Five-time Front Street Mile winner Ashley Couper is missing her ?favourite event of the year? to concentrate on achieving her ambitions for 2006 ? reaching the Commonwealth Games final.

Couper, who will compete in Melbourne in March in the 1500 metres, is passing up the opportunity to return home for International Race Weekend?s showpiece event, instead racing indoors in Seattle that weekend.

Although she is confident she?s making the right decision in choosing to concentrate on the loftier goal of Commonwealth success, Couper is still sorry to be missing out on a January return to Bermuda.

?I have thought hard about it, but if I am going to prepare the way I need to for the Commonwealths, then I have to stay where I am and concentrate on getting some indoor racing in,? said Couper, who won the Front Street spectacle ? often by very comfortable distances ? in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

?It is always one of my favourite events of the year and it is a shame not to be coming back but it is the most sensible decision I can make.

?I have been doing a lot of travelling recently and I need to make the most of my training and competing opportunities and that means missing out on the Front Street Mile.

?It is a real shame because I loved coming back for it. It has been wonderful running in front of people that know you, love you and support you but the race will still be there in future years and the Commonwealth next year is my big chance.?

Based on the times from the 2002 Games, which Couper missed out on through injury, she believes she can reach the final ? and that is her goal heading into the event for which her parents and one of her sisters have already booked their trips.

?If you look at the times from Manchester, assuming it is the same sort of race, then I think I should be able to qualify for the final,? said Couper with her trademark enthusiasm.

?That is what I am going there to do but if I run a strong race and come back with a new personal best, then I will take that as well.

?I think getting to the final is a possibility but if there?s one thing that I have learned over the years, it is that you can never take anything for granted, and anything can happen on the day.

?I could get sick, or, well, anything can happen. I just want to go there in the best possible shape and make sure I give it everything I can.?

Couper?s final months of preparation are set to be a hectic affair, with the athlete having to juggle the pressures, restrictions and travelling of her new job as Stanford University?s men?s and women?s track and cross country coach with her own running needs.

?It?s going to be a little bit crazy,? said Couper, who admits she has barely a free weekend between now and the Games in March.

?There is a lot of travelling to events with the athletes and last year we were away almost every weekend for competitions.

?But I made it clear when I took the job that I wanted to be in a position to train for the Commonwealth Games as best I could, so there is some flexibility.

?Because of the responsibilities of the job, I haven?t been able to train with my farm team as much as I have wanted, which has meant a lot of training on my own, lots of early morning and late evenings.

?But in the New Year it should be a little easier. There might be some conflicts with me wanting to compete in events that I am meant to be coaching our athletes in, but a lot of the kids won?t be ready to compete by then, so I should be okay.

?I am going to try and get a few miles under my belt as well as the odd 800 metres for speed and then maybe I?ll rabbit a 3000 metres just to get a maximum workout.?

Couper?s other big news, meanwhile, has taken place away from the track, albeit involving another miler ? ten days ago she got engaged to American Chris Estwanik.