Training with Jake Wightman pays off for Belgrade-bound Tom Keen

The middle-distance runner reflects on a successful start to the year as he shares an insight into what it’s like to train alongside a world champion

Tom Keen has had a flying start to 2024 as he ran a 1500m PB of 3:36.34 in Australia this February.

This year, the 22-year-old has embarked on journeys to South Africa, Australia and Boston accompanied by his training partner, Jake Wightman.

Learning from Wightman’s lifestyle, including napping more often, the athlete from Cambridgeshire has been able to translate his training into racing – something he says he has struggled to do in the last few years.

Keen will compete in his first cross country race of the year as part of the senior mixed relay team at the World Cross in Belgrade this weekend (March 30).

Adam Fogg, Alex Millard and Bethan Morley will make up the team as they try to win Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s first mixed relay medal at a World Cross.

Although the athlete previously competed for Great Britain as a youth and clinched the European under-18 3000m title, his selection for Belgrade will be the first time he has been selected at a senior level.

After this weekend, Keen hopes to further improve his 1500m PB and reach the European Championships qualifying time, and possibly even the Olympics.

AW chats exclusively to Keen below:

How does it feel to put on your first senior GB vest this weekend and compete in Belgrade?

I haven’t competed for Britain on a senior level, and I haven’t competed in the colours for quite a few years now, so it is really exciting to get that opportunity and to race in the relay team.

I am a little bit nervous because if it is a twisty course and hills, I haven’t done loads of work on that in the last couple of weeks because we have been focusing on indoors a bit more. I’ve tried to do a bit of training around it in the last couple of days, I think all will be fine because it is just running at the end of the day.

I know I am in good shape on the track so hopefully that will translate well in cross country.

How will you approach the race?

We have a very strong team so we should be looking at the medals. It depends on what sort of teams the countries field, but I think we will go into it confident thinking we can pick up a medal.

We are quite a young team on the whole and the first global medal for the country in this event would be really cool.

How do you reflect on the season so far and achieving a 1500m PB?

I had a good camp before Christmas to build a good base and then went to South Africa in January and did some track sessions to prep myself for the indoor season and the outdoor season out in Australia.

I knew I was in good shape but in the last couple of years I’ve struggled to translate the training into racing properly so to come out and run a PB in February it was a really positive step forward and I’m now really looking forward to the outdoor season.

In both the races I did in Australia, and the indoor in Boston I tried to commit to the race more than I have done in bigger and quicker races recently. I felt I was in good enough shape to do that and hopefully that one of the races would just click and I would be able to stay with the lead group long enough for them to drag me round to a quick time.

The next step is to commit to it and be able to stay with them right on the last lap because in all the races I did I dropped off just before the bell, or just after, so I wasn’t really in the race in the last couple 100m. It would be nice to be able to race that last 100m and hopefully get a second or two quicker.

What is it like to train alongside an athlete like Jake Wightman?

Knowing the calibre of athlete that he is and if I can keep up with him on sessions or just stay close to him then I know I am training well. I’ve tried to emulate his professionalism and lifestyle around it as well as the training so hopefully that will improve quite a few things for me.

He does a lot of extra things other than just going down to the track and doing a session, like napping a lot more regularly. It’s nice seeing his lifestyle, knowing that he is very professional but at the same time it’s not an unattainable godly level.

It’s nice knowing that it is doable, it is very hard and requires a lot of dedication, but it is definitely a doable lifestyle.

 

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A post shared by Tom Keen (@thomas_.keen)

What does an average week of training look like?

In the winter season I will try and average around 75 miles a week. A Monday would be around an eight-mile run and then some drills and sprints in the evening.

Tuesday is a longer session on the roads, Wednesday would be a longer 10 or 11 mile run, and Thursday is another session on the track or a tempo.

I normally have Fridays completely off, but it is something that we are looking to change going into the summer.

Saturday is a hill session and gym, and then Sunday is a long run.

Where are you at with the 1500m right now, is that the distance you are staying focused on?

The 1500m will definitely be my main focus for the next couple of seasons but I also want to be in the position where I can run quick enough in the 1500m that it doesn’t have to be my soul focus.

At the minute I am still trying to make it to that point where I am a professional runner, and I can get into big races and have quick times without spending the whole season trying chase that.

I would like to do more 800m and be a proper 800m and 1500m guy because I do like the 800m. I do maybe one or two a year and I find them fun – and I’m not shocking at them.

 

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A post shared by Tom Keen (@thomas_.keen)

What are your plans for the 2024 season and what are you aiming towards?

I am planning to go back out to Flagstaff with Jake in April and I will hopefully open up my season in May in LA with a 1500m. Hopefully that will be the one where I can get that European qualifying time ticked off.

It would be great to get the European Championships qualifying time super early in the season. It was a bit gutting to have missed it by so little out in Australia but if I can put myself in with a shot of being selected for those champs in Rome then I would be unbelievably happy with that.

READ MORE: World Cross 2024 news

As far as the rest of the season goes I will see how close I can get to the Olympic time because I don’t think I will be a million miles off. I’m hoping to use the progress I’ve made in February and keep that rolling over. I’ll also go to the British Champs and see what happens.

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Training with Jake Wightman pays off for Belgrade-bound Tom Keen appeared first on AW.