I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while now. Maybe because I am getting older and have started reflecting more on my career, maybe because we have a very big year ahead or maybe because I am exhausted from having to convince people that life as a full time athlete is tough. Whatever the reason, I feel compelled to write about the sacrifices athletes have to make, or should I say choose to make, to be successful.

When athletes talk about sacrifice, we mean it! We know everyone has to make them during their life, I am hoping this will give you an idea of the kind of sacrifices an athlete chooses to make.

Training is a big part of my life and it takes a lot of hard work, discipline and mental strength to get through. There is the obvious pain we put ourselves through. Having so much lactic running through my body that every ounce of sense is telling me to stop, but something deep down reminds me why I am putting myself through it.

Rolling around on the floor in agony not able to move or stay still, feeling like someone dropped a brick on my head, feet burning, mouth drier than the desert and your coach telling you to get up! Blisters are a regular occurrence but you keep running, niggles/soreness you keep running. It doesn’t end there, just when you think the pain is over there is the recovery strategies. By this I, of course, mean ice baths. Sitting in a bath of ice for 10 minutes, feet are numb, legs are stinging, not able to breathe.

Massage for an athlete is a different concept than for most people. For us it involves someone digging their elbow through your muscles for an hour, finding knots and sore spots and working on them till you can take no more.

Diet goes hand in hand with the training – it’s just as tough and just as important. I have a meal plan that I stick to religiously. It details every meal I will eat that week. Each meal I eat is tailored to my individual needs and body composition goals. I do not eat any snacks or extra food around this plan and if I am going out I will take my meal with me in a container and eat on the move. This makes going out for dinner difficult. There is usually something on the menu that I can eat but I won’t go to certain restaurants if I know I will not be able to eat the kind of food I need.

A social life is pretty non-existent for athletes. The regular Friday and Saturday nights with friends from the age of 18, through university are now spent eating, resting and getting an early night. I catch up with friends as much as I can and they are very understanding with my commitments to training.

Now I am at the age where my circle of friends are getting married so I have already missed numerous hen nights, countless birthday celebrations and am facing the prospect of missing weddings. Of course this is all my choice and I could go out and party if I wanted to but this is not the way I am going to achieve my goals. A late night may affect up to three days of training, and I am not prepared to do that.

Travel is an aspect of an athletes’ life many may say is not a sacrifice at all. I beg to differ. I am away for anything from three days to eight weeks at a time. A three day trip involves packing a small bag, flying in to a European airport, being picked up in a car and driven to a hotel in the middle of nowhere, sharing a room with a complete stranger, eating food you are not quite sure of, racing, then flying home the following day. It is not glamorous, it is not a holiday, I do not go sight-seeing. It is purely business.

When I go away for a longer period of time there are different obstacles. Of course I miss home, my family, fiancé, friends, my cats, my house, my car. I have to set up life on the other side of the world and make sure I am in a comfortable environment to train at the best of my ability. It is tough, especially when I have something to share with my fiancé or family and they are not around for me to share it with them.

The time difference normally means that I only have a few hours a day where I could possibly talk to anyone back home. Training is so hard that I am able to complete my morning session, eat lunch, complete my afternoon session, eat dinner then I am ready for bed. There is no time or energy for anything else.

My whole lifestyle is geared around my athletics career. It is a short career so you have to throw yourself into it for the short period of time you are able to. There are many things I have to think about that I didn’t before I was an international athlete.

The big one is my whereabouts for drug testing. It is a system called ADAMS where I provide my overnight accommodation and a one hour testing slot for every day of the year. I must be where I say I am going to be. If, for some reason I am not going to be there, I must inform them. This makes un-planned journeys and trips a little difficult.

There are also little things like not wearing heels, not walking anywhere too far, standing around, sitting down, being in the sun too long. I need to eat every three hours so if I make a trip somewhere I make sure I have food with me, there is no “popping out” anymore. Then of course there is the issue of life after track. I achieved an MSc in Sport Sciences but have not yet been able to use it. I have put my long-term career on hold for a career in athletics. All my friends are very successful in their chosen field. I have been successful but it is not a long term career. In a few years I am going to have to find another way to live my life. This is a very daunting prospect for an athlete. All I have known for the last six years is athletics.

This lifestyle of course requires some financial backing. I have received no funding for the last 18 months. I am self-funded, relying on personal sponsorship (see my website for details), appearances and prize money to get by. I have no time to work as training consumes all my time.

I earn money sporadically and spend it on essentials such as food, bills and petrol to get to training. It is really difficult to make ends meet but I make it work because I want to. I know it is a short term situation and when I retire I will be able to get a job and earn a good living. Until then I will live on a limited budget and make the best of my situation.

I hope this has given you an insight into the sacrifices an athlete makes to be successful. I am not the only athlete out there living like this. Athletes pour their heart and soul into a sport that is arguably the toughest out there. Life is not easy but the good times are worth the pain and sacrifice of the bad times. So next time you think us athletes have an easy life, think again. Next time you criticise an athlete for not performing well, think of what they have been through to even stand on the start line. Next time you see us packing yet another bag, think how hard it is for us to move our lives to the other side of the world in pursuit of our dreams.

“Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and keep it lit,” Mary Lou Retton.

Many of you may have noticed that I have already started my indoor campaign with a few races in the UK. Well I am now here in Mondeville, France to start the business end of the season. The journey here took a long time. A flight from Heathrow terminal 5 to Paris, one-hour wait at Paris airport for a half an hour drive to the train station. A two-hour train journey and we had arrived.

We are right on the north coast, literally next door to the ferry port. I left my house at 9.30am yesterday and arrived in the hotel at 7.50pm. What a long journey time for such a short distance, maybe I’ll swim next time.

My race is not till tonight so I have all day to chill and relax. So far I have watched Social Network. It was a good film. I had no idea all that happened. It was interesting to see how people react when money is involved. I am glad he put his friends name back as co-founder of Facebook.

It got me thinking what I can invent to make $25 billion. Then I thought, I don’t need to as my life is so full of blessings that outweigh any kind of monetary value. I think people forget that sometimes, including myself. We get so caught up with money and how much we can make that we forget what we already have.

It’s freezing here, there is snow on the ground and the sun is out so it looks lovely, but looks can be deceiving. I just took a little walk outside to get some fresh air. After writing and posting this blog I will get some lunch and rest a bit more before getting myself together for the track. I will of course let you know how I get on.

Bye for now

LT

Well as I sit here (in my front room) at 9.30pm on New Year’s Eve, I reflect on the year past and, of course, the year coming.

2011 was a decent year for me on the whole. My best memory was winning the 100m and 200m double at the England Championships, my worst memory was the injuries that plagued the second half of my season.
There were many more great memories along the way like my warm weather training trip to Arizona where I visited the Grand Canyon with Rafael. Spending my birthday in the UK for the first time since 2004, I was able to see my friends and family which meant so much to me. My memories are always athletics orientated, in a few years I will have a more varied list of memories but for now it is all TRACK, TRACK, TRACK.

2012 is set to be the biggest, toughest, greatest and most memorable year of my life so far. I have my targets and am working harder than ever to achieve them. Keep following my progress via my website and twitter to see the excitement unfold as we get closer to the Olympics.

The Christmas and New Year period is a strange one for athletes. The only thing I am concerned about is when the track is open. I have been lucky this year as Lee Valley has been open every day, other than Christmas Day.

I have not been able to relax as much as others may do around this time. No lounging around all day eating left-over turkey and chocolate, instead I have remained in my usual routine. I allowed myself to deviate from my usual eating plan on Christmas Day, other than that it has been business as usual. This can be tough, but not when you have an Olympic Games to qualify for in seven months. Of course I wouldn’t have it any other way, I am not complaining about the lifestyle I have chosen.

Well, it’s now 10pm and I am off to bed. Hope you all have a great New Years Eve.

LT

I was introduced to Bikram yoga by my training partner, Lucy. I went along to a class with her when I was last in Arizona in April. I really enjoyed it but didn’t go back as we were racing and time did not allow us to. As the 2011 season progressed my lower back was causing me more and more pain. I had heard that Bikram yoga was really good for backs, so I started to do some investigation.

I found a local studio in Chiswick and decided to start practising in my break from training, to see how it was and if I thought it would benefit me when I started winter training. Well, I did not know what I was getting myself into. I can say Bikram has become a vital part of my training, not only does my back feel better but I feel great and honestly think Bikram has had a massive part to play.

The class lasts for 90 minutes and takes place in a room heated to 40°C and 40% humidity. There are 26 poses performed in the same order every class. You can make it as hard or as easy as you feel comfortable with, but it does take a few sessions to get used to the heat. I have heard stories of people passing out and feeling sick but neither of these happened to me.

I started off practising three times a week to give myself a chance to get used to the class. I started to feel the benefits immediately. Walking out of the studio I felt great, I had more energy and no aches or pains. When I started back into winter training I implemented Bikram into my schedule twice a week.

At first I was worried it would detract from my training but it has been quite the opposite. I feel, as an athlete, it is important to relax and switch off and this is exactly what you do in Bikram. It is 90 minutes devoted to you, your body and your thoughts. I feel the benefits physically, mentally and spiritually – I never thought I would be saying that!

Attention all athletes, Bikram Yoga can greatly improve your performance.

For more information check out the studio I go to in Chiswick, a great place to practice.
www.bikramyogachiswick.co.uk

Go on, give it a go and let me know what you think about it!

LT

So I have returned to my favourite place to train, Scottsdale in Arizona. I love it here so much. It is not my first visit to the USA and on my many trips over here I have noticed a few things that only happen in America:

The cockney accent is adored. Everywhere I go, people tell me how much they love my accent. I wish they could tell my mum that when she moans at me for sounding common. It is amazing, just start speaking and the English accent can get you all sorts of freebies.

Birkam yoga is a different kettle of fish over here. Even though Bikram yoga is the same 26 poses every time, the clientele differ greatly from the UK to the USA. In my first class here in Arizona I was next to a man with tube in his neck which was there for him to breathe though. In my second class I was behind a man with machine gun tattoed on his back. To confirm my first point, my Bikram yoga classes are free of charge for me out here.

Random people say hello to you on the street and you don’t think they are strange. It is incredible, people here are so friendly and it puts me in a good mood. I have to really stop myself from saying hello to strangers when back in London, could you imagine the looks I would get.

It gets to 21 °C and everyone is wearing coats. This temperature indicates winter and people get their winter clothing out. I was out today in a vest top and jeans and I saw someone wearing gloves! I suppose when it is 46°C in the summer, 21°C is relatively cold.

There is a drive through everything. From the ATM to the pharmacy and Starbucks! I wouldn’t want to suggest that my American friends are lazy but…

Watch back to back episodes of the same TV programme. I can watch four episodes of The Big Bang Theory back to back on TBS, two hours’ worth of Say Yes to the Dress on TLC – magnificent.

TV adverts that criticise rival brands in order to promote their own. I am sure there is some kind of law against that in the UK. They will just tell you how bad the other brands, name their rival brands are and why theirs is better, it’s hilarious.

I am sure there are lots more examples but this gives you an idea. It feels like home here, but it is different in so many ways.

Bye for now

LT

I sit here, almost four weeks since I returned from the World Championships in Daegu, and I feel I am now ready to reflect on my 2011 season. It has been four weeks of eating what I want, getting up when I want and sitting on the sofa for as long as I want. I have found over the years that it takes me some time to be able to sit and think about the season I have just completed. I was disappointed with my performances at the World Championships, I am now ready to talk about this and my season on the whole.

My 2011 campaign started in sunny Arizona with a few local track meets. I left the USA with season bests of 11.52 and 23.91, my quickest ever runs in the USA. I was then straight on to the Manchester Street Race within five days of landing back in the UK. A rainy day in Manchester but a fun event, I ran the 150m and finished 3rd in a rather slow time of 17.43. I put this poor performance down to jet lag and moved quickly onto the next race in Loughborough.

This is always a busy day for me and this year was no exception. I won the 100m in 11.35 (wind +2.4) quite pleased; 23.69 in the 200m, what a disaster; followed by a win in the relay. After these UK based races I was off on the road again to Regensburg (11.54 -2.9), Strasbourg (11.43), Stockholm (relay), Cottbus (11.37 +2.6), Velenje (23.59) and La Chaux du Fonds (11.30). Phew!

I then needed a few weeks at home before I competed at the England Championships. I feel I ran really well here, winning the 100m in 11.23 and the 200m in 23.47(+2.5). I was pleased with my 100m as this was the qualifying time for the World Championships and the Olympics next year. The 200m was tough as the wind on the bend was so strong, making it impossible to run a fast time. It was great to win the double, at this stage of the season I was the double double champion (100m and 200m England and UK Champ!) The next stop was the UK Championships and World Trials.

With one week to go, disaster struck! I have an on-going back problem which flares up every now and again. Unfortunately my back flared up exactly a week before the trials, I was unable to move for three days but my physio did a great job and I was able to do some strides on the Tuesday, a session on Wednesday and then race at the trials two days later.

I finished 3rd in 100m which I was disappointed with. As athletes we want to win all the time, realising this is not always possible I was content with the fact that I had probably booked my place on the World Championships team. Who said lightening doesn’t strike twice? The following day I was warming up for the 200m and I pulled my calf. I was so upset. I had managed to go all winter without any problems then had two major injuries in the space of nine days.

I was picked for the World Championships 100m and relay and left for the holding camp in Ulsan, South Korea. My calf injury had just cleared up but unfortunately my back was still causing me a lot of problems. I was in good spirits as I knew I was in good shape. My run at the England Championships had given me a lot of confidence.

It was the day of the World Championship 100m heats. Despite refusing an epidural for the past two weeks as my back was quite painful, warming up for my heat I was in no pain for the first time. I was drawn in heat three with the first three from each heat to qualify with three fastest losers from all the heats. The gun went and I got out well, which is not unusual for me. The girl to my left had run 10.96 this season so as she started to move away from me I didn’t panic. I kept relaxed and held my technique well despite being under a lot of pressure.

I crossed the line in the 4th place with 11.45. I knew it would not be enough to make it through to the semi-finals. I was disappointed but not upset. I did as much as I could, I did not mess up the race as I have done in the past. I just felt like I couldn’t get out of 4th gear, I had lost speed and sharpness. When I looked back at my training diary I realised I had not run fast since the trials and the calf injury. I had de-trained and lost the speed and sharpness I had at the England Championships. My body let me down when I needed it the most.

A bad performance at the World Championships leaves you open to criticism about your performance and preparation. A strong athlete is able to ignore any comments from people who are not involved in their athletics career. A strong athlete knows the circumstances behind all performances, they know what they are working on and their long term plan and are able to keep their focus entirely on that. There will also be some athletes who may read or hear these comments and are quite upset by them. This is a shame as no one performs badly on purpose and the fact is that the athlete is competing at the Championships as they are the best our country has. It is very easy to pass judgement on others when you do not have the facts. My philosophy is to listen to the people who matter (coach, family, close friends) and ignore the others, especially if they are ignorant, thoughtless and senseless.

So, what now? First things first I am trying to keep myself afloat financially, with no sponsorship or funding I am making appearances and doing bits of work where I can. If there is a year worth the struggle, this is the one. I am making plans for the next year with my coach, starting with training in Arizona for most of the winter. Any of you who have read my blog before will know how much I loved training in Arizona in March and April this year. I am slowly but surely getting my body back together again, I do feel a bit like Humpty Dumpty at the moment.

I am looking forward to the next 10 months, I start my campaign on Sunday. It is going to fun, emotional, tough, painful and full of sacrifice. I cannot wait.

Till next time

LT

My top five best things about being at a major championships:

So yesterday I shared my personal worse things about being at a major champs, now I share the best bits.

Number 5

No washing up or housework. This seems like a very minor thing and I do enjoy cleaning when I am at home, to the point of being OCD. When you are away you have your meals cooked, plates washed and rooms cleaned for you. It does always seem like a bit of a come down when you have to go back to doing these chores yourself.

Number 4

Visiting a different country. I have been lucky enough to visit some amazing places over the years. Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, India and much of Europe to name a few. It is usually a chance to see a country I wouldn’t visit myself and although we don’t get to do much sight-seeing you do get a feel for the place.

Number 3

A front row seat at the greatest athletics competition of the year. I am a big athletics fan so making the team for a major championships is fantastic, I get to be a real geek and follow all the events close up.

At number 2

Racing the best athletes in the world. It is a real privilege for me to be able to compete in a major championships and I really enjoy lining up against the best athletes from around the world.

Taking the number 1 spot

The pride of representing your country. I still get excited when I put on my GB kit. Just 10 years ago I was nowhere near making a junior team let alone a senior team. It is an honour that only a small number of athletes in the UK receive in their career. I for one am always grateful, thankful, excited and proud to hear “Laura Turner from Great Britain” when I stand behind my blocks.

Maybe you could’ve guessed my top 5, there may have been a few surprises. I am off to get ready for the relay now. Great Britain will be in heat 2 lane 4, I will be on 3rd leg. We have been working really hard for this. The girls are ready to run, lets’ hope we can do ourselves proud.

LT

My top five things I won’t miss about being at a major Championships:

At number 5

Travelling everywhere by bus. The organising committee put on a regular bus service to take you to the stadium or training track or into town. These buses normally run every 20 minutes and take around 10 minutes to reach your destination. If you are lucky enough to battle your way onto these very full buses (which is tougher than you think for a small person like me) you then have to endure the delightful fragrance of sweaty athletes after a sweaty session in a sweaty climate!

Number 4

Wearing accreditation at all times. Accreditation is a pass that we are given when we enter the village which allows us into restricted areas such as the village, warm up track and stadium. If you were to forget this pass you will not be allowed anywhere. This results in several trips back to the room to pick up the forgotten pass, similar to being tagged but more inconvenient.

Number 3

Wearing the same clothes as 80 other people. I will never get bored of wearing Great Britain kit but when the whole team are all wearing it you do feel like a bit of a clone.

In at number 2

Food. Eating cold food that you have not chosen yourself, from a tray. Food can be a bit hit and miss depending on where you are but it is generally not good anywhere. Out here has been particularly bad. It has not been warm, tasty or filling. You have to use a tray for your plate, cup and cutlery then put all your used items into separate containers before you leave. You finish your meal with a false sense of full-ness and end up being starving hungry again an hour later.

And at number 1

Queing. Queue for food, getting onto the bus, getting into the stadium, getting into the lift, using the toilets, everything! I don’t mind queuing for something that I am looking forward to but quite frankly none of the reasons I mentioned above are worthy of a long queue.

Check back tomorrow for my top 5 best things about being at a major championships.

I haven’t blogged for so long as I have been busy preparing for the World Championships. It all started with the UK Championships and World Trials. I finished 3rd in the 100m, it was a position that should’ve secured my spot in the World Championships team but I had another week to wait till the team was announced. I watched the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace from my front room as I wasn’t able to run due a tight calf. The Monday following the Grand Prix the team was selected and I was delighted to get a phone call confirming I had been selected for the 100m and relay at the World Championships.

So then it was all systems go for Daegu. I got back into some training for the week I had left in the UK. It was also my birthday before I left for the holding camp. I turned 29! It was nice to be in the country for my birthday, a very rare occurrence. I went training in the morning, of course, followed by dinner at my parents’ house, then meeting up with my friends in the evening. A few days later I was all packed and ready to go to Ulsan in South Korea for the holding camp.

We arrived in Ulsan after the longest journey I have ever undertaken. The hotel is nice, but the food was a bit ropey to begin with but has picked up now. The weather was lovely to begin with but has been very rainy for the last few days. It took me about four days to get into a good routine with my sleep, jet lag is always worse when you travel east. Training has been good, there are a few others from my training group here and my coach so it has been like training back at home which is great.

There isn’t really much to do here in Ulsan so my roommate (Nicola Sanders) and I have been keeping entertained, watching Luther (from the beginning). Last night we watched the first episode of the second series, the one with the mask. We both screamed when the guy in the mask appeared behind the policeman waiting in the car. I’m not sure if we were more upset at being so scared or at the fact that our neighbours didn’t knock on the door to make sure we were ok. I won’t name them, to save their embarrassment. Our other source of entertainment has been Starbucks. Yes, it really is as exciting as it all sounds.

The holding camp here in Ulsan is provided by AVIVA (you may have seen me in their recent advert, have I already mentioned that!?) They give us a fantastic environment for us to prepare for the World Championships. There really is no better place for us to be. I start my World Championships campaign on Sunday morning (early hours of the morning in the UK) with round 1, the semi and final are on Monday evening (Monday morning/afternoon UK time). I’m hoping to better my performance from 2007 where I finished 7th in my semi final. I am looking forward to testing myself against the best in the world.

This is last you will hear from me till after the Championships are over. Thank you to everyone for their support so far, the fun starts now.

LT

Well, what a busy weekend I had last week. I competed at the England Championships and managed to walk away with the 100m and 200m titles.

The 100m was a good run and a season best along with a World Championships and Olympic Qualifying time. I was delighted to get this out the way before the trials. The way I ran was also encouraging.

The 200m was just plain hard work. There was a tremendous head wind around the bend which took a lot out of me. I did manage to run quicker in the final than the heat which was the encouraging sign for me. I was delighted with my two titles which add to the UK 100m and 200m titles I currently hold, a double double champion!

This week also saw the launch of a new advert I am featuring in. It is an AVIVA advert called ‘Paving the way’ which is advertising the Olympics and the support AVIVA have given to the Athletics Team. They have released a ‘behind the scenes’ film which I also feature in. Take a look at the behind the scenes. The advert will have its first showing in the first advert break of the ITV evening news.

So now I am gearing up for the UK Championships and World Trials next weekend. I will compete in the 100m and 200m to defend the titles I won last year. It will be on BBC2 Saturday evening, so keep your eyes peeled!

That’s all for now folks

LT