Richard Goodman was in reflective mood after finishing 72nd in the Under 20 event of the World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain. Tackling a fast, flat 8km course in intense heat, Goodman, 17, lost ground over the second half of the race to finish fourth scorer for the British team.

"I had felt well prepared for the race, but when it came to it, it wasn't my day," Goodman said. "I started hard by my own standards, but the African runners fly off faster than in any track race. I was placed about 40th early on, but made the mistake of paying more attention to what was happening around me than to the rhythm of my own running. "When groups of runners started to pass me in the middle of the race, I frankly lost heart and was just wanting the race to finish."

Always focused on his long-term aim of the 2016 Olympics, Goodman (left) has tried to analyse the lessons of both his own race and the consistent success of the African teams.

"In Kenya, a group of 10 or 20 top runners will train together, which is very hard to replicate in Britain," he said. Goodman will spend his gap year next year training in the high altitude of Iten, Kenya.