Hi there,

My season ended last month, and I then had a wonderful holiday in Spain. It was lovely to get away, enjoy the sun and not even think about badminton.

But it was also a real jolt to the system when I got back. I've just completed my second week of summer training - and, to be frank, it's been absolute murder.

I've got 12 weeks of work before my season starts again in September. It's a long haul and, at the moment, I can't see the end of it. It's going to be very, very hard. But I know that it will pass quite quickly, and it will be worth it.

Most of the programme is off-court work. I'm only playing twice a week. The rest is running, circuits and it really hurts. But I have to remember the old adage - no pain, no gain.

Something that has been added to the programme this summer is boxing. The husband of someone who works at the Scotstoun Badminton Centre is a boxing coach and Dan Travers - our badminton coach - thought it would be a good discipline.

Quick feet is something that boxing and badminton have in common, so the routines have been really good.

We've also been doing some body punching. Not really hard - but it is still quite punishing. I can't imagine what it must be like to be hit hard in a full-scale boxing bout.

The variety is good - but I must admit that the next few weeks aren't the favourite part of my job. Still, if it helps me reach my goal of getting back to around the top 20 in the world, then I'll not be complaining.

At the moment, my goal is the 2010 Commonwealth Games. I had funding issues this year - I was dropped from the GB programme - but, whatever happens, I will definitely be staying as a full-time player for the next two years.

Susan
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