Heather Fell, Olympic modern pentathlete silver medalist, writes about her life 'on and off' the track.

I got there in the end! The cupboard doors have had their sixth and final coat and are at last in place. I've now almost completed the finishing touches to my flat, only one year later! Being a builder's daughter it does seem wrong having to pay for the simple odd jobs but unfortunately I seem to be the only one in the family without the practical gene. This does have a plus side though as things actually get done on time.

After reorganising my wardrobe there were a few things in need of discarding. I took one or two items in good condition to the second hand shop in the hope of a few pennies in return. However I made the mistake of having a quick browse on my way out and returned home with far more - which may have slightly defeated the object.

My weekends of competing have begun. This one was a little further afield and more glamorous than anything else coming up this winter. The only problem being my body wasn't quite ready to deliver a strong performance in a full pentathlon after a good break followed by three weeks of hard training. Luckily the coaches were not expecting anything special either so myself and the other girls made the most of our 36 hours in sunny Sicily.

When competing all day this leaves very little time and daylight but we made the most of the gorgeous setting and great location of our hotel on the beach; we took a dip in the surprisingly warm sea at midnight then our journey back to the airport doubled as our island tour.

Times readers can keep up with what Heather is up to on twitter:heatherfellnews