SWISS ROLLER COASTER

It is so nice to be back in Switzerland once again. It's a country I really love to visit, and meeting all of my friends from International wheelchair racing makes it so much better. Mind you, the weather has been atrocious, rain and strong winds, which made a bit of a washout of our first race meeting over the weekend. But that is elite sport - you plan and train but you can never plan for the weather!  Everything about Switzerland will be one of the things I will really miss when I retire, though I do want to take up a coaching role so perhaps I can continue coming with my athletes.

The news from home (UK) has been truly shocking and disturbing and my heart goes out to the family, friends and colleagues of the murdered soldier, Lee Rigby. My prayers are with them all. What possesses a man to take another man's life in such a cruel manner ???  And in the name of RELIGION ??? If we have no PEACE it's because we have forgotten that  WE belong together.  LOVE should be our most unifying and empowering common spiritual denominator as demonstrated  by the women who sat besides Lee Rigby so he would not die on his own. I believe humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty,the ocean does not become dirty- Let us be courageous and we must not lose faith in humanity.

I miss my son so much  and  I long for evenings when I can speak to him on Skype. He is my pride and joy and being a mum to such a lovely ,gorgeous, strong, clever, sensitive and caring boy has taught me so much about life.I am in gratitude every second of my life and so many times in the middle of my little mess, I am constantly reminded of how big I'm blessed !

I think I needed this time away to reflect on several things about myself. I am surely learning to listen and to be patient. I  miss my friend who is  in the UK  and I wish I could speak with him

all the time but all I can do at the moment is have them in my heart and pray for them. Life is too short,  therefore if you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Back on Track.

Thanks to the gorgeous weather we had last week I managed to put in some quality training though not as much as I would've liked,  but it was certainly a big improvement on recent weeks and months. I even managed a couple of long runs  on the road and it was lovely to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.

A young boy I've been mentoring here in Harlow, Adam, took part in his second mini marathon and managed to do a PB. I was delighted for him. I can remember his mum, Karen, bringing him down to the track when he was only 9 years old and we sat him in my racing chair and his arms barely reached the push rims! It is a real blessing to watch youngsters such as Adam mature into great athletes.

I watched the London Marathon on TV and thanked God there was no repeat of the awful events in Boston the week before. My heart really goes out to all those people whose lives were wrecked by the cowardly actions of two very evil individuals. I was upset to see one of the world's top racers, Josh Cassidy, colliding with one of the elite female athletes. I think the organizers caused both of them the race due to poor planning. If the wheelchairs had been started first then that incident could have been easily prevented. I'm sure Josh will be back next year.

On Friday I was invited to spend time and motivate the young people and volunteers taking part in the Panathlon Challenge in Chelmsford, Essex, one of the 50 multi- sport competitions being held in 17 counties this year. I also presented the medals to these wonderful 'differently able' youngsters who really enjoyed taking part in New age curling,table cricket, boccia, and relay races that involved runners and electric and manual wheelchairs. I believe every child has the right to play and it doesn't matter about their limitations, physical or mental, there was something there they could participate in. There was so much love, passion and determination oozing from the youngsters faces that it was a joy to behold. It made me reflect and be reminded that the most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and take it in.

 I ended my blessed Friday with a lovely meal with my very good friend. I'm sure we all have friends who bring the best out of us without even trying, and we love being in their company whether we are doing something exciting or watching the paint dry!  It was a fantastic way to start the weekend so I thank them for their great company. Life is great and we shouldn't let circumstances and society fool us into believing it's not. Sometimes being silly with a friend is the best thing and you don't always have to climb Mt.Kenya !!!

I woke up early on Saturday to prepare for the first track meeting of this season but it got off to a bad start when my taxi failed to show and another had to be organised quickly. It's not easy to find a car big enough to take my racing and day chairs but we managed. We arrived in Stoke Mandeville on time for me to take part in the BWAA Meeting, but the weather was DIRE. Rain, wind, more rain! Such a shame because it is one of the best tracks in the UK for wheelchair racing but the wind was illegal so none of the times were any good for qualifying. I did manage 3rd in 3 races, bus as the weather worsened I decided to cut my losses and head home before my final race. Things can only get better.

This morning I played the part of very proud mum when my son, Tim, played striker for his team, Parsloe Athletic U - 12, and scored a fantastic goal from thirty yards out that he hit so hard the pegs holding the net down jumped from their holes!!! They won 3 - 1, so very well done Tim from your very proud mum.

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.

Training and Training and More Training!

After the celebration of a 1000 days to the 2012 Paralympics I suddenly realised that it doesn'r really leave me with a lot of time to get myself in tip top shape so I went straight out onto the road on Saturday and did my usual session. My route has quite a few hills, and with the bitter wind blowing in my face and my nose running it is really exhausting. When your nose is running and you're gasping for breath you realise that being an athlete is not very glamorous. I have to push up the long slope past Parndon Crematorium and that's when it is really hurting and my arms feel like jelly. Sometimes I feel like taking a right turn and getting it over and done with! What drives me to keep pushing to the end is my determination to do well. The best bit is when I start to make my way downhill and I can see the road to my house. This is where my coach always reminds me to work on my arm speed so no coasting for me, just more hard work.
When I get the chance to 'glam up' I jump at it and so on Tuesday I attended a fund raising champagne reception in the Natural History Museum in London organised by Save The Children, a charity that has touched my heart. It reminds me of growing up in Kenya and as a mother myself I know how important childhood is in forming who we become as adults. There were so many stars there I thought I was in the Planetarium instead!It was a great honour to meet the Princess Royal. I also enjoyed meeting Louis Barnett because he is a chocolatier and had designed a Christmas Tree and Santa made out of chocolate which was to be auctioned for the charity. Hasbro had a fantastic tree also, made of small toy ponies. But the most amazing tree was one made by Ethiopian children who have benefitted from being helped by Save the Children. It was made out of sisal and was beautifully coloured. It was a lovely evening and it made a nice change from training.

'Eastenders'.

I took a break from training yesterday to spend the day filming at Elstree Studios as a Supporting Artist on 'Eastenders'.This was my second appearance because I was there back in July making my debut. The whole experience is fascinating and its really strange being in 'Albert Square' after seeing it so often on the TV. Many years ago, back in Kenya, I can remember watching 'Carry On Camping' on video and Barbara Windsor had a wardrobe malfunction involving her undergarments so it was incredible to be actually in a scene with her yesterday. She even gave me a lovely smile and a wink and I felt really special. I won't give away the storyline but I can say it took ages to get the shot right and I didn't mind at all because I just was enjoying seeing the people I've watched myself on screen. You never know, perhaps one day you'll see me sprinting round Albert Square in my racing chair!
Back to the office today with a gruelling 10 mile road push. It was great being away but it's nice to be back to normality doing what I'm also passionate about, WHEELCHAIR RACING. As I was pushing on the road today I thought to myself that self belief and determination are vital to success, and I really want to succeed in my sport and get into top shape in the 1000 days leading up to London 2012. All my thanks to Team Essex!!!