2015 in review - part 2

The second instalment in my review of the year that was 2015!

April

So far, 2015 had been great but April saw things start to turn on their head a little. At the beginning of the month, I lost one of my best friends to the horrible disease that is Cystic Fibrosis. At Christmas, Tahlia was finally found a double lung transplant that we all thought would change her life for the better. Unfortunately, after a troubled few months in and out of hospital, Tink’s body rejected the new lungs and she lost her life at the tender age of 20. I think it’s fair to say I was devastated and I felt completely lost with the unexpected news. At 22, I had never had to deal with death and I had no idea how to handle it. Some people that I needed to be supportive weren’t so, but others were fantastic and I felt so lucky to have them with me. So thank you to my family, the team at 17 Management, to Ben and to Darv, whom it probably hit harder than it did me, but whom I never saw cry. Rest in peace Tahlia ‘Tink’ Banks, we miss you so much.

RIP Tahlia "Tink" Banks who we lost in April 2015

So for the rest of April, I just powered through and focused on everything else to ease the pain. I trained hard, did my University work from a distance, and completed the appearances we had booked. Nearer to the end of April, I had a photoshoot with GLAMOUR magazine, my favourite magazine and definitely one that I had on the bucket list. It was so much fun, if not a little scary sitting on a 6ft high podium, on a roof of a London studio, in a wheelchair with no brakes! In case you haven’t quite noticed yet, I am a bit of a girly girl, so once again, I loved having my hair and make up done and I couldn’t wait to see my face and my story in Britain’s number one women’s magazine!

High on a roof top for Glamour magazine

May

Competition season was suddenly upon me and it started with a sudden heap of domestic races at the beginning of May. The weather was horrific and I felt like I was swimming my way through most of them, so I couldn’t be disappointed with the average times or lack of proof of my hard winter training. 

A wet race day at Stoke Mandeville

I find it important in times like these to also try and fit in some nice things, just to keep the mind entertained and to feel like there is some kind of balance between ‘work’ and play. That came this month in the form of releasing ‘those’ photos to the public! We headed down to the home of Bafta in London for the Panache ‘My Rolemodel’ launch and if I’m totally honest, it was a bit scary! All the models sat and did a Q&A session for journalists and retailers, about our experience and the meaning behind the campaign but once we had tested the water and worked out that the photos were in fact a huge success we all relaxed and enjoyed our time. 

The next day, I treated Mum to a trip to the theatre to see Les Miserables. Definitely not because I wanted to see it (cough) but if anyone wants to see a great show, be sure to see that one (and take me with you!).

#2015 #Review #Wheelchair #disability #sport #competition #friends #family

Catching up

In December 2014, I promised to start blogging properly again and a year on, I’m finally doing it! 

We have somehow reached the end of 2015, and although the year has flown by, it has been an incredibly busy one. So I thought I’d take the time to take a quick look back and to reflect on the victories and defeats, on the year that marked three years on from London 2012. However, so much has happened that I think doing it all at once might be a bit too much reading for anyone! So here is the first instalment of my 2015…

January

Putting the miles in on Perth roads

The first month of the year gave my University education a bit of a shake up, as I went part time in my studies to focus a little more on my sport. The need of my being part time was brought about by a six-week warm weather training camp, which began in Perth, Australia. 

I flew out to join my coach in her home city, for a month of intense base training, where we used the smooth, flat Perth roads to push mile upon mile and build strength and endurance. Between the 5am starts to avoid the heat and the 15 mile sessions though, we did get to have a little bit of fun, stroking the Kangaroos and koala bears, going to the outdoor cinema and visiting the Margaret River Chocolate factory. We definitely had to work for it though!

Enjoying some free time in the Australian sunshine

February


Mid February saw us move on from Australia and heavy base training. 

First, we visited Doha, Qatar and had a quick 2 day site visit to the hotels and tracks that were going to host the British Athletics team and the IPC World Championships later in the year. Although at the time, everyone was just about fed up of each other and ready to go home after a month away, it turned out to be an invaluable experience when the World Championships rolled around. It gave us prior knowledge of the culture, the environment, the food and the weather, all things that would give us a huge advantage over our rivals come competition time. 

We then moved from Doha to Dubai, to compete in the first IPC Grand Prix and the first race, of the season. I was still in heavy training, only easing off slightly because of access to training facilities, but I thought it would be good to have the experience of racing in a desert environment and to see if my base training was paying off. Of course, it goes without saying that I produced nothing fantastic for me, but some rather fantastic results for my competition, as my heavy arms slowed down my speeds and pulled them to some super PBs! Slightly annoying, but at the same time, a huge motivation to work even harder, as a brain in race mode never thinks logically, and didn’t really notice how far off my best my results were. Again though, an invaluable experience that taught me not to turn up in Doha without sunglasses or a waterbottle, as the sand in the air was incredibly uncomfortable when taking deep breaths!

On the podium at the IPC Grand Prix in Dubai

March

Finally home time but no time to rest. I was straight back into the swing of reality, catching up with 2 months worth of missed sponsor and appearance requests and keeping on top of all the hard work I had just been doing. 

March was a great month for me, as I did my first appearance for my new sponsor N+1 Singer and had my first meeting with soon to be but I didn’t know it yet sponsor, Irwin Mitchell. It felt so good to have new support and belief in my journey from these great companies.

It also saw me going way outside my comfort zone and becoming part of the ‘My Role model’ campaign, launched by Panache. Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m incredibly proud of my body. Although it might not be the most attractive thing to look at with regards to it’s irregularities, it has done things that no one ever expected it to do and it has got me through some amazing times, it also could be a lot worse than it is, but we’ve worked hard together over the last 23 years and I’ve got it looking some what ‘normal’ (if there is such a thing). But to then de-clothe that is a completely different story and one I had to think long and hard about whether I wanted to do. But the thought was more into the impression it would create, than if people would be disgusted with what they saw. With this in mind, I decided to do it as Hannah the 22-year-old (at the time) disabled woman, rather than Hurricane Hannah, the athlete, hence the lack of wheelchair or anything sporty around me in the pictures. It’s hard as a female athlete to be respected for your athletic prowess and be admired for your power, strength and dedication rather than being seen as the blonde with boobs sat on the start line. I really didn’t want this photoshoot to enhance the second image but I did want to help with the message that Panache was trying to put out into the world. It was such a ground-breaking campaign, that I just had to be involved, as I for one had never seen a disabled lingerie model and now I was being offered the chance to be one. And if my image could persuade just one woman that she was beautiful, whatever size or shape she might be, then I did the right thing. Or, at least, I hope I did! It was actually so much fun though, sitting in a house worth millions of pounds, in the centre of London, having my hair and make up done, this was what it was all about! The all female crew made me feel so relaxed and comfortable and the other ladies involved were absolutely incredible. Just hearing their stories and why they had been chosen to be part of the campaign made me wonder how my achievements even stood close! It was a humbling and honourable experience that I was really glad I got the chance to be part of. 

I then went on to move more mountains in new experiences, by taking on the mountains of Geneva and doing my first international speaking engagement. I was lucky to be invited to the International School of Geneva to take part in their inspirational speakers convention. I found it difficult writing a speech, as I wasn’t entirely sure if the children at the school would understand my thick Yorkshire tones, but upon speaking to their wonderful head teacher, John, I decided that if they could understand his Scottish accent, they would be fine with me! It was a long couple of days, speaking in 6 sessions to over 1000 10-18 year olds but I was so well looked after and even taken on a tour of Geneva’s beautiful city centre. Thanks so much for having me! 

#2015Review #Disability #Sport #Athletics #WinterTraining #Competition #Sponsorship #Sponsors #PublicSpeaking 

Returning 'home'

So....today I went home..

Back to the new and 'improved' Olympic Stadium to have a sneak peek around ahead of the Anniversary Games.

As a BT ambassador I was back in the stadium for a photo shoot, checking out the changes that have been made in the last three years.  Wow, I can hardly believe it has been that long!  The stadium holds so many memories and being back on the start line was amazing.

It was great to be able to have a run up and down the track, although I wasn't able to do much as there are still a lot of workers around finishing the stadium ready for the big weekend of Anniversary Games from 24-26th July.   It's changed quite a bit, so it's a different stadium now, but the memories are still there.

The London 2012 games changed the world of para sport and how we, as athletes, are viewed.  It's going to be great to celebrate that back in the stadium. So many dreams have been created here, including mine - so it’s fitting that this year we can celebrate in style.  I hope to see as many people there as possible.  I love the home crowd support, there's nothing like it.

#AnniversaryGames #London #OlympicStadium #Parasport 

Some Swiss sprinting

Apologies for the delay in updates recently - life has been a bit crazy!

Sunday saw the last day of the Swiss Nationals and the last day of competition out in Switzerland. We started with the 200m in the morning, and I was feeling pretty ready to go with more perfect racing conditions. I won the race, just off the PB time I had set just a week before.

4 hours later, we lined up for the 800m, and by this point, the sun was beating down and everyone was well past tired. The boys had all finished racing for the day, so it was lovely to see them still at track side, supporting their team! We pushed on.... Another tactical race, that I decided to try and keep clear of, so I took the pull from the start, aiming for a faster time than those we had previously recorded over the series. There was nothing to save energy for now, so I thought I may as well use up what I had left in the tank! No one really challenged me for the pull and the girls were more than happy to sit behind and let me do the work, up until the sprint finish. I managed to finish in a seasons best time, and finally take my world lead back! So we finished on a high and a race that I was very happy with!

After packing up and three hours sleep, we were back on the plane and on our way home. Big thanks to 17 Sports Management Limited for getting me to the airport in time on the way out and for picking me up on the way back, it was far easier than challenging the tubes with my luggage and on such little sleep!

Considering that I didn't feel 100% ready before we set out to Switzerland, I am SO pleased to have broken 2 world records, taken a world lead and of course, retained my unbeaten title whilst out there.

Also, a BIG well done to the British Athletics Wheelchair Racing team for such an incredibly successful series. Between us, 2 world records were broken, 3 (I think?) European Records were broken and countless PBs fell from almost every racer.  A big thanks must also go to coaches Jenni Banks, Job King and Ian Mirfin and of course Dave the physio, for keeping ourselves and our chairs in one piece and for putting up with us all for the 10 days!

Now, I have four more days in the UK, before we fly out to America to compete in the US Nationals and the Fast Cow meet. So, we're hitting it hard in training to make sure I can go faster out there! 

‬#wheelchairracing 

Becoming a role model

Back at the start of the year, I was approached to consider an opportunity to appear in a marketing campaign for a lingerie brand. Now whilst I am very confident in who I am, the thought of appearing in my underwear for a marketing campaign worried me a little. I'm a disabled athlete and its hard enough to gain exposure for me and my sport without being seen the wrong way. I want to be taken seriously as an athlete.

However, when the campaign was explained to me and I saw some mock images of what they visualised, I couldn't wait to be involved and am now honoured to have been selected.  I don't really see myself as a role model, I just do what I do and work hard at it, but if I can inspire other people along the way then I'm really happy.

Panache Lingerie have just launched a pioneering campaign to change the face of how women are portrayed in the media and by advertisers by creating REAL role models who women and girls can relate to and aspire to be like.  

Being part of the Modelled by Role Models project has been an incredible journey and I've met other completely inspiring girls along the way and heard their stories and what drives them. 

The photos were taken in March and we were all sworn to secrecy until the launch, which was held at BAFTA in London this week.  It was great to see all the girls again and to finally see all our photos and videos together.  It was a really empowering evening and I hope other girls and women will see the images and realise we are all different, yet we are all still beautiful.

#modelledbyrolemodels #myrolemodel #panache #inspirational #women

Racing through the year

Wow, where is 2015 going? I seem to have been so busy since the start of the year and now it's race season.

Since getting back from my warm weather training and competitions, I've been busy with my training and I've also had a chance to see some of my sponsors and be able to do some work with them as a way of thanking them for their support. I've also done some great photo shoots, which I love as it gives me the chance to be a 'girl' and look glamorous for the day and not just hide my hair under my race helmet and wear my training kit as is my look most of my days!

My summer season race season started on Sunday 3 May, where I raced over 100, 200 and 800m in the British Wheelchair Racing Association Championships at Stoke Mandeville, Bucks. As expected for a bank holiday weekend, the rain came down and conditions were pretty horrible!

All races at the BWRA Championships are mixed classification, so I was super pleased to come away with a win in the 200m and a 3rd place, first t34 to cross the line, in the 100m and 800m. And the times weren't all that bad considering the conditions. A definite improvement from this time last year!

From Stoke Mandeville it was then on to Bedford on Bank Holiday Monday for the British Universities and Colleges (BUCS) Outdoor Championships, where there were fortunately much better conditions for the race! I was only competing over the 100m and am proud to have won Coventry University's first gold medal of the championships and to be wearing their colours!

I'm now looking forward to racing again at Stoke Mandeville next weekend.  The season is well and truly underway.

#wheelchairracing #BWRA #BUCS #CoventryUniversity

Catching up on myself

Well, since being back from my winter training in Australia and the competitions in UAE, I have been crazy busy!

I'm just finding some time to catch up and see what I have been up to in the few weeks I have been back.

I was honoured to be invited to speak at The Queen's Club Patrons' Dinner in London along with World and Olympic Champion Christine Ohuruogu at the beginning of the month.  I had only been home a couple of days, so I really hoped that didn't show with my speech!

I then really enjoyed taking part in a panel discussion with some other inspiring women at the offices of KPMG in London and also attending the Womens Sport Trust photographic exhibition there to promote interest and awareness of women in sport, there was even a photo of me!

Other things that have been going on are meetings with some potential sponsors and I've taken part in something that is still top secret but was great fun. All will be revealed soon on that matter! 

I'm really grateful to to my team at 17 Management for keeping me organised and making sure I am where I am supposed to be when its busy like this.  Now it's a change of focus and back to the training.

#athletelife #sports #training #sponsors #motivationalspeaking