DWC 2022 🏴
10th in the world for senior tap solo!
Thanks so much to @hamiltontrainingacademy@hamilton1990 for taking me in and looking after me, I had the best time with you guys!
Thank you also to @turningpointelianne for your amazing choreography and support ❤️
Finally thank you to @dwc_uk_teams for letting me be part of team England this year! It’s been a dream come true.
Well done @ellakmcgran for becoming world champion!! You were amazing!
The last year or so has really shown me that I want to be able to do sports in the long term and therefore I need to take care of my body.
I spent a lot of years as a dancer completely destroying my body in order to get the results I wanted, particularly from 2019 to 2022 and I have been left with a lot of lingering injuries which can flare at any time.
This has been particularly frustrating recently with the flaring of my old hip injury in March which is still bothering me and has largely stopped me from running trails for the last few months.
The takeaway is that you can achieve your dreams without destroying your body. And it’s worth preserving your body so you can continue to enjoy sports as you get older!
I keep getting asked this by people who know that I ran my ultra with my hip not sitting in its socket properly 😅
So here’s the rundown of the injury:
I had a bad hip years ago but it hadn’t bothered me for a while until the 20 mile race I ran at the end of March when it flared up
Shortly before the ultra it then pulled my IT band because of the misalignment caused by my hip not sitting in its socket correctly.
I rehabbed that for a week or so and it felt fine as it was only a minor pull
So then we get to the ultra!
My IT band flared at around 23km and I kind of thought it was game over as I couldn’t really run but luckily I got to walk it off for a while up a huge hill (never thought I’d have luckily and huge hill in the same sentence lol)
Then I managed it for the rest of the race by being careful and adjusting my running style and pace to not aggravate it and made it to the end!!
I do also think the shoes really helped. I wore the @saucony_eu axon 4 which are a nice cushioned shoe but still have some snap in them. They don’t have a plate they’re just foam but they’re so comfy, I do almost all my easy miles and currently all my races in them!
I also managed to listen to my body and manage the injury, I knew I could get through it without ruining the rest of my season so I carried on but it’s important to be able to distinguish between something you can run through and something that is worse / going to get worse if you continue running
Celebrating pride 365 days a year not just in pride month with @thetogetherrevolution 🫶🌈
They were kind enough to send me one of their t shirts 🩷 50% of sales go to a consumer chosen youth cause 🩵
Shin splints was something I used to struggle with so much when I was a dancer that sometimes I couldn’t even run at all!
And although I still sometimes struggle with shin splints, I am now better managing to keep them under control with the help of calf sleeves such as the @azengear ones I’m wearing in this reel
They very kindly sent some of their calf sleeves to me for me to try and I have to say I love them! They have cute colours, a variety of sizes and they really feel like they are helping my legs both whilst I’m running and after my run when I’m recovering
So runners it’s definitely worth a try if you’re struggling with shin splints! And other things like trying to run on soft surfaces and avoiding tarmac of course.
@azengear#azengearlove#gifted#pr
I almost didn’t start Latin and ballroom because I’m not very good at being bad at things!
I’m a perfectionist and I like to be good at everything I do… but in order to start something you have to accept that you’re going to be crap for a while 🤣
So glad I decided to start, can’t say I’m good yet but we’re working on it 😅
It’s never too late to start 🫶✨
Apart from the fact that I absolutely love @diannebuswell , this is one of the best sounds I’ve heard in a while.
I spent my whole childhood as a dancer wanting to be like the other girls who were more flexible, had cleaner lines etc.
And it destroyed my love for dance! I was so busy comparing myself to everyone else that I forgot how much I loved the sport.
It was only when I got older that I looked in the mirror and realised that the hard work had paid off and I finally liked who I saw in the mirror. and not only that but I loved my flaws, the things which made me unique and identifiable as a dancer.
I’ve tried to keep that with me as I’ve switched to ballroom and Latin. I still try to like what I see in the mirror and see my differences as good things, not things to be erased. It’s important to have personality on the dance floor.
✨be yourself, everyone else is taken✨
This phrase is how I get myself through the tough days :))
I used to dream of being a good runner and a good dancer but you can dream without putting any effort in for a reason - it’s not real!
As soon as I committed myself to training I was so much happier. I’m not where I want to be yet for dance or for running but I’m getting there! And now that I’ve learnt to enjoy the training process I’m enjoying my sports so much more
MOTIVATION ⬇️
The people who seem from the outside to not struggle with motivation probably still see themselves as lazy, because their head sounds like this.
For me routine helps with this, I do my work at the same time each day, run with running groups / clubs so that I have a specific time of day to run, I go to dance at a specific time. When I’m in a routine I’m much better at getting everything done and then being able to relax.
But I do often feel like I’m not doing enough, like I’m not working hard enough. But I guess that just means I care!
My degree is done!!
Finished my last exam this morning and so I have officially completed a degree in biochemistry!
Feels very weird to be done but very happy to never have to do biochemistry again and very excited to start work in September!
But before then, summer ☀️✨
