When I was growing up, I participated in every sport available: cross-country running, swimming, hockey, netball, athletics, and horse riding, to name just a few. At the age of 12, I was talent-spotted for the GB Modern Pentathlon team, and I enjoyed training for the five disciplines: running, swimming, shooting, fencing, and horse riding. Most weekends were filled with training or competing at local, national, and international competitions. Everything was going well until puberty began to have a significant impact, and my progress started to stagnate (which I now know is very normal). At the age of 15, during a training session, I remember being pulled aside to review my recent competition stats. While I don't recall much from that conversation, I distinctly remember being told that I needed to lose weight to improve my running speed. Needless to say, I was devastated. My enjoyment of the sport started to fade, and despite winning the National Championships that year, I decided to quit later on.

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In the following years, I continued training and competing with the school cross-country club, which carried on when I entered university. While I appreciated the social aspect of being part of a club, there were very few female athletes when I initially joined (only four, to be precise!). In an effort to address this, I volunteered with a university-led initiative called Nu2 Sport, which aimed to encourage more people to participate in sports. Every week, I led a female-only "jogging club" where we would run around campus and chat along the way. Some of the regular participants expressed interest in doing more running but felt intimidated by the male-dominated university cross-country team. I encouraged them to join as a group, and by the time I finished my time at Nottingham University, the number of female athletes had quadrupled. To this day, it remains one of my proudest achievements.

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I started cycling five years ago as a means of transportation in London that avoided the crowded and sweaty underground. A couple of years later, when the COVID pandemic forced everything to shut down, I saw it as an opportunity to spend more time outdoors. I upgraded my bike and began going on longer rides. A few years ago, I completed my first triathlon and found great excitement in it. At the beginning of 2022, I set a personal challenge for myself to qualify for the Age Group European Standard Distance Triathlon Championships. I knew that juggling my full-time job as a teacher and being a triathlete would be challenging, but I managed to balance my training and professional life to ensure I was as prepared as possible for the event. The race was incredibly demanding, and I had to push my body to its limits to cross the finish line. The relief was immense when I crossed the finish line in first place!

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My ambition to become a triathlon coach stems from my desire to give back to the sport that has given me so much by helping others achieve their goals. In addition to my nearly 20 years of training and competing in sports, I am also a UESCA certified triathlon coach. The coaching qualification I obtained covers an extensive syllabus that emphasises science-led coaching. As a science teacher, this aspect intrigued me since I already possess a wealth of prerequisite knowledge from my years of teaching. I appreciate being able to apply that knowledge to sports coaching. Combining my experience as an athlete with my coaching certification, I have a wealth of expertise that I can utilise to coach you and help you achieve your athletic performance goals.

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If you want to work with me and would like a chance to discuss it more, please get in contact. I look forward to hearing from you!

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