- old self in Moscow it would be to stick at it and believe in yourself. You are going to do well. I HAVE been in Font Romeu, 1,850 metres above sea level in the French Pyrenees, for the final stages of preparation. The weather has been lovely and there’s a great vibe among the British team. Most of the hard work’s done now and it’s just about keeping things ticking over.

I’ve been watching the last season of House of Cards and having a wander into town for a cup of tea or a cool drink — I don’t drink coffee — but there isn’t much down-time once training and physiotherapy is done. BREAKING the two-minute barrier for 800m in Lausanne last month was a massive boost. I was a wee bit nervous because it was my first race back after missing a few weeks with a foot injury, so I was over the moon. I was a little bit tearful afterwards.

The Anniversary Games, when I set a personal best for the mile, was also really good. Two PBs in four days isn’t bad, is it?

You see Adam Peaty and think he must be disappointed if he gets out of the pool without setting a new lifetime best. But for me, competing in the middle distances, it’s different. Two races are never the same. Some are slow and tactical and others a fight from the gun.

The 3,000m I ran at the Diamond League in Monaco was tough. I have not run that far in a race since March. Hellen Obiri was superb and worthy of the win.

I crossed the line and then my Dundee Hawkhill team- mate Eilish McColgan went by me as she set a new personal best. It was quite a night for us, and it gave me a real sense of what it’s going to be like over 5,000m in London — only it’s two kilometres further!