Happy New Year! So we are in 2016, a new year, new goals and new ambitions for everyone!
My goals and ambitions haven’t changed so I guess for me personally it’s not “new”. Over Christmas and new year training didn’t slow down at all, I got to enjoy the festivities with family but it was right back to hard work on Boxing Day. At the moment I’m enjoying working with my coach and a couple of team mates on a training camp at altitude (8th -28th Jan). January is usually a time where most swimmers go away on training camps abroad usually somewhere sunny to try and get some much needed sunshine and warmth away from the Scottish winter. However I seem to be the odd one out and I’m surrounded by snow where as my Twitter feed is inundated with fellow swimmers surround by sandy beaches!
The lack of oxygen at altitude makes training a lot tougher, the adaptations I’m hoping off the back of this camp will help me be a better, faster swimmer. I’ll be finishing up my camp by heading over to Luxembourg to race at the Euro meet (29th-31st Jan). At the moment quite a few big named swimmers have signed up to race so it’s looking like it’ll be a good competition to attend. Post altitude my racing can’t be a little bit off so hopefully with the threat of rival competitors it’ll push me that bit more to race faster. I’ve never been to Luxembourg so it’s a country I can mark off my list. Although there won’t be any time for sightseeing I’m sure I can get a good feel for the country from the airport,hotel and swimming pool!
The main focus for me at the moment is the Olympic trials in April (held in Glasgow), so I need to make sure that all my preparations are set in producing a fast time in April. As much as I would like to swim super fast in January there is a saying “don’t swim the right race in the wrong pool!”
So here it goes the first month of the year is almost done (pretty sure that time seems to be picking up in speed) and I feel that I have progressed in many elements of my training. It’s all about fine tuning things and getting race ready over the next couple of months and enjoy my journey whatever the outcome!
I couldn’t do it without your support so thanks
Hannah x