September 2011

This month has been much busier than the last – though that isn’t saying much!!
I packaged my parents back off to England and swapped them for some family friends and my athletics mentor. I felt like I was running a hotel!! I had a very busy couple of weeks with my mentor but very beneficial. I have decided to move up the distances and concentrate on the 400m and 200m; moving away from the 100m (however, I’ll still run some indoor 60ms and outdoor 100ms this year). So the time he spent with me was all about the step up in event and level. We started some 400m training which I must say gave my body a bit of a shock but I’m doing better than I expected. I am enjoying the training very much and am greatly looking forward to getting stuck in fully. I’m currently on the base phase which will build me up some endurance. I’m busy learning how to pace myself – I’m sure I‘ll get there!! I’m too used to short sprint training!! I ran a 5km race too for something a bit different and of course to help me with my endurance. I must say it wasn’t the best experience I have had – it was an extremely hilly course which no one thought to tell me until afterwards!! Though I was the 5th woman home so that was an achievement for me!! And of course the free t-shirt and medal are always an added bonus!!! Haaa! We also did some psychology work which was very tough but good: I learnt a lot and have started putting the action plans into use. My mentor also took on the role of tutor for testing me ready for my PT exams – he was very good at it I must say!
In this period I also got my letter of acceptance to university!! I’m greatly looking forward to starting in October: I will be studying Geography and Psychology. I hope I manage to balance my studying and training!! The Uni is within 20min walking distance from home so that is very useful – I’m sure I’ll be powerwalking it some days!!
I then had 3 days in between everybody leaving the flat and me flying back for my PT exams. I spent those 3 days with my head firmly in my text books! The first 3 days back home I spent on a course which had a theory exam too. We were only a small group which was good and I enjoyed the weekend lots. Fingers crossed I passed the exam!
The week was crammed packed as ever when I’m back in England – I hardly spent any time at home! On the Wednesday I had some biomechanical tests done which took most of the day. I went with my mentor this time which I found very beneficial and again another day I learnt a lot! At points they were chatting in technical speak and everything they said went over my head and they had to dumb it down for me to understand hee. We did a variety of tests, some of which I did last year too, this allows us to compare the results and tailor my training programmes accordingly. We plan to carry out a series of tests throughout the year which will again help tailor the training programmes as well as provide check mark points. I apologise for the fact I forgot to take any photos!!
I had my photo shoot whilst I was home too. I had a fab time!! It took us just under 5hours!!! It involved lots of clothes changes so I could get promo shots for all the sponsors and of my doing varying things. Including blocks, which was interesting as they weren’t actually touching the floor – by the time we had taken these shots my arms and shoulders felt like they had done a full workout!! The final photos will be on my website in due time which is currently under construction.
Whilst I was home I also had a huge unexpected surprise. When I was 10 we had a Ukraine waterpolo player to come and stay with us for 6 weeks and we became very close: much like sisters. We have managed to keep in contact on and off but hadn’t seen each other since then. The day before I was due to fly home my Dad got a phone call saying that she was playing in Manchester that very moment. At the time I was having a powernap!! So Dad came running to wake me to tell me she was in Manchester so we jumped into the car and drove to MAC. We arrived just in time to see the game: unfortunately they lost. After the game we spoke to her dad first (who is the coach) and he went to get her (she didn’t know we had come). When I saw her I ran to her and gave her a massive hug and she swung me round whilst saying “Little sister you grew big!!” It was like we had never been apart. It was fantastic!!!! At the moment we are planning to see if she can spend Christmas with us before her visa expires – fingers crossed we manage to sort something out!!
This month has been a fantastically busy one and inspiring for me. Doing all the work on my training has made me even hungrier to achieve my dream of becoming a world class athlete. I know the next few months will be hard with starting uni and the change in training but I’m not one to be scared – Bring on the challenge!!!

August 2011

I think this is going to be my shortest blog yet – I don’t have a lot to report on!! August brings a change to my routine. It is my training rest period. Which means in the first 2 weeks I did no training at all just lots of relaxing! My training is replaced by sunbathing and swimming in the sea – well swimming is a bit of an active description! Then in the next 2 weeks I just did a couple of runs and gym sessions a week just to turn my body over.
Mum and Dad came to stay with me for the month and get their annual dose of total chill and beaching! We didn’t do a lot at all – it was great just to chill! Though I had to revise lots ready for my exams next month: but doing it on a beach is much easier than doing it at a desk!

July 2011

Well this month Malta underwent a big change: the famous yellow and orange buses are no more! They have all been replaced by the standard green Arriva buses. I think it’s sad as the buses provided the island with character. However, the improved condition of the buses is much appreciated! We even have some bendy buses – however, they are too big to fit on some of the roads on the initial planned routes so on the first few days quite a few got stuck trying to go round the little streets: it was quite amusing!!

The first half of the month I continued to train very hard and work on technique: especially my blocks. I changed the position of my blocks to try and improve my starts and fingers crossed it seems to have worked or at least improved them. I have some heavy specific winter training needed to get them correct for next season.

I then flew back to England again!! Now going on a plane is like getting on a bus for me!! In fact, the last time I flew the airport staff gave me jobs to do as they now know me!! I travelled to Bedford again but this time for the Senior England Championships. However, our car broke the day before so the garage very kindly lent us a tiny car for 4 of us to travel in. Traffic was awful and the car very uncomfortable – a nightmare of a journey!! On the Saturday I had the 100m and ran a PB of 12.19sec. My start was much better than the previous week; however, the end phase wasn’t as strong. On the Sunday I had the 200m and ran a PB of 25.25sec from lane 1. Lane 1 is the hardest lane to run in because the curve is so tight. I was pleased with the weekend overall, considering the training that I had missed due to illness and the fact that it’s still my first year as a senior. Plus the weather was appalling: heavy rain and cold!! Something I’m not used to anymore!

On the Sunday I travelled back to Bolton to spend the week at home with my family and friends. It was a very busy week filled with several appointments and meetings! I never seem to have enough time to do the things I need to when I’m back at home! I’m very please to say that this week I secured some more sponsorship. I’m now also sponsored by Travel Counsellors and Active Physiotherapy. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my sponsors and I look forward to working with you all in the future.

On the Thursday one of my Maltese training partners flew in to compete in the Birmingham Games with me. It was the first time I have competed at Alexander Stadium: it’s a fantastic venue and I look forward to the day I compete there with all the stands full of people!! I love competing in front of a noisy crowd. This competition was only on 1 day. First I had the 100m but the electronic timing broke on our race so I didn’t get a valid time. This was very frustrating as it was my last chance to run the qualifying time for the World Trials the following weekend. I only had to run 0.04sec quicker. Grr!! But I put it behind me and focused on the 200m. In the 200m I ran another PB of 25.15sec and won my heat. This was a great confidence boaster for me! My Nan came to watch me which means a lot to me as she is very old now and doesn’t get to watch me often: it’s only the 3rd time she has seen me run. She used to be a PE teacher so she is very interested and always there to give me her opinion. This competition was the last of my season.

This month I got my English result too (via a text message!!) so I have applied for the University of Malta to study Geography and Psychology. I hope I get accepted and am greatly looking forward to starting and continuing my formal education.

So I am now back in the sun and looking forward to having a few relaxed weeks and leading a “normal” life for a while. Lots of swimming, sun bathing and partying!!

June 2011

I started the month by playing house and having my first visitors to my apartment (excluding my parents of course!). I really enjoyed having people to stay and especially the free meals!! Hee! Though, I must admit when they left the place was very quiet!

My bad luck continued with my health this month: I managed to get severe laryngitis just 1 week before I was due to compete in England. It came out of nowhere – On the Wednesday night I had had an amazing training session and then I woke up on Thursday with all my glands dramatically swollen. In order to try and get me back ready for the competitions I was given a double set of antibiotics. However, it didn’t get me back in time. I still flew back to England as scheduled but I had to withdraw from the North of England Championships. I was soooooo frustrated and disappointed!!! It’s at these times that I truly realise how important the support of my friends and family is – thanks guys!

The following week I was much better and I travelled to Bedford to compete in the U23 England Championships. For this competition my coach flew over too, thanks to the funding from PS&P Ltd. This is the first time he has been able to travel with me to a competition abroad. It made a huge difference having him there with me. It also gave him the opportunity to meet the people over in England who have helped me in previous competitions when he hasn’t been around. On the Saturday I had the 100m and ran a time of 12.10sec a PB but the wind was slight over the legal limit at +2.2m/s (the limit if 2.0m/s) so my time does not count on the rankings. On the Saturday I had the 200m and made the final. I ran a time of 25.89sec with a head wind. I was disappointed with the times I ran but I was just happy to be back competing. It was clear I was still suffering the effects of the antibiotics. I also met one of the partners from PS&P Ltd this weekend as he came with his family to support me. Some of my friends and family also came too. Knowing you have people in the crowd supporting you gives you that extra boost!

I then flew back to the sun to get some good training in before my next set of competitions in July. I’m greatly looking forward to them and seeing what times I’m capable of running! Of course training has also been accompanied by lots of sunbathing to top up the tan!! Although I have to resist the temptation of swimming in the sea until my season is over to help minimise the risk of me getting sick again. I have a count down of how long it is till I can go swimming!!

I now have a kit sponsor called Moette. Moette are a clothing company and have agreed to provide me with some competition and training kit. I will able to personalise some of the kit with my other sponsors logos too.

May 2011

I started this month with the second part of my English exam for university. This part was the written exam where I had to write a composition of 450 words (from a choice of 7 titles); do a comprehension and then finally write an essay on “Of Mice and Men” (a choice of 3 titles). You have 3 whole hours to do this!! Far from my History A Level of 2 full length essays in 1 hour, where you hardly have time to breathe! It was the strangest exam I have ever done – it was really relaxed, nothing like a Bolton School style exam!! For exams in Malta you are sent to any school on the island, so not the one where you attend. Where I went we were in class rooms along a corridor and you were allowed to take your bags in with you and have blocked out pencil cases and non see- through water bottles on your desk! And yes you were allowed your phone in the room too: supposedly it had to be turned off but during the exam someone’s went off and nothing happened! To start the exams there were no instructions or anything and it was started by someone running down the corridor shouting “You may start!” At this point the papers were still on the front desk. We then handed them out between ourselves. And to top this off during the exam you can get up and wander round to the toilet on your own – which was on the other side of the school! I wonder what my uni exams will be like!

This month we had the Maltese Championships, but yet again my health let me down and I was ill. However, determined as I was I still competed! I managed to come 2nd in the 100m with a PB and I also came 2nd in the 200m, but without a PB this time. I was gutted to be ill yet again as I had marked this comp as one of my target ones – but that’s life I guess; there is nothing I can do about it! The following week my doc sent me for blood tests to see if anything showed up to explain all my recent illness. Luckily nothing major showed up but it did show some low mineral levels which would explain my lack of energy. A great relief to know my body wasn’t just giving up!! So with a slight diet change I’m back on track!

After getting back on track with my health I headed into a very hard 2 weeks of training. It was one of the most intense periods I have ever done: at one point I had done 9 sessions in 4 and a half days! I’m very proud of this fact and told nearly everybody I spoke to!! This kick ass block of training has got me back on track to where I want and my coach wants me to be for the championships next month in England. BRING IT ON!!!!

At the end of the month I flew back to England very briefly for my cousins wedding. I had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed catching up with family and friends that I hadn’t seen for a very long time. It was a well deserved break from the training. However, not for long as the day after the wedding we had to miss the family lunch to get back in time for me to be in the gym and train before it shut (and with it being bank holiday it closed early!). Much to my surprise one of my friends who I met at the gym was there too which was great to see him as we haven’t seen each other for ages! He got a flying Sian at speed – good job he’s a heavy weight boxer so he could catch me! Haahaaa It was interesting for me to see him, as he hasn’t seen me since September, he noticed how much my body shape had changed and how much stronger/powerful I was looking. It’s always good to be told every now and again by a fellow sports person who understands to reinforce the fact that all the training is paying off – not that I ever have doubts!!

April 2011

Well I started this month with my birthday!!! It’s scary not being a teenager anymore!! I had the training group round to the flat and then we went out for a well deserved party!!

Unfortunately, I have had to stop working at the hotel due to an injury. Repeatedly carrying the heavy trays on my arm, with my palm up caused me an injury in my shoulder. As I’m here on the island to train it seemed counter productive to carry on. So this has meant lots of trips to the physio and again some lovely pink and black strapping! So I’m now back working where I used to work last summer to keep earning the pennies!

I have VERY exciting news this month with regard to sponsorship! A company called PS&P have given me my first proper sponsorship deal and we both had great fun writing up the contract. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and hope it enables me to produce bigger and better performances! Bring it on!!!

This month I had the first part of my English exam that I need in order to go to uni here later in the year. I had to do an oral – in English - yes! The aim being to sound like a Native English person! I hope I managed!! I had to read a short paragraph and then chose a topic to talk about from a given list. Guess what was on the list?!?! Going to the gym!! How lucky is that?!?!

My parents and granddad came over for 2 weeks which was nice to see them. Always good to get a break from the cleaning and cooking Heehee!! Dad set about getting the flat ready for summer which involved buying a sun lounger, a brolly some more plastic chairs etc. So now I’m all set for summer!!! We have had some awful weather over the last couple of weeks – we had heavy rain from the South so it’s full of sand from Africa. The clouds were literally brown and everything ends up covered in the dust/sand. (Note in the photo that normally the tiles are white!)

I had my first competition of the season too. However, it was one I had not prepared for, especially after being behind schedule due to my illness last month. It was an international competition that Malta host every year. It was not very successful thanks to the weather!! It was the worst wind I have ever run in!! It was minus 4.9m/s with gusts of up to minus 6m/s (the legal limit is 2m/s). It was so strong that in the curve of the 200m it blew me out of my lane! We were all driving really hard but going nowhere – My coach said it was like watching a race in slow motion! Defo one for the memory bank and goes down to experience! I have a couple more competitions next month over here in Malta then in June I head back to England for the major comps. I can’t wait – but I know I still have a lot of hard work to be done!!!

March 2011

First of all I have to apologise for the lateness of this and Aprils blog! Time has been running away!

I have some exciting news!! After following the last couple of months of success I started to look for sponsorship to help fund my dream. Much to my delight, my local gym, Total Fitness, have decided to support me. My first bit of sponsorship!!

Well it has been a very, very quiet month! I have been hitting training hard with lots of double sessions. I have started doing some longer training for the 400m to see what happened. My body has had a total shock!! I’m going to give it more time before I comment any further!! Haa!

I got a new job this month working at a 5 star hotel as a breakfast waitress. I was so relieved to find a job that fits around my training – it isn’t easy believe me!! I’m enjoying it a lot and especially working within a team. I have had to do some training courses to get me some more pieces of paper!!

The first weekend of the month was carnival. Unfortunately I was still ill so whilst the whole island was out partying I was stuck in on the sofa :-( I was sick for it last year too - I was not impressed to say the least!

February 2011

Sian is now sponsored by Total Fitness.

My roller coaster month of January definitely continued all the way through February! I have flown back and forth so much I think I deserve my own jet! Haa

As I mentioned at the end of the last blog I was selected to run for the Manchester team in the McCain City Challenge. This competition is where 8 teams from around the UK are selected and we compete to be “the last city standing”. I flew back again to England to compete. There was one small problem that the competition was on the same day as my next set of PT exams but after speaking to the company I study with we postponed the exams until a later date. So I headed to Sheffield for the comp in pursuit of the qualifying time for the UK Champs & European Trials. Unfortunately, there was a delay before my race as the men’s high jump hadn’t finished and it was across the track straight. This meant we had to spend an extra 40minutes in the call room and due to my lack of experience it got to me and by the time it came to race I had lost my focus. I had an appalling start and as the 60m is so short you can’t afford 1 mistake so I had failed to make the standard again. I was absolutely devastated!! I knew I was more than capable of running the time as I have done it several times in training. The following day I was so down it was unbelievable! My family and friends were trying their best to cheer me up but they just didn’t know what to tell me.

However, I was about to be taken on another stage of my roller coaster. Late Tuesday evening I received a phone call to tell me I had been selected for the UK Trials and European Trials after all as I showed potential, had been very close the qualifying time and that I was young and needed the experience as I had missed many years when I was younger due to injury and illness. I was ecstatic!!! I went from being at the lowest point to the highest in just a few seconds!

A few days before the trials I went to stay with my mentor in the UK to help get me focused ready for my big day and away from everyday distractions. The comp was in Sheffield again, which I now know very well. This was the biggest stage I had ever been on by a mile!! I was very excited about the whole situation but significantly by the fact that I got a bib with my name on it rather than a number – little things!! I met lots of important people including GB team coaches and selectors. It was important to get my face known as I had come from “no where” in 3 weeks and people only had a name. In my race for a change I had an amazing start but unfortunately I stumbled half way and as I said earlier 1 mistake in the 60m and your race is over. I was slightly disappointed not to run a PB but I had had an AMAZING experience and I learnt loads that will be very useful for the future. I had just been too excited!! I found it really inspiring to be at such an event and it has made me hungrier for more.

I was also lucky that whilst I was home it was my local athletics clubs annual presentation. It was great to be able to go and catch up with everybody and to be there in person to pick up my awards. I think it’s important for the younger athletes to see the older ones to give them inspiration. After all, that’s where part of my inspiration came from!

Whilst I was home I also went into school to talk to the Old Girls at a lunch. I gave a talk about my dreams and life in Malta. I had a lovely time and found it very interesting talking to other Old Girls to see how things at the school had changed and also about their own sporting experiences and interests. It was clear I had their full support and that they were proud of me – this especially touched me!

Just 2 days before flying back to the Malta I received an email to tell me I had been selected to run in the second match of the McCain City Challenge. I was excited to have been selected again and looked forward for a last chance to compete in the indoors. This comp was to be held in Cardiff. However, we had one slight problem – my parents were due in Malta to come and visit me and see the new flat and 2 days after they arrived I had to be in Cardiff!

So I flew back to Malta and spent most of the few days before my parents came sorting out last minute things and cleaning! I also had a low key competition in Malta in the middle! After much negotiation with my coach we agreed I would just jump for fun and see what happens. I’m glad to say it went very well considering I hadn’t done any training for it for the last 4 weeks and we had difficult wind conditions. My parents arrived and I’m happy to say they loved my new flat! It felt really strange cooking for them and driving them around – like role reversal! They bought me some more things I needed to make it more homely and functional. The weather wasn’t so nice for them though, lots of rain and wind but now at least they believe me how bad it is when I say the weather is bad!

With my parents busy enjoying the flat and their break I flew back to England. I flew into Bristol and stayed with my Uncle for a night before travelling across to Newport where the team hotel was for the comp. For this comp the team spirit was greater as we all stayed in the hotel the night before. This time I was selected for the 200m and the 60m and I was very happy as the 200m was before the 60m so I was looking forward to seeing what time I could run with fresh legs. However, I did not have a good race and was really ill afterwards and I wasn’t recovered by the time it came to run the 60m. I only had 20min after the 200m to be in the call room again for the 60m. On the start of the 60m I still had blurry vision and a banging headache! So again my performance was not up to scratch, but again it had all been a big learning experience and that was the purpose of the event for me. I really enjoyed being a part of a team as athletics is such an individual event. It was an added bonus that my Nan, Grandad, Uncle and Auntie also came to watch! I flew back to Malta in the very early hours of the following morning and when I woke up I felt ill. On returning to the island I went to the doctor to be told I had a throat and ear infection – I was relieved to know that was why I had competed poorly the day before as this had been bothering me.

Well after this compete roller coaster of the last 6 weeks that wasn’t planned at all I’m starting another block of heavy pre season training ready for the outdoor season. I can not wait!!!

January 2011

Well the start of the New Year has been an exciting one for me!

I moved out of the house I have been living in with family friends and moved into a flat on my own!!! It is good to have my own space and I have had great fun arranging everything. Even if though it took 3 weeks to sort the internet and telephone line - anyone would thing I was trying to build a rocket! The biggest problem I have encountered so far is trying to decide what to cook for my self twice a day!! And the quantity – I knew I ate a lot but I had no idea actually how much!!!!

Before returning from England after Christmas I competed in a low key local indoor competition so that I would have competed before the North of England Championships. This took a lot of dedication as the comp was on the 2nd Jan; so that meant no partying for me on New Years Eve - being an athlete is not always fun by a long way!! I did the 60m in a time of 7.84. The long jump was not as good as I had to go straight from the 60m to the jumps and the competition had already started so I had no time to measure my run up accurately and alter it accordingly. I also decided I would run a 200m for a bit of fun as I had never ran one indoors and due to the banked curves it is very different from competing outdoors. I loved the experience and to my surprise I won it though I did take me a long time to recover!! On getting home and talking to my mentor I realised that my 60m time was only 0.04 off from the qualifying time for the Aviva UK Trails & European Championships.

I flew back to Malta for what was planned to be 10 good days of training with my coach, but which was disrupted as I became sick. I returned to England again for the North of England Championships with a few of my Maltese training partners who are also members of my English club. It was just supposed to be a progress check to see where I was up to and nothing more especially as this is my first year as a senior athlete. However, it started a roller coaster! In the 60m, which is not my best event, I came 3rd. However, again my start let me down and I missed the qualification time by only 0.02 seconds this time. I was really happy with the placing but I have to admit I was frustrated that I missed the time again. The following day I had the long jump and the 200m but after my success in the sprints the day before I withdrew from the jump to focus on the sprint. I’m still in shock to tell you that I won the 200m!!!! I had no idea I would do this and neither did the commentator!!! I was absolutely ecstatic – I had made the first step on the ladder to achieving my dream and very much unexpectedly!

On returning back to Malta I received an email telling me I had been selected to compete in the Manchester team in the McCain City Challenge in February. After some emails around I found out I had been selected to see if I could run the qualifying time for the trials. I felt very lucky to be given the opportunity not only to try and run the time again, that I had done several times in training, but to also represent my city. You will have to wait till the next blog to find out what happens!!!

December 2010

This month was quite busy getting ready for Christmas! Training has continued to go very well!! I had a very low key competition that we used as a progress check to see where we were up to and what needs working on. However, as ever the wind was very strong and against so all the times were rather slow. But it felt good to be back competing and I’m looking forward to ‘kicking ass’ in the new year!!

I set about flat hunting this year and I’m happy to report that I have found one! It all happened very fast – much to my parents' shock!! I move in the new year – I can’t wait!! However, I’m a bit nervous too as it will be a big change living on my own! My main concern is how I’m going to cook enough to feed myself!

I spent a day at a car show on the old air fields with my friend. We had a fantastic time letting our masculine side show!! There were all types of cars you can imagine ranging from old VW camper vans to top class Lamborghinis. My favourite was an orange sports car – mainly because of the colour!

We had a Christmas meal with the club over in Malta. It was a good night even though the food was not the best. It is a fund raiser for the club that happens every year and it’s a good opportunity for the group to meet together with our coach outside of training.

I went home for Christmas this year to spend it with the family: however, it was strange as my Brother did not make it home. My time home was very training orientated with double sessions nearly everyday – rather hard when most places close over the Christmas period! I love being home for Christmas as the close where I live are very close and we all decorate the outside of our houses so when you come down the road its like entering a Christmas wonderland. It was also good to have some snow at Christmas! Luckily, it didn’t disrupt my travelling this time!

New Year was also quiet for me as I had a competition on the 2nd of January so I wasn’t allowed to go out and party! I spent the night in with the family and then at midnight all the neighbours came out and we set off some fireworks and Chinese lanterns. They were very pretty!!

I have the Northern Championships in January which I am looking forward to and hoping to set out some markers!