Winterberg camp in pictures!

Winterberg camp in pictures!

Thanks to teammates Brogan Crowley, Madelaine Smith and Marcus Wyatt for the photos! Team effort as always :)

On our way - ominous skies

Track walking

Prepping the race suit 

Sliding hair

Day 1 pre session and still missing the spur! Not looking good...

Checking out the track before we are supposedly sliding

It doesn't look great ..

The weather isn't cooperating :(

No sliding - Alternative training

Practising our memory recall

Girls are ready!

Less dry alternative activities

Post sprints in the rain - we want to slide!

Day 4 - We got our wish! 15 min notice though!

Back on (a very frosty) track!

The snow came a little late!

Last night is team games night!

That' a wrap!

#subjecttochange (again) A day in Winterberg

Now, this is not a new concept to me. In my short time so far as a skeleton athlete I have experienced this notion of ‘subject to change’ many times; I have even written a blog on it before.

However, Winterberg as a camp optimises what has now become a mantra for my skeleton team. You see, upon arriving in Winterberg last Saturday by Thursday we’d still not slid and were busy with other workshops and training. The problem was the weather. We’d been tricked last season; when we visted Winterberg was a lovely place; the worst weather we experienced was some fog. The ice was beautiful, the track clean and ready. This time we arrived to howling winds and rain which played havoc with the track and ice; in particular, the exposed top section of the track.

We were supposed to side Monday afternoon. We prepared as normal, the nerves were normal (that sort of nervy tummy where you can’t really stomach food) BUT sessions kept being put back until it got cancelled (you can eat again). Repeat for Tuesday and Wednesday – my stomach went through the paces. By Thursday we’d given up, had done a morning track session in the pissing down rain and had even started preparations to leave!

THEN at 14:30 on Thursday we heard the track was good and training was on. STARTING AT 15:00. Obviously we were sliding. That’s what we came for and that’s how you improve and learn (buzzword). But we’d never had such a short notice period before – 15 minutes to be precise. To put this in perspective our coach asked how long we needed to be ‘ready’ to which Maddy replied 2 hours and in my head I was wanting to say ‘tomorrow’. Subject to change didn’t even come close to describing this scenario!

It is hard to put into words how I felt at this point but I will give it a go. You should probably know something about my preferences first though … I am a blue person! What this indicates is that my preference is for planning, logic, understanding, time to think etc. etc. Can you see a problem here? I had no time for this and usually feel nervy enough with 2 weeks notice!

I think my face was a picture and I everyone later commented how quiet I was. You see, I felt sick, nervous, excited and relieved all at the same time. I also felt empty and had some serious wobbly legs going on in the warm up. Imagine, being nervous for something important to you and then it happening 2 days earlier than you imagined.. sort of like that! Added to the above was anticipation and some worry that I hadn’t left Lillehammer with the most positive experiences of sliding plus the track would be difficult in the weather; a new experience.

BUT the show must go on or something like that and we all just got on with it. We were prepared because we’d done the work for Monday; my bag was even still packed. So continue as per it was, this helped keep calm and allowed my red to surface (just get on it with it). Like I said my legs were shaky during warm up but getting moving helped channel some energy. What didn’t help was the temperature of the changing room (hot)); talk about being hot and bothered and and the weather (rain and wind!). You go out one by one to wait at the top of the track, watching the clock tick down until you get the go ahead to put your sled down and go. Stick to the plan is the name of the game, don’t sway from routine. But I can’t help being nervous, it is also excitement although harder to distinguish as this when you’re facing your first run of a camp in my opinion.

My turn came and it was okay (sorry to be anti-climatic). The track was slow – I hit 124-5 kph last year compared to 110 ish kph. It changed the whole dynamic and was a very different experience but I still finished the run out of breath, heart pumping and with a dry mouth! There is just so much adrenaline! At the end of the sessions (two runs) I was feeling okay, nerves calmed and pleased to have gotten back on the sled and of course got down without cracking an ankle. Above all I and the team had coped with the short notice period and the weather; we’d learned a lot.

Back at the hotel, the day wasn’t over. After dinner (yes now the nerves had gone I was starving!) we had video to review (it wasn’t pretty); I got some air off the corner that is notorious for flipping you and the frost played havoc with my timings. Armed with some actions for the next days sliding (yes we were back on schedule now) I had to do some runner work before the next day. Amongst all the activity I saw on Twitter that I’d hit my campaign target of £2000 in the day! What great news and good timing that it happened the first day we’d been able to slide on camp. So despite having a dirty face from sled work and feeling more than a little emotionally drained I went to bed happy and looking forward to the next day. It all ended well.

Here, there and everywhere.

Here, there and everywhere. My new life.

(Stirling – Edinburgh – Bath – London – Sigulda – Oslo -) Lillehammer – London – Isle of Wight – Bath – Edinburgh – Stirling – Edinburgh – Bath – Edinburgh – Stirling – Edinburgh – London – Frankfurt – Winterberg

That pretty much sums up my life since the 28^th September 2015 until today, the 14^th November 15.

I am a packing pro, airport security whiz and hotel dweller. It is exhausting!! But it is obviously a total privilege at the same time and ultimately the life of dreams. Full-time athlete, travelling the world, chipping away at my goal from whichever city or place I happen to be in that day.

Last night I stayed overnight in a Yotel at Gatwick airport. It was a new experience; a tiny pod which you rent for 4+ hours, aimed at people transferring between flights. I flew into Gatwick as a means to be in London for my flight from Heathrow today so it was an ideal set up, if a little weird (compact to say the least). Although I started my travels yesterday (well technically Wednesday when I left my flat to stay with James) today is our official travel day. So I am on my way to Heathrow; currently having a small panic over which station the train is stopped at and hoping it isn’t mine as I am sat typing away!

But what else has been happening?

I had 3 weeks at home between camps (Lillehammer and Winterberg). And you can see from the listed places at the top of the blog I have sure got around! First of all I got to go home and see my friends and family which was an unexpected bonus of leaving Lillehammer early. It coincided with my aunts 60^th birthday party and a conker competition (separate events) and meant I got to see almost all my (large) family J

On my way home to Scotland I stopped off in Bath to catch up with the skeleton support team and set a plan for the next few weeks. I also got to see fellow talents Craig and Ellie as well as some friends that live in Bath. An expensive flight later and I was reunited with James after almost five weeks apart (long!).

Then it was time to turn 27 (eek)!! My birthday was the 1^st November and I spent it with James in Edinburgh. I was totally spoiled and had an amazing weekend that including 2 nights in a 5* hotel, a huge bed and fluffy white dressing gowns, a lot of AMAZING food, clothes shopping, pumpkin carving, lovely cards and presents and of course a gin or two.

Birthday high over (for now) it was back to business and life. Training, and of course another trip to Bath. Can you see where all my money goes?! I reckon I keep the Edinburgh – Bristol EasyJet flight in business! I did make a good trip of Bath though actually; as well as training I met with a sponsor (project to be revealed in a few weeks!) and gave a talk to the current undergraduates on the Sport and Exercise course that I did. The talk was about my journey since graduating in 2011 and I think it is important to pass on the messages to students about how they can make themselves employable beyond having a degree.

Just prior to the trip to Bath I launched my crowdfunding campaign with PledgeSports. I’d been threatening to crowdfund since deciding on going full-time with skeleton and taking an unpaid career break. As I’d not secured any sponsors the traditional way and my bank balance was ALL expenditure I had to bite the bullet. I did a fair bit of work prior to the launch, spending time on my campaign page and deciding on my rewards as well as spreading the word amongst friends, family and contacts I’d made. BUT nothing prepared me for the success it has (so far) been and the generosity of people I know and interest of the local Isle of Wight media. It is currently sat at approximately 91% of the £2000 target I’d set. It was really tricky to set a target as I didn’t know how popular the campaign would be; I thought £2000 was ambitious! I need to raise enough money to fund myself fully until April 2016 and £2000 whilst significant will not cover me for 6 months so any additional support I receive beyond £2000 will be fantastic. I am enjoying the crowdfunding campaign though; it is making me be creative with rewards and also I am learning more about the use of social media as I strive to keep on top of it all! Luckily I have discovered HootSuite for scheduling posts which is useful; especially when we are on the move and have erratic wifi!

So that leads me to this week. For the first time in about 7 weeks I had a week with no travel planned (well almost!). I do tend to dart between Stirling and Edinburgh but apart from that I had 7 days with no travel. I managed to drag my birthday out over the week too J many people had posted gifts to me so I got to open them as they arrived or hunt them down as I’d given out the wrong postcode (blonde pass please). And then on Saturday I saw two of my best friends for celebrations; we are all always busy so it was good to catch up and spend some time together.

Birthday and crowdfunding high aside; training was going well and I’d started preparations for the next camp; Winterberg. This involves buying essentials (ankle guards, sanding block and ibuprofen) packing, arranging travel to the airport and of course learning the track and committing the steers to memory. This helps significantly when you arrive as you can focus more on the finer details rather than the basics.

Finally, I am at today. Travel day. I didn’t have the smoothest journey to Heathrow today. Obviously the attack on Paris happened last night and has left a bitter tinge on the trip; thoughts are with all of those affected and the City. The idea of travelling today off the back of the monstrous acts didn’t sit well with me but the flight was booked and I had to be on it. Just as I was on the (delayed) train from Gatwick news spread that a man had been held because of a suspicious package and North Terminal had been evacuated. Ominous..

But apart from delays, engineering works the general hustle and bustle of London (I never wish to live there) and standard airport security newbies I made it to Heathrow and found the team. There are five of us sliding this camp; it is a short one but we all like this track and are looking forward to it. Once we land there’s a 2 h drive ahead (I’m driving) and the aim is to not get a speeding ticket (got 2 last year) and to not get locked in the track (this also happened last season). It’s always #subjecttochange.

p.s I just got given a scrambled egg and cheese sandwich on the plane (we are flying with Lufthansa)… I’m unsure!

79%

Hello!

Happy Sunday, I hope everyone had a lovely weekend and is looking forward to Monday?! (Does anyone look forward to Monday?)

Well I am because next week is the week of my next camp on ice. I am heading out to Winterberg (Germany); it is my favourite track so far and I am looking forward to putting Lillehammer behind me! It doesn't kick off until Saturday but I will spend the week prepping, packing and enjoying seeing people before I head off again. You may also be happy to hear that I have purchased some ankle guards :)

You may be wondering about the title of this blog.. 79%! Well (and I never thought I'd be saying this less than a week in) but my Crowdfunding campaign with Pledge Sports has reached 79% of the £2000 target I set!!!! IT IS SO TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE! I have been genuinely surprised by peoples interest and of course generosity! So thank you if you've shared or donated to me this past 6 days; it means a lot.

I'd also like to say a special thanks to some of the Isle of Wight local media such the IW Radio, Isle of Wight County Press and Island Echo as well as past school Ryde Academy and the University of Bath who have all helped to spread my story across the Island and further afield which has no doubt been a huge help to the campaign.

Here are some links to the story's that have been published the past week.

Ryde Academy Newsletter
https://docs.google.com/a/rydeacademy.org/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=YWV0aW5ldC5vcmd8cnlkZS1hY2FkZW15LXdlYnNpdGV8Z3g6M2RiNjNkOTcwYWExZDdj

IWCP
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/sport/help-me-get-gold-at-beijing-winter-olympics-crowdfunding-appeal-by-isle-of-wight-athlete-93007.aspx?mn=1
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/sport/athletes-winter-olympics-appeal-on-track-for-success-93023.aspx

IW Radio
http://iwradio.co.uk/news/isle-of-wight-athlete-calls-for-sponsorship/

Island Echo
http://www.islandecho.co.uk/news/help-island-athlete-kim-get-to-beijing


I've been pretty quiet on the old campaign front over the weekend as I had a camp in Bath and then a visit by one of the my best friends for my birthday! But it is full steam ahead again in the lead in to the next camp. I want to hit that target and then keep going! I originally set £2000 knowing that that would be a fantastic contribution to my living costs over the next 6 months but that I'd need additional financial support. The campaign doesn't stop when it hits target - many Pledge Sports athletes hit 100%+ of their target so I am very excited that the crowdfunding may be able to contribute to more of my anticipated costs than I ever hoped!

Below is a short video to acknowledge and thank each person that has supported me over the past 6 days!

I'd also like to thanks Barratt Homes and SportsAid for their early support of my campaign, dream and journey! 

Have a great week :) and if you haven't already please visit and share (and donate if you're able) my PledgeSports page!

https://www.pledgesports.org/projects/kimberley-murray-beijing-2022-winter-olympics/

Let's Talk Turkey

Remember this?

Happy November! Yesterday I turned 27; but today it is back to reality and back to business...Christmas may be just around the corner, but that's not the turkey we're talking.

Time is flying; camps 1-3 are already ticked off. Bath, Sigulda and Lillehammer - with varying degrees of success... I am off to Winterberg in Germany in a few weeks and then onto Lake Placid in the USA in December! 

Back in August I wrote the blog 'Winter is Coming, join my team' and I hinted that Crowdfunding would be something I'd be considering as an option to raise some sponsorship. I have since made a crowdfunding page with PledgeSports. Encouraged by the success of Lucy Hatton (British hurdler) and the professionalism and helpfulness of the team at Pledge I have embraced the idea of asking (strangers!?) for help!

My Pledge sports campaign page - coming very soon!

The support (if I reach my target of £2000) will help me to support myself as a full-time athlete; pay my basic living costs. It isn't glamorous by any stretch of the imagination but without it I will struggle to meet the demands of this sport in which I so want to make the most of. It is all for the Olympic dream. British skeleton athletes have proved countless times that they are world leaders; I hope that with hard work and dedication I can achieve what my predecessors have achieved - success on the world stage for GB.

One of my 'runs' from the recent camp in Lillehammer, Norway

But how does Crowdfunding work? Tomorrow my campaign page will go 'live' on www.pledgesports.org and I will (shamelessly) share it over all my social media platforms - brace yourselves. Click on the link and read a little more about what I am trying to achieve and the journey I am on. If you are interested and want to be a part of that journey you can donate (a bit like PayPal) on the website. There are rewards for doing so; I am keen to give something back and express gratitude to anyone able to donate :) 

IF you are interested but unable to donate please share the link, tell people, RT, screenshot whatever you can to spread the word. That would be fantastic and costs nothing! 

Either way, look out for the link tomorrow and have a gander and most of all SHARE :)

Thank you x

Don't Be So Hard On Yourself

Yes I know it is Monday! I haven't hit my head! Brogan showed us this yesterday and it is pretty apt for everyone here! Apologies this is a day late than the promised Sunday (or did I say weekend) blog! You see the week did not go to plan and was if I am honest very disappointing.

After hitting my ankle on Tuesday and having to take a few days off to let the swelling and pain subside I was back to training Friday. I was pretty excited to be back training with the group and generally happy that I'd not missed too many slides. You see the key to my development is time on ice. Every slide matters as you can only really practise by doing at full throttle. Tricky when you're injured or dare I say injury prone.

So rewind to Friday. Run1. Smashed the other ankle out of 13 (the same corner). F***! Trying to maintain a positive outlook however I can acknowledge that other aspects and focus areas were improved. For example my form was better and I got my steers on in key areas. But I am sliding with flailing ankles which with my bony, sticky out ankles is a recipe for disaster and rather painful too. Once again I became a one slide Sally :( hardly helping to build my time on ice.

Unfortunately my left ankle is the one I sprained badly in Winterberg last February so is easily traumatised. As a result the discomfort in my foot and ankle got worse over Friday and the weekend, rather than better. It also looked like I was smuggling a golf ball beneath my skin :(

As a result I have missed training today (Monday). My third missed session in six sessions. So I thought I'd leave the blog writing for today to keep myself occupied. I've had good news today though; Gareth our soft tissue therapist gave a really positive assessment and as long as my ankle keeps progressing I'll be back on ice on Wednesday.

So whilst everyone else has been sliding and gymming doing the usual I have been putting recovery top of my priorities today. I've upgraded my ice water immersion to salty warm water immersion which is a treat! Although my hands are constantly salty now! The salt is supposed to help with the inflammation and hydration and was kindly donated by the kitchen here where we are staying :) As well as sitting with my foot in a bin of warm, salty water I had some soft tissue treatment which was uncomfortable but necessary and spent some time on my sled visualising and practising keeping my feet together! There has been some chat of tying my ankles together so that I can't flail them about when I slide!

It has been tempting this past week to be really frustrated and hard on myself because like I said the week has been super disappointing. This week has basically been what I had dreaded happening. Not getting the hang of it (sliding) at all and as a result hurting myself which then means I have to lose training days so that injuries can recover. Despite crashing, hurting myself and feeling like I haven't 'got it' all I want to do is get on my sled and slide, day in, day out. I am super jealous of my teammates who have completed all 15 slides of last week compared to my 5. When you repeat a skill with that level of regularity it becomes your norm. For me, sliding still evokes nerves and worry at times. This will naturally disappear as I get back on the sled. So I channelled my inner Jess Glynne and made my mantra 'don't be so hard on yourself'. Yes, it was my fault I got hurt but I am doing my best to learn from it and do what I can now to try prevent it happening again on Wednesday and going forwards.

Looking forward being back here Wednesday!

The last time I was on ice was February, and it was a totally different style of track. Lillehammer is aggressive and high pressure track, it is quite a contender. Having not even made many descents from the top during my first (and only) camp here every slide from the top is a challenge and a step towards becoming more comfortable and competent at this track. So bearing all this in mind, having done only five slides I cannot really beat myself up too much; it is counterproductive.

So, it has not been a dream start for me. However, for some of the group it has been a really positive start to the season which is encouraging for me! Unfortunately, we will be losing another of our team tomorrow :( Ellie had a bad crash and although she is okay in the grand scheme of things she is heading home to get some R+R and medical support to get her back on her feet. So we are down from a 9 to 7. Fingers crossed for a better week this week; I can't wait to slide Wednesday :)

p.s Happy one year 'Facebook' anniversary to my BFF and twine Madelaine Smith!!

L plates

Day 2. Hospital visit. 

This is not what I'd envisioned my first few days back sliding being like. In terms of ability I'd reckoned on having green P plates maybe. After my first four slides I'm firmly back with my L plates. 

I knew Lillehammer was going to be a challenge. I knew that because I hadn't gone from the top many times previously (due to missing a camp in March 2015) I'd be playing catch up. I expected to find the speed fast, and my awareness be not where it should be. But now it's actually happening it's RUBBISH. 

My first slide was overwhelming in pressure and speed. I crashed in my second but held on in the third. Not an excellent first day but the crash didn't hurt and I'd not had high expectations. After video analysis I was reasonably confident that tomorrow (today) I could sort it out. Big thing was just to relax and breathe (easy at 110-115 kph right?) and even ease off some steers. 

I'm currently sat with my foot in the sink which is full of cold water. So clearly I didn't manage to relax and breathe. Instead I clattered my right ankle out of the 13th corner at 115 kph :( I'm not going to lie it HURT! That ended the session for me as I couldn't walk let alone run and it wasn't worth risking me hitting it again. 

Anyway a hospital visit (they remembered me from February!) later, confirmed that there was no fracture so I was on my way with instructions to RICE. Hence the foot in cold water situation I'm currently in. But it's all part of the sport, bumps and bruises are unavoidable when you're travelling at those speeds down an icy slide!

I'm having a day off tomorrow then we will see. But the swelling has gone down so I'm hopeful I can get back on and sort it out! For now, it's nothing some fancy chocolates and Pitch Perfect can't fix.