News
Back To Reality
I'm now starting my sixth week back at training and I can tell you one thing for free - it hurts!! I had a month off at the end of the season which is longer than usual but I really needed it, as I was completely drained both physically and mentally. It did make getting back into training after so much time off really hard though! A lot of athletes struggle to take time off and are always in a rush to get back to the track, but I really enjoyed not being an athlete for a while and not having to think about the next session!
Hampden
I did it. Ok so I'm not 100% happy - but I never am! My aim for 2014 was to compete to the best of my ability in the final of the Commonwealth Games in front of a home crowd in Glasgow. We'll argue later if it really was me at my best but ultimately, I made it to the athlete line-up on the 28th of July in Hampden and at that point I'd achieved my goal.
Glasgow Bound
Well this is it. The last leg. The home straight. I am currently on a plane flying back to Scotland. Just one day until I move into the Holding Camp, two days until the Opening Ceremony, four days until I move into the Athlete Village and six days until I compete. All the hard work, all the frustrating and tearful sessions, all the incredible highs of a new personal best and selection – it all comes down to the final week, the next seven days.
Just The Beginning
So picture the scene. I'm sitting in a hotel room in Germany, with Pete sitting next to me, and it's 10:47pm. It's been a long day and I'm trying to decide whether to wait up any longer or give up and head to bed. See, I'm waiting for a call. A very important call that partially determines the culmination of 12 months of insane training; soul-destroying weights sessions and frustrating evenings of throwing, major breakthroughs and numerous training bests. This call determines whether this whole year has been just about the journey or whether the dream of one moment in time, 60 seconds that would never be forgotten, will actually become a reality and I will walk out in exactly 7 weeks’ time to the famous 'Hampden Roar'.
The Standards
By the time it got to the 18th May, I still hadn't thrown a Commonwealth Games standard and I was beginning to get just a little bit frustrated! Training was going really well and I knew that I had a big throw in me but every time I competed I had a -4.9 headwind to contend with, or a slow circle. But then came the Loughborough International Athletics meet, a 6-way clash between the home countries, GB Juniors, BUCS Champions and of course the hosts - past and present students from Loughborough. With gorgeous weather and a fast circle, I knew this was a golden opportunity and had to work really hard to ensure that I was in the best possible mental state to make the most of it.
Pre-Season
Firstly, I can't believe it's already April! Where do the weeks go? And secondly, I can't believe I've already done two competitions! I've never opened my season as early as March, so I'm thinking of it as a pre-season phase where I can brush off the competition cobwebs and get a good idea of where I am in my preparations for the summer.
The Year Of The Games.
So here it is - 2014. The Year Of The Games! I was still at school when we found out that Glasgow would host the 2014 Commonwealth Games so it's hard to believe that it's almost upon us. Not that I should really think about that too much or I might never leave the house for fear of injuring myself and missing this opportunity...
Merry Christmas Everybody!!
I bet anyone could have predicted that I would never manage to write a regular blog! To be fair I've had a pretty stressful few months and I don't know where the time has gone - I can't believe it's December already!
Since I moved out of a shared student house in July, I have moved house FIVE times. Unfortunately, the one-bedroom flat I was supposed to be moving into, had a landlord that didn't know how long his contract with his current tenants was for so that all fell through very last minute! So I hopped from spare room to spare room for a few months and am very grateful to my fellow athletes for putting up with me!
The Start Of It All....
Ok well that’s a good start – I’ve actually enticed someone to venture further than the homepage of my website! I guess it’s a good thing that I’ll probably never know if you ever come back! There are two main reasons behind my decision to start writing a blog. Firstly, I’ve just taken a big leap of faith in my athletics career and I thought it would be cool to share all the boring behind-the-scenes stuff with anyone who’s interested. Secondly, I’ve been told I’ve got a lot of sitting around recovering to do so I’m attempting to prevent boredom!