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

I made the most of the long Jubilee weekend and even though bank holidays mean very little to an athlete it was a novelty just being at home in Devon.

With the recent disappointing selection news my motivation level to train has been challenged slightly so I've been adding variation to my usual programme.

On Monday I had the opportunity to ride cross-country (for pentathlon there is only show jumping) which I haven't done for years and it showed in more ways than one. Not only did it take me a little while to forget all that has been drummed into me for show jumping over the last ten years but also my muscles were left complaining for the next three days. I've also thrown in a spot of tennis and mountain biking to spice up my training but this weather hasn't been encouraging many out door activities.

After a few days at home it was back on the road, or should I say into the air. With a couple of days off I fancied heading abroad. Due to it being half term all flights seemed to have doubled in price but my biggest problem was having no passport while I waited for a Russian visa. It all turned out for the best as I discovered I could fly to Northern Ireland with just a driving licence, so off to Belfast I went.

When travelling alone on a budget airline I never feel the need to stand in line so having watched the queue die down I confidently handed over my boarding pass only to be told that my flight had already left! After the shock followed by the damage to my credit card I saw the positive side and returned to my flat for a few hours kip before attempting my journey for the second time.