Crunch time is almost here

With the Olympic trials now just around the corner, the result of the past seven months of long hard slog, sweat and tears, will soon be known.  In or out.

All the talking will fade and swimming will start to make the noise.

A couple of weeks ago I returned home from another training camp, this time in Tenerife.  Facilities in Tenerife are some of the best in the world for all sports and it certainly helps having a 12-month summer. 

Most of my winter has been spent outside of the UK in sunnier surroundings, mainly in a bid to keep healthy and free of viruses.  As a result our whole Loughborough squad has avoided illness and injury, and we’re looking in great shape.

It’s been really great working and training with the best swimmers in Britain.  We all motivate and inspire each other every day to push the boundaries and do Great Britain proud.  Hopefully we can all qualify, before marching onto London in the summer and bringing home silverware (goldware)!

But first comes qualification.  During one week at the British Championships, goals will be achieved and dreams will be shattered in the effort to represent Great Britain at our home Olympic Games.

Personally I can’t wait to get to London and see the venue where the greatest stars of the aquatic world will converge in little over five months.  I’m also thrilled at the prospect of competing in the Olympic Pool and having the opportunity to qualify for Team GB.

All the training is done.  The last seven months have been physically and emotionally demanding.  Now it’s time to put my feet up as much as possible, fine tune the skills and prepare mentally for what will be a highly charged and stressful week.  Hopefully it will end in ecstasy.

The past season has gone really well and I’m happy with my performance in the competitions and with the training.  Now it comes down to putting it all together in 200 metres.

Thank you to everyone who has helped, supported and followed me through this journey, including the guys at TBS Enterprise Mobility who have helped me to communicate with you through social media. I really hope you've enjoyed the ride so far, and that it continues into the summer. Your support really is priceless.

Many thanks.