WEEK 6
Date: September 4
Looking forward to the best race of my life
The final countdown has truly begun - the Olympic Games in Sydney are
almost upon us - and the emotional roller-coaster of this World Party will
soon swing into overdrive.
Yet, being still at home in Cheshire, I feel strangely distanced from it
all - which suits me just fine.
There is a danger of going out to Australia too soon and getting swept along by all the euphoria - and perhaps losing
your focus slightly.
Nothing could be further from the truth for me as I
sit and ponder what this month entails. This week has seen me endure the last real
high intensity overload session in training. My body can now breathe a huge sigh of
relief!
It's a fortnight to my first event, the individual 3,000m pursuit, so time now to back off from hevay work, get fresh and put in some short, sharp efforts in training
to help me to hit peak form.
My life has been so blinkered and incredibly focused in this countdown
phase but the sheer hard work has paid off and my form has progressed
beyond expectation.
As you read this, I will be heading to Australia, my mood extremely upbeat and
ready for the challenge. The most important training sessions from now on
are not those taking place on the track but those that are happening in
the grey matter inside your head....
Physically, I am strong and mentally I am very positive but it is
important to keep these feelings constantly reinforced. Any form of
negativity is bad so I will be constantly reminding myself I have the power
and ability and will be continually visualising my start and whole race to
give me good vibes.
There is no room for error in the qualifying round - it
really is make or break time, because only the fastest four riders go
straight through to the semi-final stage, so every pedal stroke is mightily
important.
I will remind myself of all the pain, suffering, tears, injuries, low
points and high points; in essence, the sheer dedication and total
motivation that has got me to this point - and I'll be ready to do the ride
of my life. I feel ready for that absolutely supreme effort.
Success is peace of
mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in
Knowing you did your
best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
I found this quotation early on in my career and it struck a chord with me.
If I know I've got the best out of myself, I'll be happy.
On my last weekend in Britain before leaving for Sydney I went back to Bradford to take my mum out for a meal. Very important are mums.
The weekend before, when I was home to race, she was up in Scotland with my
sister who just happens to be expecting her second baby on the day of the
Olympic road race
I hadn't seen my mum now for more than two months so it was good to see her and have a chat before heading off to the big event. She has been so supportive
and proud of my successes over the years but always been content to remain
in the background. She reminds me that even though my dad died before I started cycling, he
too would have been immensely proud.
I really couldn't have wished for
better parents.
So, the hard work is done, the long haul flight yet to come, but 3
minutes 35 seconds on September 17 will tell me if it's all been
worthwhile....
Find out how Yvonne and the rest of the British team fare by registering for our e-mail bulletin, a daily update of all the highlights of the Games on a daily basis.
Read Yvonne's diary for WEEK 1 ...
Go back to Athletes' Diaries page
