Hannah Miley: No Christmas parties for me – probably be snowed in anyway

AFTER months of hard training, I’m now into an exciting pre-Christmas run of competitions. Last weekend I was at the Dutch Open in Eindhoven and won the 200m and 40m individual medleys in championship record times.

Now I’m in Poland at the European Short-Course Championships and it was great to start with a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley on Thursday. My time of 2:08.34 was my fastest in two years and my quickest in a textile suit. I’m not usually a speed demon – but I’ve been working on it and it was a great start to the week.

Training has been going really well – some tough weeks, but I know it is all going to be worth it in the long run. My Dad (coach Patrick) is a helicopter pilot and he has been away on a course so he hasn’t been around too much. But we make it work.

Eindhoven was a great meet. It doubled as the Dutch Olympic trials and it was a great chance to be up against international competition and get the “feel” of racing back. It worked, as I was really chuffed with my performances and the times were a lot quicker than I had expected. It was a good reminder of the job that I have to do at our Olympic trials in March. The Dutch event was a little bit different – just three days compared to the eight that we will have in London. The GB trials are at the new Olympic Pool and that will add to the drama.

Christmas is coming and I allow myself a tiny break – or, rather, I am forced to take Christmas Day and Boxing Day off because the Garioch pool is closed. But it will be great to be with my family and enjoy the festivities. I’m an easy person for presents – I love sparkly things and clothes.

I can’t really afford to take time off. It’s just over two months until the trials and I need to maintain fitness. There will be no Christmas parties this year. Anyway, we’ll probably be snowed in!

I always make a New Year resolution but I struggle to keep it sometimes. I always make sure that I look back on the year and pick out the highs and the lows, what has made that year different to the last and things I have learnt from and improved on too. 2012 promises so much.

In January we have a training camp and I’ll maybe slot in a competition in February. Then it is the Olympic trials starting on Saturday, 3 March. As long as I keep healthy and injury-free I’m happy. Everything is on course.

The intensity as we get nearer to 2012 has definitely gone up a few notches. Whenever I do interviews people are always interested to know how the “pressure” is affecting both my family and myself. But that is what comes with being an elite athlete, pressure is part of the package and everyone deals with it differently. I have my strategies, using sport psychologist and being open with my Dad. It’s inevitable, though, with it being a home Olympics, that everyone will want to support and see you do well, and the last thing any athlete wants is to let down their supporters.

• Hannah Miley is the European and Commonwealth Games 400m individual medley Champion and she won the silver medal at the World Championships in Shanghai last month. She is one of Scotland’s leading prospects for the 2012 Olympic Games and is a member of Team Kellogg’s.