Swimming was always my thing. I competed at Midland and National level for 8 years. Around 20 hours a week in the pool, 5 o'clock mornings and all that jazz. But embarking upon student life at the University of Nottingham soon put a stop to that! After a few months of enjoying some new-found free time, I was itching for a new challenge. I started to run (slowly) and a few months later I bought my first road bike. I competed in my first triathlon in 2005 and became hooked, as so many do! By 2006 I was pretty solid at running and cycling and managed to qualify for the World Age Group Champs in Lausanne, but I realised how lucky I was to have started out as a swimmer. In my opinion, it's the most difficult of the 3 sports to learn. Whilst a bit of hard training will get you pretty far in running and cycling, no amount of effort will make you swim fast if your technique is poor (much to the dismay of many a triathlete!) so in 2006 I started coaching for TFN with the aim of improving their all-important swim technique.
A year away in Vancouver saw me rather neglecting the triathlon but embracing the mountains, so now I'm pretty much hooked on any outdoor sport there is going! I am back swim coaching for TFN, which I love, and I train when I can. The most important thing is to get out there and enjoy yourself; no pressure, no expectations...just fun :)