So who is Hayley?

Ok, so so far i have written about my journey from tomboy to triathlete, but what about me? There has to be a person behind the sport right, so let me give you some insights into the real me as a lot of people make assumptions about me but they're way off the mark and i got taught to never assume, just ask and find out!

I am the youngest of two children, my older brother has lived in the US of A for the past 11 years and is very happy out there. This has meant family christmas' spent out there where my mother recreates the home environment by still cooking her homemade turkey dinner :) we have also gotten into habit of having bison steak as a treat, this past year on my father's birthday which is xmas eve. might fine steak too :) gotta get that protein ;) where my brother lives has its own cardio room, weights room, and 20m pool, and with a massive park one block down the road i have a ready made training camp! the only thing i don't have is a bike, or a rower, and i find the air is very thin so my breathing gets affected - i get quite chesty when running out there in the winter, but hey ho, other than that its a great way to try and fight off the american supersized xmas excess!

my parents instilled a strong work ethic in me growing up so i worked hard in school and after my experiences of tennis and the mental side of it i opted for a career in psychology. i had originally wanted to be a sport psychologist so off i went to loughborough, that centre of excellence for all things sport! however, when researching the route after graduating i got put off sport psychologist as it was all academically oriented until you had served enough of an apprenticeship to get a reputation, rather than working with people and helping them. therefore, i opted for the clinical psychology route as i had been fascinated by Cracker as a teenager, and loved learning about the "abnormal psychology' disorders such as schizophrenia. we got warned at uni that the path to clinical psychology took longer than becoming a  "Dr" and it did. i started my degree aged 18 and qualified as a clinical psychologist aged 28. that involved a 3 yr BSc, a few years working in various fields as an Assistant Psychologist (working under a qualified psychologist doing a range of duties that all counts towards experience) before i got onto the doctorate course. This 3 year doctorate was in hertfordshire so i left home, again, and went off to live by myself for the first time ( i was in halls of residence in uni). my course was 3 days working, 2 days lectures, and the rest of the time studying, writing assignments, and doing research! so lucky i was single and had no friends in an unfamiliar place then as i had no time to do much other than train, sleep, eat, shop, and study! 3 years later and the pull of home was getting strong, even though it was just family i had back in neath, so i took a chance and moved back in with my parents, and quickly got a job in swansea, which i am still in now. my day job invovles working with adults who live in swansea and have mental health problems, so this might be personality disorders, psychosis, depression, anxiety, or a combination of all of the above! It's challenging and i'm constantly having to learn and your training can never cover all bases.

just for fun i decided to pursue sport psychology as an aside last year, so i am 2/3rds through my first year of a part-time MSc in sport psychology. This is a challenge to balance the demands on this against my training and i have loathed the course at times for affecting my training, especially when a lot of the material is revision of what i do in my day job. The problem is nobody ever qualifies to my level as a clinical psychologist before doing the sport psychology course, so i am an unknown quantity in that respect! have to be individual me, i am an aquarian after all!

So away from work...well i have mentioned my sporting background but i also tried my hand at rock climbing for a year before i took up tri. i got into it with a mate and i quickly took to it, joining the local club and doing twice weekly bouldering sessions trying to build up my strength quickly. however, my eagerness meant i taxed my tendons too much too soon and i ended up with tennis and golfer's elbow, so this hampered my climbing and then i took up tri and now as much as i intend on climbing trying to fit it in is another thing. so far this year i am yet to climb so i really must get a few sessions in soon, my swimming has probably helped my strength too, although to be fair my strength was my downfall in that i was able to power up routes rather than using technique and guile like i should have done, doh! still, good for the guns!

as a person...witty, love a good giggle, i have a warm heart but i also wear my heart on my sleeve, so unfortunately my face can sometimes give away my emotions without intending too, ooopps! I thrive on a challenge, but i'm not HUGELY competitive, more about being the best i can be, but that's not to say i won't sprint to pip that person on the line, just to get one place higher, lol. I am driven, passionate about what i do, which means i throw myself into it and do things properly if i am going to do them. But, i also love unwinding, i love food, i love chilling and catching up with my parents and mates over a good meal, or some drinks, or just strolling along the beach having a natter. I have a quirky personality so whilst being shy at heart i have learnt to overcome that and wear my personality through cars that made a statement, and having bleached blonde hair that has certainly got me more second glances off men than i ever did as a strawberry blonde! Saying that, still waiting for my knight in shining armour!! i learnt when i did summer camp when i was 20 that i have to have music in my life! i have an internal rhythm going that drives me on, gives me my energy, and i love dancing like no-one can see me, or even having a jig in the car when sitting at traffic lights, lol! I have learnt a lot about myself in recent years and i have changed a lot, become a lot more confident in myself, and know what i want, and what i won't put up with. Another thing you've probably learnt is that i can certainly talk, so for now i will leave any unanswered questions left hanging...