The UK indoor heptathlon record had stood for 18 years when I broke it. Doing that in my home town of Sheffield was very special.
Competing at the Commonwealth Games was an experience I will never forget. Coming fourth was a great stepping stone for the rest of my career.
I usually train for 30 hours a week. It is a physically gruelling and mentally challenging schedule that means I am training four or five hours a day, six days a week. It really is a full-time job. I try to do every event at least once in the week and focus on my weaker events two or three times weekly.
Jessica Ennis-Hill is a training partner and the perfect example of a modern day professional athlete. We are both coached by Toni Minichiello and we work with some up and coming young athletes, so it is a great training group.
Toni looks after all my events except the pole vault and javelin. For those I am coached by Mick Hill and Mark Johnson respectively.
I’m a part-time coach. I also go into schools and help to inspire the next generation to become future Olympians. I’m pretty passionate about that.
I always eat during training. It’s usually something like Haribos or a cereal bar to keep me going as I can be out there for hours. People find it a bit odd, but I need that boost. After training I have a protein shake and some fruit.
Our training group is very competitive. Everything turns into a competition. My favourite training session is 30m sprints where we run against each other.
Our Sunday morning running sessions are two hours of torture in the form of lactic acid build-up in freezing cold and wet weather. It’s not something I particularly enjoy. But Toni describes them as ‘character-building’.
I wish there was a beach in Sheffield. I lived in Australia until 2009 and it took some getting used to not to be heading down to the beach to chill out in the sunshine. However, my parents are both from the UK, so I feel British and I am always proud to pull on the GB kit.
My sporting background is very diverse. I was twice Nutrigrain National Junior Surf Lifesaving champion and I also represented Australia at the World schools’ rugby championships in Japan. I like to think the variety of my multi-sport background helped my transition into the decathlon.
Saturday – AM: 10-minute jog and stretching. Javelin or pole vault session (depending on time of year)
Sunday – AM: 10-minute jog and stretching. 400m related session PM: Weights 5x5 lifts @ 80% of max
Monday – AM: 10-minute jog and stretching. Hurdle walkover/drills. Long jump drills. Shot put – 30 throws. 1500m related running session PM: Conditioning circuit – upper and lower body includes 15 exercises – 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off. Plyometrics – Double leg hurdle jumps, hopping and bounding. 100-130 foot contacts
Tuesday – AM: 10-minute jog and stretching. Sprint mechanics/drills. Javelin session PM: Discus 30 throws. Pole vault session
Wednesday – AM: 10-minute jog & stretching. Hurdle-specific drills. Running drills. Short hurdles from blocks (3-4 hurdles). 4x30m sprints – blocks. Long jump session – runways/short approach jumping PM: Shot put – 30 throws (standing and glide). Watt Bike session. Weights – 5x5 @ 80% maximum
Thursday – AM: Rest
Friday – AM: 10-minute jog and stretching. Hurdle walk over/drills. Long hurdle session from blocks (10- 12 hurdles. 1-2 feet in). 3x80m sprints from blocks. High jump session (drills/ runways). Shot Put – Drill session PM: Discus session – 30 throws. Plyometrics - short session. 80-100 foot contacts. Weights 5x5 @ 80% maximum
» The above sessions are specific to the individual athlete and may not be suitable for other athletes