THE clock is ticking down on athlete Lawrence Baird's entry into the sport's veteran ranks – but his desire to be a champion burns brighter than ever.

Rather than seeing hitting his mid-30s as a negative, Baird, who lives in Laceby, wants to eventually become the best 400m runner in the world for his age category.

He has been churning out quality times since his teenage years and, now aged 34, he believes the best may be yet to come.

When he turns 35 in December, Baird will be eligible to compete as a veteran, in what are often termed 'Masters' competitions.

As a teenager he used to compete for Cleethorpes AC, before moving on to Trafford AC, for whom he still competes.

The PE teacher at Louth's Monks Dyke Technology College trains as hard as ever, putting his body through high-intensity speed sessions at Grimsby's King George V Stadium on a regular basis.

And it is all part of a masterplan to help him win a title on the world stage.

Baird said: "I am still competing and doing well against the seniors. I am still beating many of them.

"The masters scene is getting competitive with more and more seniors wanting to carry on competing in the sport at a high level as they get older.

"The big aim is the 2013 World Masters Championships in Brazil.

"That's why I am still out there doing the sport – to become the best in the world in my class.

"I am high up the current overall UK rankings for the 400m, so I am confident I can do well."

Baird competed at the recent Northern Indoor Championships, where he came second in exactly 49 seconds.

The race was won by Tim Burn who, at 21, is 13 years Baird's junior.

The final came after successfully negotiating two previous rounds.

If it had been a one-off race, Baird feels he was in shape to run 48.2. His personal best for 400m is 47.56.

His next big competition is the World Trials, where he will be gunning for a time in the low-48 range.

Baird has a remarkable statistic that demonstrates his longevity of performance in the sport.

He revealed: "Since I was 15-years-old, I have run under 50 seconds for 400m for 19 consecutive years."

Baird suffered a serious back injury a few years ago and almost retired, but managed to fight his way back to fitness thanks to his strong mindset.

He continued: "It is a challenge to keep on running those times, you need motivation, it is a psychological thing.

"If you don't keep turning up for the big events and compete against the big boys, you lose your edge.

"I would love to finish my career as a world champion, that would be amazing."

Baird admits it is a big commitment to balance consistent high-level training with his teaching job and family life.

"It means a lot of early mornings and late nights," he said.

"It is cold, dark and raining – but in the back of your kind you know the only way you are going to be the best is by doing the sessions.

"My training is hard. Some sessions are gruelling. It sometimes makes you sick.

"Sometimes you just do not want to do it, it leaves you physically drained."

Baird does some of his training with sprinter Michael Culshaw, the 41-year-old 100m man, who works as a lawyer in Grimsby.

While he does his high-end speed work with Culshaw, he does most of his longer repetitions on his own.

He is also self-coached, so there is a big onus on Baird's own mental strength to make sure he gets the sessions completed to the required standard.

"I have always been pretty single-minded, so I just do it", he said.

"I get on with it. I am disciplined.

"You have got to look at the clock and make sure you hit the times.

"I understand training principles by now, but there are people I can ask for advice if I need it."

Baird often trains twice a day and smashes out 13 or 14 sessions a week, which includes speed work, recovery sessions and gym work.

"I am already preparing for the World Masters Champs which is one and a half years away," he explained.

"I am doing stuff in the gym now which will help me in Brazil in 18 months time."

As well as his Brazilian mission, Baird also has one eye on the European Indoor Masters showdown in March next year.