Tis The Season To Be Busy.

I have been training really hard since my last entry but as usual the weather has been against me and a lot of my work has been done on rollers in the Mark Hall Sports Centre. Buckets of sweat and aching muscles but worth it because of the great feeling of self satisfaction when its over and done with. I am determined to have a great season in 2011 and I certainly feel a lot fitter than I usually do at this time of year. I have a bad cold at the moment but I am fighting it so that I can continue training..

On Wednesday gone I was very privileged to attend the 'Journey to the Podium' exhibition which has opened in my hometown of Harlow, at the wonderful Gibberd Gallery in the Civic Centre. I am very proud to be a Team Essex Ambassador, and even more proud to have been featured through the lovely art work of Elaine Tribley. It was also lovely to see the other work produced by artists working with other sports people. Essex County Council is to be congratulated for running such an innovative scheme that pairs artists with athletes.

Out in Harlow yesterday I was surprised to see the Xmas lights and the town full of shoppers. I started to panic because I haven't even had time to think of Christmas. I must say I hate the dark nights and the cold and long for Spring.

'Playground To Podium'.

Today I attended an event in Chelmsford as part of the Essex Team Ambassadors Scheme. The event was held at Chelmsford Sport and Athletic Park and was attended by around 70 children who attend mainstream school but have a disability. It was a taster day and children were given the opportunity to try different sports. It was a fantastic event and it was lovely to see the children enjoying themselves. I also enjoyed speaking to them about my own sport and achievements, and showing them some of the medals I have won during my career.

Training is going on well and I've finally managed to get out on the road with no problems. It was good to push on my normal 10 mile route and it felt great to be out and about again. I've changed my push rims to half an inch bigger in an attempt to improve my pushing technique. I'll let you know how it goes once I've given it a fair trial.

This evening its back on the track for some speed endurance work with my trainer, Ken Day. He's a perfectionist and he really makes me sweat, but I value the time he spends yelling at me and encouraging me to work to my limits! Talk about hard taskmaster!