GO GOLD Podium Athlete Blogs - February, 2021

Home based land training has continued through February, but added into the mix has been some cycling and a lot of walking. Ive been doing my best to help out my Swimming Club in their quest to walk around the world in 80 days, so much walking that I had to resort to walking in sliders because of the blisters!!. Unfortunately it had to snow at the same time. The walking has been a great opportunity to get out in the fresh air and to meet up with some friends at the same time. I can't wait to get back in the water and hopefully that can now be as soon as the 12th of April.

I have been busy getting in the base miles for the last few weeks and I can't say what a huge relief it is to leave all the cold, wet weather behind for a few days and enjoy this lovely sunshine! Roll on the summer!

Training for April selection camp has become with us being able to do 2v2 work, contested shots and defence. Conditioning has stepped up, but I’m loving the intensity!

Still in Lockdown Three. My on court training at the moment will not start until 29th March with my coach. So it is still a little bit frustrating.

So trying to keep on top of fitness with plenty of cycling on the Peleton Bike but today I managed to get out on the road now the weather is better,

This was great to be back out. I do plenty of core sessions and strength with the limited kit I have available. So to help me we have bought a new set of weights as in the

picture which I am so excited to use. My S&C coach sets home programs to keep me on the right track. Back to school 8th March so hopefully get the GCSE finalised to be able then to focus on my tennis more.

This month I've continued to train at home with a mixture of S&C sessions, netball movement session and challenges. Having zoom sessions together has really helped us to stay connected and motivated.

The good news is that we are able to return to training next week which is super exciting and so grateful that we are able to get back onto the court. I also have Camp for Roses Academy Long Squad next weekend which I'm looking forward to.

Can't wait to get back to some sense of normality.

Hope everyone is safe and well.

After the country being in lockdown since January and everything being closed, we have been given a date to return to swimming on 12th April. I have been keeping very fit and looking forward to when competitions begin when I can see all my friends again. Hopefully this is the last lockdown and I can get a solid block of swimming training in.

Training has been going well this month. Riding in the sun this week has provided extra moral for training and I have been loving the warmer weather. It's looking like there will be racing soon so I am continuing to train hard to be in the best shape possible.

125kg weight lifting outside - Back at university as an Elite Athlete I am able to do outdoor training

This week I have been lifting 125kg weights in my training with my strength and conditioning coach.

Its good to be training again even if its only fitness to start

Many thanks for the funding

Been a good month of some solid training really getting back into the swing of things Camp next month things are really starting to look normal once again.

So still not back to real training but that said things are going well.

For my charity challenge I have so far Run 265KM and collect £630 pounds from very generous sponsors to help the Heart Link charity who support the Glenfield Hospital's Children's Cardiac Unit.

The charity running has also been good for me as I have been motivated to cover 50 - 60 KM per week and Bradgate is near by!

I have actually started to enjoy running again after many years away from competing in Cross Country events.

No Euro qualifiers but I have had group and individual online meetings with the England U16's Coaching Team and they seem happy with my progress but have given me pointers on what they want me to work on going forwards before the next real camps hopefully later this year! This also involved analysis of my previous game footage and tactics for different opponents.

More Information: justgiving.com

In this past month I have been having to do core work and land work aswell since the pools are shut which is really disapointing but I am trying to keep my spirits high. The core work is hard but is keeping me motivated to keep fit and prepared for when we are allowed back into the pool.

I have been training hard during the last couple of months in the hope that the National Championships and other competitions would resume soon. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty when gyms will reopen and when England Boxing will start operating. I last fought/sparred a year ago and have had to keep a strong mindset to continue well-planned home training to remain ready without peaking or burn-out. Working with a family member so have had the opportunity to mix the training up but desperately wanting the Lockdown to ease allowing the gyms to reopen and to work with other boxers and to start participating in competitions.

The British championships have been cancelled and I am finding it really hard not being able to race and see where I am in relation to my competition at the moment. I am also finding that the prolonged lack of racing and not knowing when it may resume difficult to prepare for but I keep pressing on as I know that everyone's health is the most important thing right now. Keep smiling!

As we all know it has snowed a lot over the past month. For this reason, the majority of my training has been inside. Most of my bike training has been on the turbo and riding with my mates on Zwift, we can meet up and ride together whilst chatting, this has helped as in lockdown we can't go and see them in person. Despite all the snow and ice on the roads, I have tried to keep my run training outside as must as possible as I believe this is better for you mentally as well as physically.

Keeping fit for swimming has always been a challenge and our daily S&C session help. My swimming coach has also set up a challenge for our club, walk or run around the world in 80 days. this is for a charity to help young people cope with mental health, Young minds.

More Information: justgiving.com

I have been waiting almost 6 months for my new training bike to arrive. My first ride out on it was amazing, it felt so fast but as there has been snow and cold weather I have been on the indoor turbo. Still not swimming but hope to be back in the pool soon.

After one of my flat mates tested positive for corona we had to stay inside for 10 days, it was tough missing my daily run, but I did the bleep test up and down the corridor and did workouts with my flat mates. On the first day I got out of isolation I run a half marathon, and have ran everyday since then. It is disappointing not being able to sail at the moment in the windy weather. I have lots of uni work and deadlines at the moment so have been very busy.

I just want to start by saying, everything within lockdown has been tough. Training online with coaches still trying to make me the best I can be by running, muscle building, stamina, mobility and the list goes on. They're has been goals set for when we do return to court but until then the focus is muscle building and being ready to take part in the national championships when we return in June. There is not much I can say apart from what has the world come to! I am still thriving to be the best I can and I hope to return to the badminton court sooner rather than later. Once again thank you for the funding and I hope to carry on my career with your support. Thank you again!

I am still continuing to train at home, in the garage gym setup and runs. Also we have had some zoom calls over the past few weeks with the England team, including workshops about mental skills. We are looking to get back to national league games after Easter, so hopefully can be back out on the pitch then!

Unfortunately I caught covid in January and had to isolate for 10 days and also was not that well so had to listen to my body and rest to make sure I recovered, then just as I was out of isolation and feeling okay along came the huge amounts of snow!! Sometimes you feel like the odds are just stacked against you but thanks to my coach who always goes above and beyond we were still able to do some snowy 121 sessions. It's taken me a couple of weeks post covid for my body to feel totally back to normal but this week training is going great and I feel good! It's great to be back on track and training well again after a few difficult weeks! All part of the journey.