Running from girls

I enjoy running, crazy I know in the past year I have done the Great south Run, a Santa 10k and the Marwell Zoo 10k. And I have already booked another Great South Run, another 10k and the Brighton half marathon. in the next year.

After the London 2012 Olympic games the country seemed to be a buzz with people wanting to get into sport and girls in particular had role models they could look up to - Jessica Ennis-Hill, Laura Trott and Ellie Simmonds. 

However, I still feel there is a bit of a stigma among some girls about taking up sport and one reason I think for this is other girls. 

Now there will be people out there who love sport and have the drive and determination to deliver and do the training, but if these girls are caught off guard at certain points in their training I think they can quickly be turned against the idea.

The reason why I feel other girls can put girls off sport doesn't really come from school as I was never interested in sport education mainly because it was always highly competitive and put me off. With running now I know I am never going to win and the only person I am competing against is myself.

So back to my argument I run quite a bit with my boyfriend but on some occasions when I am either on my own or he has run ahead I have be met with bitchy comments and sniggers from teenage girls who frankly make me worry about the future of women.

When I run I don't like glossy and glamorous, I look sweaty, bright red and a bit out of breath, but does this mean they can make snide comments to me? 

I don't think so and at 27 I know  better than to raise to the bait and simple jog on but it does make me wonder if the need to look perfect all the time puts girls off as either they don't want a hair out of place or are worried what other girls in their class might say. 

It is really sad if this is the case as sport can be fun, and it has taken me many years to finally feel like that. I just hope that any girls reading this who are considering quitting sport for the wrong reasons think again.

Wow...didn't Britain do well

I have to admit that that I have never been a fan of the Olympics, always thought it was just people running about or throwing things, nothing of any interest.

However in the past 16 days this has all changed. It all started with the opening ceremony extravaganza orchestrated by Lancashire film director Danny Boyle.  It was amazing! Full of all things British - Mary Poppins, Voldemort, the industrial revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, cricket, while also celebrating the great music, television shows and films from our fair isle.

It just made me feel very proud to be British, showcasing all the things that are great about our island.

Then the games began and after three days we hadn't won anything. Uh-oh interest starting to waiver.

But then we got one a silver in the cycling and then a gold (well two but counts as one) Helen Glover and Heather Stanning won gold in the women's coxless pair in the rowing.

That is when it got exciting! We won gold medals in cycling, athletics, shooting, and canoeing. Silver and bronzes in sailing, tennis, swimming, gymnastics and diving plus loads more - 29 gold, 17 silver, 19 bronze. Wow!

Watching Super Saturday was just fantastic, Jessica Ennis winning gold in the heptathlon, Greg Rutherford in the long jump and Mo Farah in the 10,000 metres, these three were added by three others in the rowing and women's team pursuit in cycling. I have never screamed at the television so much as when I was watching Jess's heats or Mo in the final straight. It was just amazing.

Names that were household names regained their crowns or added to their medal count - Bradley Wiggins the Tour de France champ and Mod God won the men's time trial; Chris Hoy won his sixth gold medal, Victoria Pendleton and Rebecca Adlington did us proud.

Then there were others who are now the names the future generations will remember - the Brownlee brothers, Nicola Adams in boxing, Jade Jones in taekwondo, Anthony Ogogo in boxing and Lizzie Armitstead who won our first medal of the games in the women's road race.

So many amazing athletes in Team GB truly our greatest team. 

Also it makes you look to Rio with hope for even more medals, so many young stars coming through the ranks - Laura Trott may have won two golds in cycling but she is only 20! Diver Tom Daley is only 18 and has a lot more dives in him and heptathlon rising star Katarina Johnson-Thompson who is only 19.

This really is a games to inspire future generations and I really hope it does.

Then we got to the closing ceremony a celebration of British music and boy was it! Kaiser Chiefs and Mods singing Pinball Wizard, the Spice Girls, THE SPICE GIRLS singing Wannabe and Spice up your life, The Who, Gallagher singing Wonderwall - Liam not Noel, Pet Shop Boys and loads more. It was a true celebration of the athletes and all they have accomplished and looking forward to Rio 2016.

We in Britain did do it right and I am incredibly proud to be British and can only see this growing after the Paralympics.

The Paralympics which is in two weeks! Where Team GB will hopefully do it all again, hopefully Eleanor Simmonds will get swimming glory, Sophie Warner in athletics and Shelly Woods in wheelchair racing.

COME ON TEAM GB...AGAIN!!