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!!!