Catch up with Kelly!
RIBBLE Valley AC's rising middle distance starlet Leigh Lennon continues to receive advice from the best.
She recently spent a day at Birmingham University with her mentor Dame Kelly Holmes.
Leigh, 18, has been part of the Aviva funded 'On Camp with Kelly' initiative since 2008, and has benefited greatly from the mentoring, educational and financial support of the camp, which acts as a launching pad for successful junior athletes, preparing them for senior success.
The aim of the get-together for the athletes was to reflect and evaluate their 2009 seasons and have a relaxed catch-up with Kelly and the other young athletes on the initiative.
The day kicked off with some tough training sessions, but Kelly was on hand to shout encouragement from the sidelines, and even joined in on some of the reps!
Access to a top physio and massage therapists was available throughout the day, before Kelly put the girls through their paces with a core stability work-out, sending them home tired but thoroughly focused on their goals.
Leigh had a successful 2009 campaign, which saw her revise both her 400m and 800m personal bests, and compete at the European Athletics Junior Championships over 800m for Great Britain.
This year marks Leigh's final season as a junior athlete, and she hopes to go out with a bang by securing a place at the World Junior Championships in Canada.
She will have to lower her personal best for the 800m distance by a second to qualify, but after a good block of winter training and a stint in South Africa, she is confident that she can produce the goods.
She has already got off to a good start by improving her 400m best to 56.30 at an indoor race in Manchester on Sunday.
Leigh said: "Being at the get together was another enjoyable experience.
"The talks from Kelly are also very inspiring and make you aware of how much work needs to be put in to your own athletics career.
"Winter training has gone really well this year; I went to South Africa for a month to train at altitude.
"I feel I am stronger and more confident within myself.
"My aims for the summer season are to make the Aviva GB team for the World Juniors in Canada, to run sub-2:05 for the 800m and to just really enjoy my last year a junior athlete and compete and train to the best of my ability."
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Weather for Clitheroe
Friday 25 May 2012
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