Saturday with Olympian Sophie Becker: A lot of my life is giving 100 percent

Irish sprinter Sophie Becker has represented Ireland twice in the Olympic games

Image of Sophie Becker and Katie Gleeson by Tom Scott.

07.30

I get up around 7.30am and do 10 minutes of meditation, some journaling or planning. A lot of my life is giving 100 percent and I find it hard to sit still. I work with a sports psychologist who suggested I look at meditation or breathwork. I find meditation best because I can just pop in my earphones and don’t have to go to a class. It has made me a bit more measured and calm and has changed me for the better. David Gillick was tapped into sports psychology and visualisation long before many other athletes were – what the one percent were doing 10 years ago, everyone is doing now.

08.00

I’ll have my breakfast at 8am. This will give my body time to digest my food and to get energy from it. My food intake and refuelling have to be timed carefully. I’ll eat porridge with natural yoghurt for protein, lots of fruit, and a dollop of peanut butter. I have a rest day on Friday, so Saturday is day one of my training week. I like to do my hair nicely and put on a bit of makeup. If I look good, I feel good. I suppose it’s like other people getting ready for work. I’ll make a flat white and sip it in the car while listening to some techno, Bicep, Fisher... something upbeat.

10.00

We’ll do foam rolling, stretches, activation and any rehab for about 15 minutes. I’ll catch up with people and have a bit of craic before focusing to do warm-ups and drills. I’ve been in the same training group since 2016 when I went to DCU. On cold, dark winter nights training is the last thing I want to do but it changes your mood being around like-minded people – it’s a great group. You’re not always going to have motivation but you have to be disciplined. There is no short cut – it’s about showing up every day.

11.00

Irish Olympian Sophie Beck: I’lll usually eat dinner at home because I’m up early on Sunday for training.

After 11am we are getting in some harder, faster runs. I’ll be waiting at the start line to do four 250 metre runs. As the weeks progress, the times will get faster because you’re getting fitter and faster – the main goal is speed and endurance. It’s not a nice session, lactic acid can be very painful, but you kind of love it too because you know that you’re becoming a faster athlete.

12.45

The session will be over at around 12.45pm and a few people will need to be peeled off the ground. It’ll be about 15 minutes before we can crawl back to our bags, have a drink and a chat. I’ll have some natural yoghurt with granola and fruit to get in the carbs and protein I need before the next session.

13.00

The gym session on a Saturday is focused on strength training. We’ll do dead lifts, squats, a core lift, calf raises and pull ups. During the week the session focuses on power and involves Olympic weightlifting but I couldn’t do a power session after the session I’ve just had on the track.

14.00

As Saturday is the one day my boyfriend and friends are off work, I like to get a coffee or lunch with them. I might meet them in The Middle Child, a really nice bakery beside the stadium in Santry. I love the cafe in Malahide Garden Centre too because I love plants and homewares. Sometimes however, I come home and am a shell of myself. I’ll make my own lunch and collapse on the sofa.

17.00

I’lll usually eat dinner at home because I’m up early on Sunday for training. I want to know that my food is clean, fresh and won’t upset my stomach. Cooking is a hobby and nutrition is important so if I want a takeaway I’ll try to make a healthier version at home.

20.00

I’ll have an Epsom salt bath or sit in my compression boots and watch TV. I’ll eat more natural yoghurt with fruit and dark chocolate – I go through kilos of yogurt each week. I recently watched Slow Horses and started watching Sex and the City for the first time – it’s a bit dated but nostalgic. After training for five or six hours I will reach for easy things to watch. That’ll be my wild Saturday night. When I was younger I didn’t see recovery as a huge part of training but now it’s something I prioritise. There’s a lot of research about ‘rest and digest’ and I like to do that by reading. I’m also trying to get into crochet but at the moment it’s anything but mindful!

23.00

I’m a night owl. In an ideal situation I’ll be in bed by 10.30pm but sometimes it’ll be 11pm and I’ll decide to start hoovering the kitchen. I’m definitely working on being more consistent with my bedtime.

Athlete Sophie Becker and dairy farmer Katie Gleeson Picture: Tom Scott

• Sophie Becker recently took part in the National Dairy Council’s ‘Yogurt, It’s Great Inside’ EU campaign, swapping worlds with Tipperary dairy farmer Katie Gleeson to explore the similarities between elite sport and dairy farming. ndc.ie