Happy New Year

The New Year is fast approaching and 2010 is coming to an end and what a year it has been.

Three National Championship medals, Two Commonwealth Games medals, The Herald Sports Personality of The Year and BBC South West Sportswomen of The Year, all this achieved after five years away from the sport. I really do feel blessed after such an amazing year, but as the year draws to a close I am busy making my own New Years Resolutions and my Short Term Goals for 2011 so I thought I would share them with you..........

Resolutions
1) GIVE UP CHOCOLATE
For a diabetic I have a real bad sweet tooth and love stuffing my face with chocolate, so from January I am going to limit it to one day a week this will be my treat day


2) HEALTHY DIET
No more fat food shall pass these lips!! NOTHING so if anyone See's me sat in McDonalds tucking into a burger feel free to come over and take it from me and remind me what I have wrote ;-)

That's it for my resolutions as if you have too many you won't achieve them all so now for my short term goals for 2011...........

Short Term Goals
1) ? ? ? ? Number one will have to remain a secret for now I am afraid as I have something coming up in early January and if all goes well I shall write a Blog and inform you - it's a big one!!

2) Run sub 7.3 over 60mtrs, Sub 11.3 over 100mtrs, Sub 23 over 200mtrs

3) Double medallist at both Indoor and Outdoor National Championships

4) Make the European Indoor Championship Team

5) Make the World Outdoor Championship Team

6) Increase my 1RpM by 10K on Cleans, Bench and Squats within three months

That's my Short Term Goals complete, it's always good to set goals so you have something to work towards and I strive to succeed and do my best to achieve them. At least now I can tick off when I achieve any of my goals and then I can set myself new targets
so here is too 2010 and hoping 2011 is an even better one. Wishes you all a great 2011 and may all your dreams come.



You got to believe to succeed

Merry Christmas Everyone

I would like to take this chance to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I hope you have had a fantastic time with loved ones, ate loads, and got merry ;-)


Since having my daughter Christmas has a whole new meaning, just seeing Mia's face when she wakes up in the morning and sees Santa has been is priceless. Mia is so grateful I could have given her a cardboard box and she would have said "thank you mummy your so kind". This year as one of her presents I brought her a high top bed so me and my dad spent about four hours on Christmas Eve while Mia was asleep in mine putting it together (the things we do for children ay) when Mia woke up in the morning and we walked out of my bed room she saw her old bed in bits, she asked what had happened. I told her the Father Christmas had broke her bed as he was tired so he laid down on her bed for a sleep and it broke. She turned and said " but I don't have a bed now mummy!" so I told her we had better check her room and see, when she walked in and saw her hightop bed her face lit up and she turned to me and said "do you know what mummy your the best mum in the world, your so kind, good girl" bless her that for me was the best Christmas Present in the world and it came out of the mouth of a three year old ;-)

I'm not going to say I had a lazy Christmas Day as I didn't, although I do have to confess that I have eaten WAY to much food the last two days BUT while my parents and Mia where chilling on the sofa watching the telly I was busy doing a weights session!! How good am I?? Haha. Every now and again Mia would stand up and count my lifts and during circuits join in. I did get a Twitt from my coach telling me to REST but that was after I had finished, never mind I took today off instead and spent the day at my parents house with my brother, sister in law and my nephews and niece. It was our second Christmas dinner so now I'm not going to eat for the next week as I have probably put on all the weight I had lost!!!!!!

This is what Christmas is all about enjoying family time

Thought I would share some pictures with you guys and show you the conditions I have trained in the last few weeks

BBC SouthWest Sportswomen of The Year 2010

Friday the 17th I was invited to BBC Spotlight Studios for a live interview to talk about and reflect on the year I've had after the last five years of setbacks, well this is what I was led to believe anyway.

There I was sat in the studio talking about how hard I found the last five years and everything I had been through, and how I felt after my success this year when Natalie Cornah confessed that she had told me a bit of a lie to get me into the studio, and then I was presented with the BBC SouthWest Sportswomen of The Year! I was totally gob smacked I had know idea that was going to happen, I was blown away. I really can't believe how fortunate I have been this year it really has been the best year of my life. Not only did I come away with two Commonwealth Medals I have picked up two amazing awards and really has capped of a fantastic year. The down side is I now have alot to prove next year as I don't want this to be a one off. The bar has been rasied and I have up'd my game and can't believe that in under three weeks I will be back competing again and starting my indoor campaign!! Man it's come around fast but I'm excited to see what I can achieve in 2011 I'm confident it's going to be an even better year.

This year for the first time ever I was invited to attend the BBC Sports Personality of The Year as a VIP I was intending to go but due to the bad weather I was unable to attend, my daughter had her christmas Nativity the day after and I didn't want to get stuck up in Birmingham and not make her Nativity, I was gutted that I didn't make the BBC SPoTY as it looked like a fab night and was full of amazing Sports stars but my daughter has to come first. She has to put up alot with me and my athletic, I'm always away from her either training or away competing abroad and she never moans about it so when Mia has something on I will give up anything to be with her

The Herald Sports Personality of The Year 2010

Monday December 7th was the evening of the Herald Sports Personality of The Year awards 2010. These awards have been running now for nine years which allows Plymouth to celebrate sporting success both on and off the field. The last time I was up for one of the awards was back in 2003 where I won Amateur Sports Personality of The Year, that seems a very long time ago now and what a journey both mentally and physically I have been on since then!! As mentioned in a previous post this year I was up for Champagne Moment of The year which is awarded for the best sporting moment, and also Sports Personality of The Year.

These awards are always a fantastic night and a chance for sportsmen and women, coaches, officials, clubs, family, friends and fans to meet and look back on the sporting highs Plymouth have achieved throughout the year. There are eight categories awarded on the night and there is a few that I thought were very well deserved. Coach of The Year went to Plymouth Leander's and my friend Jon Rudd who helped sprint swimmer Antony James to two medals at the Commonwealth Games, he keeps telling me he could make me a swimmer but I keep telling him I don't like putting my head under water as it will mess up my hair and make my makeup run haha. He's a lovely guy and totally deserved to win.
I was also pleased for the winner of Outstanding Contribution To Sport this went to a good friend Keith Reed from the Armada Athletics Network. I have known Keith for a very long time and he has always been very supportive throughout my athletic career. Keith has been involved in athletics for the best part of 30 years as an athlete, a coach and now administrator. He works very hard and is dedicated to athletics and works hard to promote and develop athletics in the city. For me he also deserved to win without Keith around in Plymouth athletics would have fallen by the way side. So thank you Keith for all your hard work.

Champagne Moment Of The Year was awarded to Tom Daley for the perfect day at the Commonwealth Games where he achieved seven flawless 10's from the judges and won the Gold. Tom is such an amazing young talent and a very nice young man too. I knew that Tom would pick up this award his performance well and truly beat any of our achievements this year perfect 10's by a 16 year old he has my vote for the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

The main award of the night was the big Sports Personality Of The Year and this was definitely the toughest category every seen at these awards, it had five Commonwealth Games medalists who had all achieved an amazing year anyone could have won it, it really was hard to call. At my table we had our money on Tom taking it, I really was not prepared at all for what was about to come. Colin Jackson was guest of honor and he opened the envelope and said it's an athlete, at this point I swore a little then thought OK we are all athletes really, it could be any of use, then when he said she has been out of the sport for five years, I really swore I couldn't believe that it was me I was totally blown away, a complete shock. The whole room came to their feet, clapped and cheered and I was still sat in shock. How emotional was I haha, my mum and dad where so proud. The walk to the stage was where I had to hold back the tears this for me was the icing on the cake to a great comeback year, I really couldn't believe that I had won during my speech I thanked my parents for everything as they are the only ones who have been by my side through the good times and the bad. They are the ones who believe in me and what I can achieve, they support me financially, they really are my world and without them by my side I would not be where I am today.

What a great way to put a lid on 2010 an unbelievable year the last five years of my life have been the hardest ever, I have overcome so much heartache and injuries over the last five years but it's moments like these that makes it all worthwhile. Thank you Plymouth ;-) xxxxxx

Where's the snow?

I'm not really a fan of Winter to be honest as I spend my whole time all year round come sun, wind, rain, or snow training outdoors and living by the sea makes it feel like I am stuck on the North Pole at times!! This Winter I am definitely feeling it.

I have lived in my flat now for over two years and this Winter I decided it was time to have my chimney cleaned out and ready for use, and since I had that done two weeks ago I have had my open fire lit every evening which makes it even harder for me to want to venture outdoors for training. At the moment I am praying for snow as at least then it wont be so cold outside, everywhere else in the UK seems to have snow besides us.I remember last December training on the track in the snow it was great fun a little bit tricky at time with a few slips her and there but it made the training session more interesting to say the least.


I have not been to well lately and have really suffered over the last two weeks, I have been trying to train but when I do my heart beats so fast and loud that I feel my chest is going to explode, not a nice feeling at all never I seem to end up laid out flat on the track thinking I am going to have a heart attack, it makes me light headed and then I end up with a headache, so I took a visit to the Doctors and having some blood tests taken to make sure everything is OK. Even when I am sat down my heart is beating fast, maybe I am just tired and my body is playing catch up now that I am back to reality and working, training etc.

So I shall be taking it easy until I get the all clear from the Doc and I have plenty of things to keep me busy. On Friday evening I am turning the Christmas Lights on at Albion Rugby Club where they also have a Santa's Grotto. Somehow Santa, myself and Mia will be riding in on some kind of slay but they are still busy trying to arrange that! so I could be arriving on a milk float for all I know ha ha. Then on Saturday I am opening up Chaddlewood Primary Christmas fete and then next Monday is the big night for me when I have the Evening Herald Sports Awards. So no rest for the wicked