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The year I married my husband

Sounds mushy, I know. BUT, I can truly say that I would not be where I am today without him. He is an unquestioning support to me, is always there through thick and thin, never thinks ill of me, always thought I looked just fine, regardless of what size I was. When I started triathlon he was there too. When I qualified for Great Britain for the first time in 2009, he was standing at the finish line of the race where I qualified. I sold my motorbike so he could be there in the Gold Coast with me for my first World Championships, he earned that place just as much as I did.

2005: the year I decided to transform my life

It was a new Years resolution to get fit and lose weight in 2005 that took me on an incredible journey from weight loss, to sport, to triathlon to team GB. It was beyond any of my wildest dreams. I still cannot believe that ordinary little old me races for team GB. All other team GB triathletes I know have come into triathlon from another sporting background. And then there was me! That alone makes me feel incredibly proud. I broke the mould, so I did! You can too! I have since met GB triathletes who say that they only tried out for the team because they had read my story. That is such a brilliant thing, I cannot find the words for it.

The Cycling accident

This was an event that proved to me beyond any doubt that you can do WHATEVER you want to do, if you have the correct mind set. I had concussion, I was off work three months. I was told NOT to fly, let alone race. But I had bought the ticket to China, and I was getting on the plane, regardless of what anyone said. 8 weeks to the day almost, following the accident, I stood on the start line for the World Championships Grand final in Beijing in 2011. I achieved the top 20 place that I had aimed for in the first place. I didn't think that would have been possible, after the head injury. This became a theme, because two weeks before the 2012 world championships in New Zealand, I was told I needed urgent knee surgery. You think that was going to stop me? no! The surgeon thought I would not finish the race. I was 12th in the GB team.

Diary

When I was younger I wrote a diary. It was during a difficult time in my life and it included all my innermost feelings. When I came to find someone that I loved and wanted to marry, I sorted my house out to sell. I wanted to destroy the diary as a sign that I had moved on. I couldn't find it anywhere. I thought for ages about how horrified I would be if the new owners found it somewhere!