2014: My best bits part 2

Continued...

July:

July = Commonwealth Games in Glasgow! The standout best month of the year for me. I started work in the Team Scotland prep camp at the beginning of the month, then moved to work in the village on Scotland Street juggling this with much spectating! From a career perspective it was massive to be working at a home multi-sport games. Who knows if that will come around again? And personally I knew or had worked with so many of the athletes competing I felt like I was doing it with them at some points. My high and low point belongs with Jayne Nisbet - my high jumping best friend who experienced the biggest high and the biggest low in a matter of days. The games were just amazing. I also moved house to Edinburgh (great timing) which turned out to be the best thing I've done since moving here!

Meeting Clyde with Jayne

August: 

I wrote my first blog in August! It was about the CWG :) aside from this I enjoyed a week long visit from my Dad and little brothers. We did the Edinburgh tourist thing, checked out the festival and were generally entertained! Highlight of the Festival? A hard pick between a work night out I organised (no, noone fell off a table) and Hot Dub Time Machine. 

In August I also put my self out there as a 200/400m runner! (I do do athletics promise). I competed in the double at the Scottish Championships and in horrific conditions (classic Scotland) I ran two 400m PB's and made two finals off no training. So I was pretty happy with that :) 

Ice skating at Murrayfield with Dad and Luke

September:

The Referendum. For a few scary days I thought Scotland was going to 'Vote Yes' and life would be turned upside down. Thankfully in my opinion Scotland voted 'No'. I also didn't go to the Bestival for the first time in years and years - gutting!

October:

This month belongs to #power2podium. I'd made the fourth and final phase of the talent search for new bobskeleton athletes. During October I spent a week in Bath (my 2nd favourite city) training like a bobskeleton athlete among fellow contenders!! It was a great week; frustrating at times but also good to try new things and meet new people.

Phase 4 Power2Podium athletes

November:

Turning 26! Gah! Usually my birthday's are not the most civilised of events. Last year for example I fell over before leaving the house. Fail. This year however, I managed to keep it together until the club. Three tequilas later I was back to being like bambi on ice with very sore feet! However, it was such a special evening. My best friends and brother all came up to celebrate with me which meant to much! 

I can't review November and not mention Lillehammer. The final part of the talent search involved 2 weeks on the ice in Norway. What a two weeks. I completed my first sliding camp (first of many I hope); and I will never know anything like that first slide. Crazy. But seeing as I have blogged extensively about P2P I will leave it there.

And......December:

The highlight? Christmas of course. Time to spend with family and friends - so rare for me!

Happy New Year! x

2014: My best bits part 1

A little self-indulgent maybe but oh well! Here are my best bits for 2014 - month by month!

January:

The 2014 indoor athletes season kicks off. After a two year break from competing I was (sort of) ready to come back. So I slapped on the fake tan, did some extra abs, found my Woodford vest, squeezed my bum in to some running knickers and I was ready! I opened with a 5.47 m and managed not to sulk too much about it which is saying something!! It was a starting point - and I did get better.

Sarah and I after opening our indoor season at the Scottish Open

February:

The Olympics are back! Sochi hosted an amazing Winter Olympics and I watched as much of it as I could. Having only watched really the skeleton at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 I was completely won over by Sochi - and the Winter equivalent of the greatest event on earth (IMO). The entertainment factor was massive - it was just so exciting to watch. The country went curling crazy and I actually went into work on my day off to watch the men's curling final when GB took silver (I later got to meet the team and try on the medal!). What especially stands out now that I am looking back is watching Lizzie Yarnold's gold medal winning performance in the bob skeleton and thinking 'Wow, she only picked up the sport in 2009'. It kick started the process which has defined the past few months: Power2Podium; a UK wide talent search for the next bobskeleton star.

March:

In March I got to spend a weekend away back down South with my at the time boyfriend. I traveled down to Kent and spend some time meeting Jack's family and friends. I also visited Canterbury which is such a lovely city - although I did get frowned upon for choosing white wine to go with roast beef!? It was lovely to get away from work and routine and spend some time together. After this I got to go to Loughborough and St. Mary's for work which was good as it meant more catch ups with friends!

April:

Two things happened in April - and I can't chose between them. Early in the month I traveled to Oxford for my best friends hen do! It was a fun weekend but what was significant is that it turned in to a reunion of my best school friends and has since reignited contact among us. Not that we ever fell out or anything just it gets hard to stay in touch when everyone goes their separate ways. But we now catch up whenever we get the chance and I am hoping that we can organise a trip to Edinburgh in March!

The girls from school plus Cristina (an honorary member)

No 2. is warm weather training. Ten of my group went away to Tenerife and whilst it was not without challenges it was great to get some sun (and a tan) and spend time with a great group of people! The group has really changed since the Commonwealth Games so I am glad we did that before people moved away/gave up.

WWT2014: Scott squad

May:

Wedding season is here! Said best friend got married on Saturday 10th May and I was a bridesmaid. The wedding was just so beautiful and no one could stop crying all morning when we were getting ready. Annie and Chris are a lovely couple and it was an honour to be a bridesmaid. Once again it was an opportunity to see all the girls and we had a fab evening (if a little/very intoxicated). 

All grown up

June:

Festival season! I went to the Isle of Wight festival for the whole weekend: something I hadn't done since my first year of uni. The line up was killer! Biffy Clyro, Calvin Harris - I was an emotional wreck for this night haha too much gin. Red Hot Chilli Peppers - not a fan but one ticked of the list. They were actually a little too self-indulgent for my liking; far too many instrumentals. And then on Sunday - Kings of Leon. Never seen them, had high expectations and they did not disappoint - flawless. I also got to fan girl my Dad when he was DJ'ing lol, revisit my school days with Fallout Boy and discover the likes of Clean Bandit, Duke Dumont and Gorgon City live. Some lows included Richard face planting Friday eve and the projectile vomit Saturday night (me)!!

Friday night - On our way to drinking the best part of 2 x 70 cl of spirit

June part 2:

Back to the Island again (3rd time in 6 weeks) for another wedding! Charlotte (on of the school gang) married her childhood sweetheart 'Fit Boy Luke'. I remember we both worked at a pub called the Crab and Lobster where he worked as a chef and she had the biggest crush! Anyway 10 or so years later they got married - and it was so cute! The wedding was an outdoor affair and we had afternoon tea (my fav), ice cream and BBQ - it was a great day! That's 3/5 married then..... (eek)

The bride and I

Part 2 on it's way :)

Which New Years resolution?

So it's that time of year where we all make vows to change, known as New Years resolutions. It may be the 3rd not the 1st of Jan but it's never too late. I've had a lot of ideas in the past few weeks, and I've listed them below. There is a lot and I wouldn't call them resolutions exactly (because they don't last). However they are things I am meaning to do in 2015, some are extensions of things I do already. Some are based on 2014 experiences that I do not wish to repeat/succumb to. 

Eat clean 80% of the time

Drink (A lot) less gin

No dating under 24s

No dating athletes

No fwbs

Take no shit, be valued

Worry less

Train harder but smart 

Say no

Forget those that don't make an effort

Make phone calls to friends and family to stay in touch

Judge less - be kind 

Travel more - explore Scotland 

Look after yourself, health is precious

Be social - but without drinking 

Keep blogging - but write some meaningful blogs

Make and take opportunities 

Make other people feel good about themselves

Start Pilates, stick with yoga 

Practise empathy

I hope that by living by the above ideas I will not only be a better friend, relative and person but also maximise the success I have in 2015 as well as minimising the risk of hurt!! Sounds like a win win!! 

Happy new year X 

All I want for Christmas is...

Disclaimer: This is not Christmas related. Nor is it bobskeleton related. It will also probably be a bit ranty.

My relationship has just broken up. So naturally I am taking to blogging (may regret this). It wasn't a serious one, I was not in love, not even in lust, to be honest I wasn't even happy. So the ice cream remains in the freezer and I am not incapacitated with grief. But it still sucks. I'd say it was a mutual breakup - almost. Unfortunately I did not get to utter the words to sever ties; I just set myself up to be 'dumped' by text because I made the fatal error of giving him the opportunity one last time to NOT be a coward/immature dickhead. Mistake. Guess that gives you a good idea of the type of guy I was in a relationship with.

Anyway enough dwelling. It's not like I hadn't thought countless times about ending it - it really is for the best. But it has made me think. I spent over a year with this guy from start to finish. We weren't official for all that time - just the past couple of months when we decided to 'see how things went'. But I'd say that for the majority of that time I was treated worse than I deserved. It's cliche isn't it but when something like this happens all your friends rally around and say 'you deserve better, you're better off etc. etc.' You don't usually hear it from his friends though... And that is a small condolence. I just wish I'd not given him so many chances - enough was enough and I should have called it rather than be an adult and work through it.

So why did I spend over a year being treated like second best. There was also another guy in this time (not at the same time) who also favored the 'treat Kim like crap' approach. Any of you that know me will probably be surprised... I don't really take crap. And I can't really provide an answer. The thing is like a lot of girls I fall for the bad boys. Not really bad lol. No drugs/crime/beating - just the arrogant/cocky athlete type. The type of person who will NEVER put you first or even consider you in their grand plans. And inevitably it never ends well...for me. But the thing is, nice guys (who do all the things I want) annoy me after a while. I am pretty independent; don't like people getting too involved, like to be in charge. Historically niceness unnerves me, so I push it away. How fucked up is that? Must change.

Now before any of you start getting really concerned for me because I am saying I was treated rubbish, stop. I wasn't abused, hurt (physically), and I am not especially distraught. I am talking about the basics of being in a relationship. That was what was 'missing' to quote said ex-boyfriend, you just couldn't bring yourself to make the effort.

So future boyfriends only apply if you can cope (lol) with the following: You're all about to read how demanding I am... ;)
affection (not so much in public)
caring for the other person
taking an interest in their life
decent communication
common courtesy e.g. not being on your phone ALL the time
make time for each other
fun!

I copied that list from my phone. I wrote it on the 12th October.... Near the start of November (after my birthday - no card, ignored me on my birthday, sigh) I went through all of this with him. Cause you know I'd done enough whining to my friends and thought maybe he just doesn't know. Sadly almost two months later he does know but didn't feel the need to change his behaviour. I guess overall it comes back on me; he just wasn't that interested/we weren't right for one another.

So yea, all I want for Christmas is someone willing to bring all of the above to the table (over time). And while I am at it my New Year's resolution will be to try and be nicer to nice guys. There's got to be something in it. And no under 25's or athletes! I am ready for a happy ending.

Courage not confidence: Lillehammer that's a wrap

It's Saturday. I left Lillehammer two days ago, I've done four washes (!) and contemplated cooking so it thought it was time to do a reflective blog on the whole experience. WARNING: this could be long so get yourself a cuppa and a biscuit.

Last day of the camp - 6 remain

'Courage not confidence' - the name of this blog post was my mantra if you like throughout the two weeks in Lillehammer. It's a phrase a friend of mine told me a while back when I was nervous about starting to compete in long jump again and she reminded me of it just before I left for Lillehammer. Lots of people (especially athletes) believe that in order to succeed at something you must have confidence in your ability. Now whilst I don't disagree with this idea it didn't really help me with the task ahead; sliding down a mountain head first because I had never done it before so how could I be confident in my ability?

This is where courage comes in. Wikipedia (that ever so reliable source) tells me that Courage is, 'the ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty and intimidation'. Yea that sounds better. I think skeleton ticks all those boxes and I was certainly scared (amongst other things) about the experience ahead. So I just had to be courageous - I could do that. And that is how 'courage not confidence became my mantra'. I used it at several points throughout the trip. The first slide (obviously) - that was crazy! But also the 2nd and 3rd because knowing what you were about to encounter initially required a new level of courage to press on in the knowledge that you were about to hurtle down, out of control and hitting walls all the way. Slide 7 which I wrote about in a blog also required some bravery as I was apprehensive since hurting my ankle the day before and having seen some my teammates get in to difficulties prior to my run.

A rather beautiful shot of corner 13 (I think) - the problem corner.

The day we first moved up the track - that progression made everyone nervous as did going from the top for the first time. Now at this point confidence (to an extent) was building. However, with each new challenge it was back to needing courage as we were once again in the realms of the unknown. 

Chloe going from the top!

Near to the end I also used courage for a different reason. I was repeatedly hitting my left hand out of 13 and was left with a rather fat hand which resembled a pigs trotter (still does). Conscious that others had ended up with broken bones/strained ligaments already on the trip and also that I wasn't managing to avoid this hit I made a call on two occasions to stop sliding to protect my hand. On the second to last day I did 2/3 slides and on the last day I just did 1/3. 

Nursing my fat hand

Why did this require courage? Well because don't forget the 6 of us were all under scrutiny for selection for the British Skeleton Talent Squad - that's what the whole trip was about. And I was putting myself at a disadvantage by missing slides. Fortunately the coaching staff all supported and encouraged my decision; they told me 'they'd seen enough' and that 'one more slide isn't going to change anything'. Now whether was they'd seen was enough to select or not select me I don't know but at least there was no pressure to slide and risk breaking my hand. After hitting my ankle on the 6th run back on day 1 and saying to Carrie our team manager that I shouldn't have done that run; it was pushing my luck I think I learnt from that experience and do not regret not taking runs on the final two days. Talk about being sensible!

When I left for Lillehammer I promised myself that I would feel, not think about this experience. I can honestly say I have never gone through so many emotions in such a short space of time. Fear, excitement, anticipation, enjoyment, pain, frustration, laughter, sadness, achievement, pride; I felt them all. And when I was asked by the coaching staff on the last day whether I wanted to continue in the sport I answered without hesitation (no thinking!) 'Yes, definitely'. The prospect of spending a year learning the sport and training hard excites me - where can I go in this sport? I had 22 runs out in Lillehammer. That equates to about 22 minutes of sliding - how crazy is that?! The progression from run 1 to run 22 was staggering and I am pleased with the feedback I received from the coaching staff - I am particularly proud of my form which was consistently good (no idea why!?). So what will I be like after run 100? I really hope I get to find out. 

Some of my fave non sliding shots!

I won't know until just before Christmas - the 22nd or 23rd maybe. The boys are currently out in Lillehammer doing what I have just done and making their individual bids for selection - I wish them all luck. I also wish all my fellow girls luck :) one of the things that worried me before I left was how I would feel living with up to 8 other girls all of whom were quite a lot younger than me. I shouldn't have wasted my energy because they were fab to be with and to be honest made the trip - I haven't laughed so much in such a long time! We all went through the ringer at some point or another but we also all supported one another - it did not feel like a competition. I've definitely made some friends for life as well as developing an unhealthy addiction to biscuits and tea at every opportunity.

Anyway until the 22/23 Dec that's me for the #power2podium stuff. If I get in amazing - a new journey will begin. If not then what an experience it was. Something I'd never change and won't ever forget. And I'll always hold the fastest speed over the two weeks out of the girls down that track - 111.5 kph! So if nothing else I'll take that and go back to my life here (which is pretty darn good).

 Fingers crossed I'll get to wear a race suit for real.

What even is skeleton?

As I've been banging on about skeleton for a good while now I thought it would probably be useful to write a blog about the actual sport to give my experiences some context. (Thanks to British bob skeleton website and Wikipedia your info).

History of bob skeleton

The sport can be traced back to the late 1800's when, in Switzerland, English soldiers built a toboggan track to slide down near to St Moritz. The sport is thought of as a spin off of Cresta sliding and at the Grand National Cresta championships in 1887 the head first position was first adopted. The sport made it's first appearance in the Olympics of 1928, held in St Moritz. It was also in the 1948 Olympics and then added to the Olympic programme in 2002, for Salt Lake City.

Link to Cresta sliding 

http://youtu.be/sGFB6fd1nYc

Link to Cresta crashes 

http://youtu.be/UIGTTe7Thus

The sport earned it's name when an Englishman called L. P Child changed the sled. The bare bones sled resembled a skeleton and this remains the sports modern day name.  In 1923 the Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing was formed and the sport began to spread across the world. 

The sport

The aim of the game is to get yourself to the bottom of the ice track as fast as possible. Simple right? Not so much. You need to steer a track full of twists and turns on a one mad sled in order to get to the bottom safely. Tracks are 1.2-1.8 km long, sliders reach speeds of 140 kph and hit 5g forces at points. There is a mixture of long, high pressure corners and shorter, low pressure corners to negotiate. Courses are mainly downhill with an average gradient of 8.5-10% and a maximum gradient of between 15 and 20%. The vertical drop between start to end is usually between 110 and 130m. And I should mention that you can't really see when you are sliding, so apart from a small amount of peripheral vision you rely on memory, feel and sound.

Components of sliding

The start.

From a standing start the slider must push the sled (20-30m) to accelerate it firstly on the flat then downhill before loading (jumping on). It usually takes elite sliders 5s to cover the first 50m and they can reach speeds of 40 kph even at this point. 

Driving.

When on the sled your head and lower legs hang off each end centimetres off the ice. Like I said before you have very little vision and lifting you head can seriously affect the stability of the sled so it isn't advised for the most part. There is no steering wheel. In bob skeleton you drive using your

1. Head

2. Shoulder

3. Knee

4. Shoulder and knee

5. Feet

It's all about changing the pressure or weight through the runners and in particular the knife (the grippy part of the runner). Depending on where you apply pressure and how the sled changes direction. The movements are all quite subtle too. If you watch the pros you can barely see their steers (except for feet). We on the other hand are telegraphing (showing our steers) quite a lot. 

So how do you know when to steer? Well for us we started with 4 steers that our coach needed us to do to get us safely to the bottom. So you make a plan, or a script as I like to think of it. First day my plan looked like this...

Corner 6. Left shoulder 

Corner 10. Right shoulder

Corner 12 . Left shoulder

Corner 13. Right shoulder

I now have 16 steers as opposed to 4. This is to help optimise the entry and exits from corners so that you get a good (fast) line down the track as hits and skids bleed the speed from the sled. To help us remember what to do a lot of visualisation is required. You can do this anywhere and in any position really but for me it helps to be on my sled and I can replicate the movements and build my muscle memory. 

Yesterday doing do someone visualisation with my script. 

Where does it all lead? (One day, eventually maybe?)

Competition.

Apart from the Olympics and the World Championships there are four international circuits in which skeleton athletes can compete; Europa cup, Inter-Continental cup, North American cup and the highest of them all the World Cup. In a couple of years if I make it on to the Talent programme I could be competing in the Europa cup which is the first one. Each series has 8 races where you get two runs. The series winner is the one with the most points. 

Great Britain, despite not having a home track are a pretty successful skeleton nation. GB have medaled at the last four Olympics and have athletes in all of the international series. So far this season several of the athletes in the EC and ICC have achieved podium finishes. So we are in good company.

Lizzie Yarnold winning Olympic gold in Sochi.

http://youtu.be/QpbIWauGjTY

The lifestyle. 

This isn't a 'normal' sport. On top of the physical demands it requires a knowledge of sled mechanics, physics, sliding science, mental strength and ability to visualise and recall. It also demands that you are away from home 6 months a year in cold weather environments, away from family and friends. A typical day may involve: sled work, loading the van, a track walk, sliding session, gym, video analysis, ice bath etc. etc. it is a lot of work for 3 minutes of sliding. But it just shows the intricacies of the sport - so next time you describe it as sliding down a hill on a tea tray think again.

So there you are; bobskeleton in a nutshell. We only have 6 slides left before we leave but we are aiming to get to the top by Wednesday. Fingers crossed it goes well. I'm going to learn my script now.

Not that you can tell but that's me yesterday coming out of 10.