GETTING OUT OF BED

January and February are two of the toughest months for any British swimmer. When your alarm wakes you in the morning and you head out into the biting cold, it is pitch black outside. When you leave the pool after completing your evening workout, it is pitch black again, still cold and probably raining. The excitement and tension of summer competition seems like a mirage in the distance.

During the early months of 1995, the prospect of competing at the Atlanta Paralympics was still over 18 months away. I tried to keep my ultimate goal, winning a gold medal in Atlanta, at the front of my mind, but sometimes it was almost impossible. The winter months were taking their toll, the mental and physical pressure dragging me down. Getting out of my warm bed and heading into the cold for morning training became increasingly difficult. I was fast approaching the limits of my motivation.