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.

Frustration!!

The past week or so has been extremely frustrating! First of all the weather has been terrible, forcing me to be confined to the gym and the dreaded rollers. OK, so the rollers are good for improving my stamina and general fitness levels but to be honest, nothing can compare to being out on the road and putting in the miles. So, finally, yesterday, the weather was lovely so I get into my racing chair and set off to do my 10 mile push. I'm just getting into my rhythm when BANG! My back tire gets a puncture so I'm forced to get home on a flat. Then,today, a change of wheels to my old ones with the spokes and what happens? The push rim starts to come off, along with a couple of spokes! Session ended before its really begun. I could have cried but what's the point? You just put on a brave smile and get on with life.

My new tires have just arrived in the post so I'll change the punctured one and give it another go tomorrow. I have to because I'm doing a half marathon a week tomorrow at Silverstone to try and raise some much needed funds for AbleChild Africa, a charity that is very close to my heart because it helps disabled kids in Africa to reach their own personal goals in life. I WILL do it, though its a very tough course so I'm not aiming to break any records. Just finishing will be an achievement.

That apart I was very privileged on Wednesday to attend the launch of a scheme run by 'Journey to the Podium' and sponsored by Essex County Council where a group of artists were commissioned to produce works of art inspired by selected athletes. The launch was held at Colchester United's stadium and I was genuinely honoured to see the work about me from Elaine Tribley and Dr Mark Curtis of Essex County Council's Heritage and Archive teams. It was really weird to see artwork about yourself but also very nice. Elaine also produced a book called 'Olympia' about her work and about me and I was thrilled to get two copies, one of which I'm going to send to my dad in Kenya. He will be so proud! Working with Elaine has really inspired me and made me understand art a lot better.Thanks Elaine! Dr Mark also produced a lifesize picture of me and when you press a button my voice can be heard talking about myself and my sport. Amazing.Thank you Dr Mark. What made the evening more special was having my husband, Norman, and my son,Tim with me. Tim was a bit puzzled by all the attention I was getting but he loved the artwork. A really memorable evening.

The Red Arrows.

Phew! Training has been going well but the poor weather has meant more gym work and sessions on the rollers. It's been tough but I'm determined to do well this season so I'm really pushing myself hard to prepare for my first race of the season at Silverwood next month.

Training apart I had the great privilege of being invited to meet the Red Arrows so I set off with my husband Norman and son Tim on Sunday morning. The journey didn't get off to a very good start because there was a replacement bus service from Harlow to Stanstead due to the never ending engineering works that seem to happen every weekend. I couldn't get on the coach so the staff at Harlow had to order a taxi to take me on the first part of my journey. We had to wait almost an hour at Stanstead before catching the train to Peterborough but the station staff were brilliant and really helpful. We had breakfast in the airport terminal before returning down to the train station where a ramp was waiting to get me on the train and I was put in a lovely, spacious wheelchair space.

How different was our experience at Peterborough! We had to wait an hour here as well but the station staff were their usual grumpy and rude selves. They left us to our own devices and we managed to find a space in the waiting room. We had to catch a train to Newark Northgate and when it arrived the grumpy staff member told us to wait with him, then made us hurry along the platform because he had been standing in the wrong place. There was no wheelchair space available so we were jammed into a very crowded area just inside the door, being told not to worry because it was only a 30 minute journey! The only consolation was that I was glad to leave the rude Peterborough staff behind. I have travelled through that station many times over the past 10 years and my experience has always been a negative one. They have no idea how to deal with disabled people and I can easily vote them the worst station staff in England!

At Newark we had to wait another twenty minutes in the freezing cold but at least the staff there were friendly and helpful and we completed the last stage of our journey to Lincoln with no problems.

We had decided to treat ourselves and stayed in a 'posh' hotel next to the cathedral. We had a quick look around but it was pouring down with rain and none of the restaurants near us had wheelchair access. We had a late lunch in one that my husband had to haul me up a step to get into but the food was nice so it was okay. Mind you, Lincoln is very hilly so we were very limited in our travels.

We had dinner in the hotel which was lovely then turned in for an early night after watching a bit of tv.

We had a delicious breakfast of fresh Lincolnshire produce and it was lovely to taste real fresh food for a change.

It was snowing when we got into our taxi for the short ride out to RAF Scampton where the Red Arrows are based. We had a brilliant time and were treated like royalty. An engineer took us into the hangar and explained everything about the planes and how they work. Then we went to the crew briefing where the Squadron Commander explained what the crew would be doing that morning. It was fascinating stuff and Tim was really enjoying it all.

We went outside and watched the planes taking off before being driven to the control tower where we watched the Arrows go through their routine. It was excellent,breathtaking stuff, and we took loads of photo's. We then had our photo taken beside the plane with the crew when the planes had landed before going back inside to watch the crew being debriefed.

We had an excellent lunch of chicken curry and the crew mixed with their visitors, signed autographs and posed for pictures. They are lovely people and Tim was thrilled with his autographed poster and toy plane. We all had a great time and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved for giving us such a memorable experience.

The journey home was okay, apart from at Peterborough where we had to change and a staff member just ointed at the platform we needed and walked off, leaving Norman to push me up and down the steep ramps with me having to balance our luggage on my knees. However, even their ignorance couldn't detract from a great day that we'll never forget.

Journey to the Podium.

I had a very busy weekend with my family and then on Monday it was even more hectic. I had to prepare for a trip to Bristol for a modelling assignment then head for Harlow Sports Centre for a gym session with my personal trainer John Campbell. We had a good workout that was being photographed by Elaine Tribley for her project for the Team Essex 2012, 'Journey to the Podium' ,where artists are teaming up with athletes to produce artwork in the lead up to London 2012. I'm very excited by the project and also I feel very honoured to have been chosen. John is an excellent coach and he has really helped me to develop my upper body strength, essential for a wheelchair athlete. It was a great workout, and equally great to meet up and chat to Elaine again. She is a very talented artist.
My husband, Norman, picked me up and we headed for Harlow Town train station to begin my journey to Bristol. We had to get to Liverpool Street then head across London to Paddington. The journey was made more stressful because of a bus strike but fortunately the 23 bus was running and we made our way through the rush hour traffic and arrived in plenty of time to catch the 6.30pm train.
As usual, when we reported to the room where disabled people can get assistance we were told off for not giving them 24 hours notice. It really does annoy me that disabled people are supposed to be able to plan everything 24 hours in advance whilst everyone else can just turn up. Anyway, my journey was made much nicer by travelling with another lady in a wheelchair and I arrived at my hotel ready for a good night's sleep.