Easter Weekend.

It's been a hectic few weeks since my last entry and I've been very busy being a mum, athlete, sister, auntie and friend. My training has been severely curtailed by the freezing weather but I have managed to get on rollers and work out in the gym. The season begins in earnest in April but I'm feeling very good physically and I'm really looking forward to getting back into competition.

Last Saturday I had the great privilege to be a guest speaker at the 'Women Mentoring Women' Conference held in London. There were lots of inspirational women present who are very successful in their own fields, such as politics, pastoral, charities and entrepreneurs. I was reminded of how bad it is to judge others as I mingled with these women whose faces were full of confidence and determination. I really enjoyed the sessions and came away knowing a lot more than I did when I arrived.

Today, Saturday, I have just returned from spending a lovely couple of days in Oxford with my good friend. I really enjoyed myself. The world's first ever museum, The Ashmolean, was a fantastic place to visit. It is full of beautiful paintings, sculptures and historical objects. We left after my friend started feeling uncomfortable surrounded by mummies - The whole experience was amazing. Oxford is a very beautiful place and the sense of history is almost overwhelming as we wheeled through the streets full of ancient buildings.

Life is full of surprises, at least mine is and every moment is an opportunity and we have a choice on how we live it. When we are curious, we are in love with life and one just can't fail to be reminded that genuine friendship is important to most human beings. So these few days have been about opening my heart and allowing wonderful things to flow to me - enjoying and being taught that when I let go of who I am, I become who I might be -

Happy Birthday Tim!

Today is my sons birthday and I remember the day he came into this world pulled from my stomach. I looked at him and wondered where he could have fitted in my small stomach. Delivered prematurely yet he still weighed seven pounds, healthy and extremely beautiful. I remember looking at him when the midwife placed him in my arms, tears of joy streaming down my cheeks. I felt so complete as a woman. He was very white and had beautiful blue eyes, now he is transformed into a caramel coloured, brown eyed handsome boy, the joy of my life. I shall have to be careful later today when we cut his birthday cake and make sure I only take a small slice. I shall also remember that it was Tim's birth that set me on the path I follow today as an athlete.

The weather has definitely not been conducive to training outdoors so I've been training indoors on rollers and doing my strength and conditioning work. I miss being outside in the fresh air on the road. Let's hope the weather gets better soon so I can get out. To be honest, all my minor complaints are trivial compared to the suffering currently taking place in Syria. My heart goes out to all the men, women and children suffering so brutally at the hands of their own government and I cannot understand how the world can just sit back and watch it all unfold on their plasma tv screens! God show mercy!

Titanic Revisited?

Hello again everyone. Life has been so hectic since the holiday I feel I've barely had time to breathe let alone find time to maintain a blog. However, I know people like to keep up with what I'm doing so I've made the time today for a catch up.

Training has been going very well, and with the strong winds we've been having lately I am so glad I have rollers so I can put in the work indoors. However, I do love being outside on the track and doing my long pushes on the road so I will be really glad when the warmer weather finally arrives. Whatever the weather though I am determined to work really hard this year because it's such an important year for athletes.

Last week I had a few meetings in London to attend, one of which was an invitation to visit with Your World Recruitment Agency. It was very interesting to meet all the staff and be shown around their offices. It is always good to see how other people work hard in their own environments. Hopefully they will come to see me in my 'office' soon, though they'll have to leave their smart clothes in the dressing room and be prepared to sweat!

I have been following the tragic events that have struck the 'Costa Concordia' cruise ship. It is so sad that people who set off for a holiday of a lifetime have lost their lives and others have been totally traumatised by their experience. I can't help but think how I would cope in my wheelchair if anything like that happened to me, a whole cruise ship tipping onto its side and lying half submerged under the water. It reminds me of the film,'Titanic'! I hope to God there are no more deaths and the missing can be successfully rescued. Condolences to all those families who have lost loved ones.

A Year To Go.......

Well,it's now just under a year before the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and I'm very excited about it. It is such a joyous thing to see disabled athletes from all over the globe coming together to compete in sport, showing the world the positive face of disability and providing inspiration to millions of others. Each individual athlete will have travelled their own individual road to London 2012, some will have had great backing and financial support, others will have battled through on their own with little or no support, but they will all share the same experience at the end of that road, with the lucky few winning medals. Like I say, I am REALLY looking forward to it.
I've been watching the debate around Oscar Pistorius with great interest because it throws up many questions. For example, now he has competed with the so called 'able bodied' athletes should he be banned from competing in disabled sport? If he is allowed to compete in both areas should the able bodied also be allowed to compete in disabled sport? What do people reading this post think? It would be good to get some feedback.
The World Championships in Daegu have been really exciting to watch and I feel very proud that the country of my birth, Kenya, is currently second to the USA in the medals table! I think that's a fantastic achievement. Mind you, I am also enjoying watching the British athletes competing and enjoyed watching Jessica Ennis win her Silver. I hate the way the media say she 'lost' the gold. She did not, she WON the Silver. I was also impressed with Louise Hazel's performance and look forward to following her next year. Good luck to all the athletes as the Championships wind down to the final few days. Each and every one of them has WORKED and SWEATED to be where they are, and they should be applauded for that, not belittled like the media loves to do to certain individuals.