Have Wheels Will Travel.

It's been a busy time since my last entry and I seem to have done an awful lot of travelling, not to mention a lot of time apart from my family.
First of all I went up to Liverpool by train to take part in the Knowsley Disabled Grand Prix event. It was great to be back in the wheelchair racing fraternity and having the opportunity to blow off the winters cobwebs with some good competition. My only complaint is that it was too windy to get any seriously good times.
I barely had time to see much of my son Tim before I was packing again and on my way to Heathrow to fly to Zurich. I love going to Switzerland because it gives me the opportunity to pit myself against the best racers in the world, and it is such a beautiful country. It was great to meet again with one of the women who inspired me to start racing, Louise Sauvage from Australia, and also to do some serious talking with a Canadian racer called Michelle Stilwell. Mind you, the schedules were pretty gruelling, getting up VERY early to travel to the meetings, and getting back just in time to sleep. Anyway, it was well worth going because I managed to get A and B Standard qualifying times. I now need to repeat, and better my times during the rest of the season.
It's good to be back home. I've had a lot of time on my own to think and I feel I am in a much more powerful position thanks to positive affirmation, self belief, and personal motivation.

Catch Up.

Well, I have been so busy over the past month or so since my last entry that I haven't had the time to get near a computer so here is a brief account of what I've been up to.

First and foremost has been training training training with both my wheelchair coach, Ken Day, and in the gym with John Campbell. I don't know what I would do without these two great men but I owe them both a lot for their help and support. They have made me sweat and groan with pain but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I competed in Knowsley last month but the weather was not good and I wasn't totally happy with my performances but at least it was good to be back in proper competition after a long winter lay off. However, I did enjoy visiting Liverpool, a beautiful city, especially the Roman Catholic Cathedral, which is spectacular and very serene. It was also great to spend time with Pete Wyman and his family who kept me well fed and entertained. Thank you.

Off the track I have done a couple of days work on the 'Eastenders' set as an extra and am beginning to feel a real part of the family there. It's good fun even if we do only appear on screen for half a second! I even did a scene outside the 'Queen Vic' with a glass of orange! I've also visited a few schools to promote sport and healthy living and really enjoyed interacting with the youngsters I met. Finally I was honoured to be asked to open a charity shop for the St Elizabeth charity in Harlow. These events really make me feel humble but also very proud to be asked.

This last weekend I was at Stoke Mandeville for the BWAA International event and was much happier with my performances, especially getting a gold in the 400m, and doing 31.68 in the 200m, just outside my personal best. I just hope I can improve again in Switzerland this week, which will form the basis of my next blog. watch this space.

Great Manchester Bronze.

The hard work and training I've put in over the past few months paid off this morning when I did my second race of the season in Manchester. I couldn't be more pleased because road racing over distance is not my forte, I'm a sprinter, in it for the thrill of speed like a Formula One driver. It was my second time to compete in the Great Manchester Run. I was fortunate enough to win it on my debut. In fact Manchester has been quite a lucky place for me because I also won a bronze medal at the Paralympic World Cup a few years ago, and I got another this morning for finishing third in 34.49. I am delighted with myself but only for today because it's back to serious training tomorrow in preparation for the first track meet of my season in Knowsley next weekend.

I've had to leave my husband, Norman, to look after our son Tim so I can concentrate on preparing for the meeting and I'm staying in a hostel for the week. My husband showed me an old film called;'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' and now I can sympathise with him. I hate being away from my family but i'm very grateful for the support that allows me to compete in a sport I really love. In my next entry I'll let you know how I got on. Fingers crossed.