Indoors Complete - So What's Next?

So last weekend at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham was my last race of the Indoor season for 2011. My indoors didn't go as well as I would have liked but I still have some positives to take away from it. I ran quicker over the 60's than I did last year and my reactions from the blocks this indoors has been way off! Its been as though I have fallen asleep in the blocks every time. My reaction from the blocks at the UK Champs in my heat for the 200m was 0.311 what's that all about???? I found this very frustrating as I am normal a quick starter but this indoors it wasn't to be, and now it is something I have to work on and get right for the outdoor season and I'm confident I will.

I found the indoor season came around very quick and it felt like I didn't really have much of winter training base as the Commonwealths kept me competing later in the year than normal and then all of a sudden it was time to go again for the indoor season but I am now glad its over and I can get back to the hard work again. This summer season I plan to open up the outdoors later than normal and won't compete until May. I normally do a lot of low key meets to get me going and I start early April as it takes me a few races to get race fit but this year I am going to try something different and make sure I am in the best possible shape and good to go.

So what's next for me?! Well I have taken this week off from the track to recover, but it doesn't mean I haven't been working hard in fact I have been busy in the Boxing gym as for some stupid reason I have agreed to take part in an Amature Boxing match in aid of St Lukes Hospice. Its a Boxing - Wrestling night which takes place at the Plymouth Guildhall this Saturday the 26th!! Am I mad you ask?! YES! Haha plus I am starting to think maybe I am having a midlife crises at the ripe old age of 31!!! My thought behind it is its for a good cause, I was only meant to be going to draw the raffle but someone informed the organiser that I do Boxing Training and now I shall be stepping into the ring for the 1st time ever, nervous? MUCH! Ha. But I am sure its going to be a great night. I even have my own entrance music but I'm not going to share that with you yet.

I have also been asked on numerous times if its true I am going to be taking up Bobsleigh? All I am going to say is watch this space you never know what I may share with you ;-)

So that's it for now I am going to be busy getting myself prepared for my adventure on Saturday then after that who knows...........

week Of The UK Indoor Trials

So this is it.....its now the week of the UK Indoor Trials and now is the time where I get myself fine tuned and ready to roll on Saturday where I go in the 60mtrs and then Sunday I will step up the distance and take on the 200mtrs.

I've had a really good start to the week in the weights room where I managed to achieve 2Pb's in both my power cleans and bench press by 5k on each, I could have gone heavier but with having to race this weekend I didn't want to push it! I have not attempted any squats as I don't want to over do it on the legs and feel dead when I need to run fast. I've been fine tuning the block situation also and avoiding any dq's after my upset in Linz and I won't be making that mistake this time round. So the rest of the week will be about tapering down with some technical work and some fast runs.

I can't wait to race at the trials this year. I've not really been in the competitive mode yet this indoor season and run in a quality field, but this year I think will be the best 60m Women's line up seen in a long time. All the girls have posted some fast times and I can't wait to get in the mix and lay down my fast time which is long overdue in the 60's ;-) Then on Sunday I will do the 2's which I love running indoors, I shall be using the three rounds as part of my training and a bit of fun as the 200mtrs is not an event at the European Championships. It will all be about the 60mtrs and trying to achieve the 7.30 which is the standard for the Europeans, I'm going to have to pull out a massive lifetime best and run the race of my life but the good thing is I'm in the shape to do it!! :-)

On The Circuit Vienna and Linz

So I am composing this blog whilst stood in Check-in for my return flight home after racing in Austria. You wouldn't believe how much wifi and internet access keeps athlete sane when they are away competing its the first thing we look for on our phones and laptops as soon as you pick up an athletes head is down and the BBM is going constant! Life of an athlete ;-)

So my first stop was Vienna and this went ok I had a few technical issues with my runs which I need to address when I get back home, but a wins a win and I will take that right now. The good thing is I performed better than I did at the Southerns and I walked away in one piece. I opened up my heat with 7.43 but when I watched my race back I had no drive phase what so ever, and to top it off after my first stride out of the blocks its as though I pause before taking my next stride so this is a tenth I'm wasting!! Then onto the A Final which again I won but this time it was a very slow 7.46, my drive phase was slightly better but I just felt sluggish and thenb about 5mtrs from the line I felt my hamstring get a little tight so I eased up, but thankfully I didn't cause any damage like I did at the Southerns just had a tight back which was kindly fixed as soon as I stepped off the track!

Following Vienna we then took a bus ride down to Linz to compete. Whilst on the bus journey I watched Knocked Up this certainly helped the 3hour bus ride go quicker! Plus its a really good film gave me a lot of giggles and the rest of the bus who where busy leaning over to catch a glimpse.
Well Linz for me was a bit of a disaster to say the least I knew when I got up and went to the track and started to conduct my warm up I was going to go fast as I could feel it in my legs and mind set but when I got to the blocks it wasn't to be.....there was a disqualification for a false start, so it was back to the blocks again, it was really noisy when getting on your marks I thought about putting my hand up, then the starter said set, I went to put my hand up but I came out my blocks and got dq'd for a false start. I am a firm believer that these things happen for a reason it wasn't my time to lay down a fast time I am ment to be saving it for next weekends UK Trials, it wasn't my time to shine.
I am gutted but I am just grateful I haven't got injured I messed up but I now know that I won't be doing it again!! So now its back to the UK back to training and get ready for my Trials ;-)

Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund

I have been asked to get involved in an Easter Fundraising day to raise money for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund on Wednesday 6th April 2011 to be held at Plymouth Albion RFC, Brickfields. The day is being organized by The Goodbooks Group and when I heard about it I jumped at the chance to get involved for such an amazing cause.



The day will include a rugby 7’s tournament, schools Tag rugby tournament, various static displays, Rib/Viking rides and a parachute display team, and the Royal Marines Band to name but a few events happening. I have been asked to head up a 4x400mtr relay team to take part in a relay race. The batons themselves are going to be stretcher handles that have been actually used to carry injured servicemen out in Afghanistan and these batons travel around the country to various fundraising events.There have been 6 teams confirmed to participate in the relay race which will happen at around 1630 on the running track at Brickfields, the teams are Albion, Argyle, Raiders, Katherine Endacott celeb team, Royal Marines Team, and a Goodbooks team.

It is intended to be a family day out,there will be various bars and food available throughout the day and an Easter egg hunt and entertainment for the children. So I am hoping to see as many of you there as possible, I know it is along time away but please do write it in your diary it is going to be a fantastic day. I mean just coming to see me die over 400mtrs has got to be worth it!!! 200mtrs is my limit so I am going to be pushing the boat out a bit here. haha.
So now I am busy trying to workout who I could have in my team and I am hoping I can throw in a few surprises. I know it is a few months away but I will be sure to blog about this again soon to keep reminding you all

Welcome back legs

So after last weekends set back with my back and hamstring I have spent most of the week on the physio bed getting myself fixed through enormous amounts of pain and the other times laid on my back with my feet in the air!!!!

I have to say my physio has done a fab job and I now finally have my legs back.

I was told by my physio that I have to test my back and hamstring out so on Friday I warmed up extra long did my sprint drills and managed to stride, he even told me to try some bounding so I did and managed so do a Pb in the distance between the hurdles ;-) so today I went to training and put my spikes on and hit the speed and it felt good and touch wood no aches or pains felt at all.

I'm now into my speed element of training in prep to the UK Trials next month so everything is about 100% effort with good recovery, plus a lot of block work after my weights sessions, however I need to make sure my back is 100% before I lift again and I am hoping that I will be able to do that on Monday,s session. So next week will be a hard speed week for me as I prepare to go into my next run of competitions. I have been fortunate enough to be selected to run for England Indoors in Vienna and Linz on the 1st and 3rd of February which I am really looking forward too and fingers crossed I can perform better than last weekend and without any niggles setting in. So this week i shall again be spending a lot of time on the physio bed as I don't want to go backwards and with the UK Trials only a few weeks away I cant risk anything!!

I cant believe that this time next week I shall be celebrating my birthday, I would like to say I am going to be 21 again but then that would be lying. I am going to be 31 and I plan to spend my birthday training, however I do plan to have a night out with loved ones and paint the town red hahaha. Mia keeps asking me if she is invited to my party?! trying to tell a three year old your not having one has not sunk in yet i wish I was three again........

At it again

As I mentioned in my last post I kicked off my indoor season on the 9th with a visit to Cardiff and I was delighted with how I performed. I opened up with my quickest openers ever and ran 7.42 over the 60mtrs and I didn't even get out of first gear so it gave me a lot of confidence in knowing that I can go faster.

Training has been going great and I have only just in the last two weeks began my speed element of training alot of my training has been based on getting stronger with over distance work and a lot of lactic.Now I have dropped the distances down and concentrating on achieving maximum speed and the times I have been producing are the quickest I have ever run. I now just need to carry that over into competition and hopefully come to the UK Indoor Trails when it counts most I can do that.

As many athletes know things don't always go according to plan I had five years of that but last year I put all that behind me. When things are going so well there is something that is sent to try us and for me this happened last Thursday during my last run in training when my hamstring decided to go tight, I took a visit to the physio and had some work done and was told to rest up before racing at the Southern Champs. Come the Southern's I decided to run anyway as my leg felt ok but as I got through the rounds it got tighter and tighter and as a result it has effected my back. So I've been resting on my back with my feet in the air and having lots of physio to try and get myself fixed. I am a firm believer that things like this happen for a reason maybe I am meant to save myself till next month and get my body back to full fitness. I'm not going to lie it's painful but I'm sure in a few days my physio, who has magic hands, will have me back on the track and ready to roll again. I'm not going to be racing anymore this month and will step back on the track in feb at the Birmingham Games, failing that I will be at the trials!

I just have to be patient at let my body heal, I know I am in good shape and ready to roll.

I do have to say how great it was to see the return of J'nette Kwakye to form after a few years plagued with injury and see her open up her season with European Qualifier, Stadium Record, and fastest time in Europe that's how you do it ;-)

Cool Runnings

Feel the rhythm, feel the ride, let's give it up it's Bobsleigh Time.........COOL RUNNINGS!!!!!!

As you may have guessed my little secret which I couldn't share was that I had trials for the British Bobsleigh Team this week at Bath University. This all came about after I had tweeted a comment following one of my tracks sessions saying 'I think I should try out for the British Bobsleigh Team after my track session on the ice and snow' I then recieved a tweet back saying 'well get in touch with me then' with a link about a Talent Transfer Programme for the 2014 Winter Olympics! So I made contact.

I travelled upto Bath on Tuesday the 4th with my daughter and went out onto the Push Track where we where all given some coaching on how to push the Bobsleigh and more importantly how to get in! I really enjoyed this as it shows you what it's like, I pick up things quickly so had no problems jumping into the sleigh. After we had done some coaching we then had to run three 30mtr time trials through the timing gates, as a sprinter I would have been very dissappointed if I hadn't achieved the standard required, I did mine in 3.95 seconds which I was happy with that not the same as coming out of starting blocks but I didn't mind. I had a good day and even Mia thought it looked good fun although she did keep telling me be careful mummy don't hurt yourself bless her :-)

so now everywhere I look it says that I have made the team and this is true, I do have to have more training and then hopefully very soon I shall be stepping onto the ice and doing it for real! This is when I'm sure I will be SCARED and thinking what have I let myself in for haha.

I do have to clear up though that I am not giving up my athletics, this is just a new challenge for me and I will be doing this in the Winter and my athletics all year round I would love to do both the Summer and Winter Olympics not many people could say that they have done that!
So now I am getting ready to start my indoor season which kicks off tommorrow in Cardiff so I can see where abouts I am in form at the moment. I'm doing the 60mtrs followed by the 200mtrs so it would be nice to have a decent opener and then next weekend I will travel to London, Leigh Valley Arena to do The South of England Championship where again I will be doubling up and hoping to do better than last year and come home with two Golds. I have been busy updating the iPod to get me in the zone, I've been burning up the track in training and I'm looking forward to getting some races under my belt before next months European Championship Trails where it counts the most.

So all that's left to say is let 2011 season begin ;-)