Turbulent Times

I'm finally back home with my family after a totally exhausting seven hour train journey from Manchester! However,' let's start at the very beginning', as Julie Andrews once famously sang.


I left Harlow on Sunday May 13 to catch my flight to Zurich from Heathrow Terminal 5. As usual the airport staff were very helpful by checking in my racing chair and wheel bag then taking me to the departure gate to board the plane. The actual flight was fine, just a little bit of turbulence, and we landed in Zurich on time. There is no telling how many miles you may have to walk, run, or fly in pursuit of your dream - just don't give up! 


The people who organise the Swiss Championships are brilliant, and transport was provided to take us to our hotel in Nottweil without us having to struggle with racing wheelchairs and luggage. They also organise transport to and from the meetings. I love racing in Switzerland because you get to compete against the world's best. You get the opportunity to train hard and occasionally enjoy the mountain views. The cycle tracks are so clean and not a bit of glass or litter in sight - I wonder, do they have yobs in Switzerland? I really enjoyed wheeling around Lake Sempachersee. Beautiful!




My first race was the Daniela Jutzeler Memorial race in Pratteln. I was really pleased with my 100m because I did a seasons best time of 17.55, but the 400m was very tough due to a strong side wind but at least it helped me to identify some technique issues that need to be addressed.


The last meeting was held at Nottwil, and I was really pleased when Chantal Petitclerc and Kelly Smith, both legends in wheelchair racing, gave me some great advice on how to improve my pushing technique. They also gave me a lot of encouragement and I felt a lot more confident after their advice, so much so that I knocked a whole six seconds off my time for the 400m from the one I got in Pratteln. My 100m was 17.70 so I feel all in all it was a successful trip.


Straight after my last Swiss race I was off to Zurich for my flight to Manchester via Heathrow to compete in the Paralympic World Cup. The flight to Heathrow was the worst I have ever had to endure. The turbulence was so bad that people were actually screaming, and the man opposite me,   began to pray . I tried to stay calm but at one point I almost phoned my little boy  to say  I loved  him ! I'm glad I didn't because the flight crew got us back on the ground safely. Thank you guys!


After a short wait at Heathrow I boarded my flight to Manchester. I had to laugh when I found it was the same crew, though I have to admit it was a bit of a nervous laugh! Anyway, there was no problem on this flight and we landed with no problems. I had my picture taken with the flight crew (see above).


I did my 100m in the Paralympic World Cup and narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing in 4th place. However I was quite pleased that I had even survived to compete at all! It is not whether you get knocked down,it's whether you get up .... I first competed in Manchester in the very first Paralympic World Cup in 2005, when I represented Kenya. I won a bronze medal in 2007, so I really wanted to do well. Anyway, I did my best.It is also in 2005 Paralympic World Cup that I first met Oscar Pistorius, and we have remained great friends.

Again, my journey back to Harlow was horrible, 7 hours and 3 changes. I finally arrived back at 10pm, totally washed out, so I'm going to have a couple of days off before I resume  training tomorrow after a one day rest. It's just great to be back home. :-)

Olympic Stadium via Stoke Mandeville.

It has been a very tiring but very rewarding week for me. Last Sunday I  competed in the BWRA Championships at Stoke Mandeville. I was up at the crack of dawn for the long drive through the pouring rain, which didn't bode well for good times. However, when we actually got out onto the track the rain had stopped and  I felt really strong. I managed to get a personal best time of 31.1 secs in the 200m. I am really pleased with that because it shows that all the sweat and hard work have not been for nothing. All those hours out in the bad weather we all seem to be suffering from paid off today, but I feel I have more to give.


On Tuesday it was off to the new Olympic Stadium to take part in the Disability Athletics Challenge. I was going to do the 100m and 400m and as usual before a meeting I felt very nervous, though my nerves were tempered somewhat by the great privilege of having the opportunity to compete in such a great stadium before all the superstars get a chance. Usain Bolt eat ya heart out! My coach, Ken Day, is also good at calming me down and getting me ready for the race.


It was a fantastic experience to wheel myself into the stadium in front of cheering crowds and my heart lifted when I spotted my son, Tim, and Norman in front seats. I did my warm up with the other girls then onto the line to wait for the crack of the starting gun. I always start slowly but I soon started to get into my rhythm and my shoulders were pumping down the track. I could hear Norman and Tim roaring their encouragement as Hannah Cockcroft and me raced neck to neck up the track towards the finish line. I couldn't believe it when I got the silver and I was delighted for Hannah because she became the first person to break a world record in the new Olympic Stadium. I joked with her that I should get a share of that record for pulling her across the line. Lol. A great start but then came the disappointment of 5th place in the 400m. I just felt drained of energy in the last part of the race. No excuses though, and it couldn't spoil my delight coming second, especially as I achieved it in front of my son that I love most in the world. Oh yes, it was my birthday as well.


To round off a special day I was filmed by 'London Tonight' and interviewed by Sally Williams. When we watched it later we thought it came out really well, though Tim cringed at some of his 'baby' pictures being shown, and when he was filmed giving me a kiss at the end. At 11, he's got his teenage surliness early, but I love him to bits. All in all it was one of those days that live forever in the memory.

Typically I was ill on Wednesday but recovered and returned to training with a long road session on Thursday and Friday. Today I did a heavy workout in the gym before returning home to pack my chair and bags for a flight to Zurich tomorrow morning. I will be competing in the Swiss Championships and hopefully I will do well and keep myself in contention for a place in the Team. I don't even get to come home a week on Sunday because it's straight off to Manchester for the Paralympic World Cup. I thank God for the love and support of my family and friends.

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.

Switzerland and After.

I had a fairly successful trip to Switzerland and took part in two meetings from our base in Zurich. I was quite pleased with my performances, especially in the 200m where I just missed out on a Personal Best time by less than a second. I desperately need a new racing chair and that will be my priority in the coming months. Unfortunately, wheelchair racing is a sport where the quality of your chair really does make a difference. I'm happy with my fitness and training and looking forward to another competition in Gateshead this coming Sunday.

Today I was very honoured to be invited to speak at the 'Habits of Highly Successful Women Conference 2010' in London to 300 girls of all ethnic backgrounds. I was in exalted company as the other speakers were; Kamel Hothi, Baroness Susan Greenfield, Schona Jolly, Lorraine Pascal, Vicky Jewson, and Alix Pryde, all highly successful women. I think it is fantastic that the young women of today have so many inspirational female role models to look up to. I wish they'd been there in Kenya when I was growing up.