The sessions in January have been some of the hardest I have ever done

Happy New Year! Sorry it’s a bit late but I was so busy in January that I never got a chance to blog properly – I know you will all be very happy that I have finally got the chance to write down a few hundred words in an order that might mildly entertain you for a few minutes or so.

January is normally quite a downer month after all the excitement of Christmas and New Year, you look forward to starting afresh with renewed vigour and enthusiasm, only to find that things pretty much carry on as they left off. However, it is now the year! 2012! When I go for Paralympic gold and the world ends – what’s not to get excited about? To be honest I’m trying not to think about it too much at the moment (the Paralympics) but it’s difficult when everybody is talking about it so much.

It’s hard to believe that a year ago I was just returning from New Zealand licking my wounds from a courageous but admittedly ordinary performance at the world championships, and also gutted that NUFC sold Andy Carroll to Liverpool – how things change in a year.

I haven’t had too many new year blues, mainly because my training has stepped up a gear and I am no longer solely concentrating on flogging myself to death with gruelling circuits. At this point I like to do my ‘circuits are over dance’. However I should know better by now, and instead of getting easier, the sessions in January have been some of the hardest I have ever done. It’s testament to the work I did from October to December that I am able to do some of the things I’m doing now, I have surprised myself at my progress in certain areas, particularly my right leg. My physiotherapist Penny and I are having to find intuitive ways to add more resistance for my single leg press.

I think the highlight of January has to be doing a onesie session at the Unit Gym with Tom Clay (me-monkey, Tom-tiger). To sort of explain, I got a onesie from the missus for Christmas and I knew Tom had several onesies. Logic said to me that it would be an epic-win to do a gym session in our onesies. It didn’t take much to persuade Tom, who came up with a horror of a session for the occasion – I can tell you an hour of rope slinging, TRX and chin-ups in a onesie isn’t fun. It was all filmed on my video diary camcorder, for a sneak preview and other videos visit my youtube channel.

This week Sainsbury’s and Channel4 screened their latest short films to promote the Paralympic Games. I travelled down to London for a preview screening at Channel4 HQ, they have done 10 films which are kind of sequels to the films released last year. All 10 films are brilliant with loads of powerful images and messages that encapsulate what the Paralympics is all about in each of their 90 seconds. I was actually in my local social club the Bene when my film was screened on Channel4 – I wasn’t supposed to be there, but our bus broke down on the way to Blackburn for the NUFC match. Long story, but we ended up watching the match in the Bene and they put Channel4 on just before kick off to watch the film, I got a standing ovation and the Toon won so it was a great night in the end. You can watch the video here.

At the end of last year I also helped to open a refurbished Wilkinson’s store in Killingworth. They kindly donated £300 towards my training and competition costs and £200 to the Sunshine Fund charity.

Til next time … keep ahaad.

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