Christine Ohuruogu: How to be strong in body and mind

It isn’t easy to find the drive to repeatedly push your body to its absolute limits so, to be a successful athlete in any sport, you have to be mentally tough. You have to have complete belief in yourself. I step on to the track confident that I have put in the hard work and I am as prepared as I can be.

There is no average 400m runner but whatever your build, you need to be energy efficient – bad technique can result in wasted energy and, as a result, lactic acid will kick in earlier. Your fitness level also determines when you reach this threshold, which is why it is important to combine technique work and fitness into training sessions.

Drills that break down the technical aspects of running are important – but they are just one element of my training programme, which also includes weights sessions, circuits, plyometrics [exercises designed to develop explosive rather than endurance power], track sessions and endurance runs.

To be at a physical optimum you have to have a complete approach; training doesn’t finish when you step off the track. You can’t ignore your weaknesses – you train with the intention of making them your strengths.

• Christine Ohuruogu is an Adidas-sponsored athlete and recently launched the first adiZone in Tower Hamlets. This is one of five multisport zones designed to encourage sports participation within the local communities of the five Olympic boroughs

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