Hello everybody. It’s the start of a new beach volleyball season and my playing partner Lucy Boulton and I are still hoping to make it to the Olympics. Unfortunately it’s a bit delayed because of a knee injury I picked up sprinting.

If it was up to me, I would’ve played through the season as it was. Luckily I had some more informed opinions from doctors and surgeons, who all assured me I wouldn't make it halfway through the Tour. So I had the surgery immediately which meant missing the tournament in March in Australia for the start of the Tour.

The surgery was so fast - less than an hour. They did an arthroscopy which meant only cutting into two points in the front of the knee. When I woke up after the surgery, the only thing that hurt was the I.V. in my hand. I actually walked out of the hospital! Isn't modern medicine amazing!

After passing a series of exams on my knee one week after surgery, the doctor let me fly out to Australia for rehabilitation to join up with the British beach volleyball squad in a warmer climate. Adelaide is a beautiful place. I also caught up with my parents who flew over from the States and, since my boyfriend is on the team, I also got to spend time with him when he wasn't training or competing.

It was the first showing of the year for the GB beach teams, and sadly it wasn't too successful. Although there were some close games, all teams lost in the first round of the tournament. Since it's single elimination, that was end of the road.

It’s a cut-throat qualification process, but everyone's trying like mad to qualify for Beijing. To make the Olympics, Lucy and I need to get eight top finishes out of the next 10 tournaments. A top finish is estimated to be in the top 10 of the FIVB World Tour events. Our best finish is a 17th, so this is a difficult feat at this point in our career.

We're currently ranked about 36th based on last year's finishes. We need to be in the top 24 to qualify. This is all based on points on the FIVB Tour, co-ordinating with how high we place and how big the tournament is. Starting with Shanghai in China, we travel to 18 different tournaments and 15 different countries over a whirlwind seven months.

To prepare, Lucy and I have been training non-stop with coach Matt Grinlaubs this off-season. We were in the gym four times a week, doing cardio three times a week and, at our peak, on the sand eight times a week. We've worked with massage therapists, physios, strength and conditioning coaches, yoga teachers and a sports psychologist. We've even been training against the men.

It’s been a hectic schedule and so it’s such a massive frustration to get this injury setback.

On a positive note, Lucy and I have done some promotions in the off-season as well. Most recently, we went to the Horse Guards parade in London to promote the Blackpool CEV event in September.

This is the first time the UK is holding an official European beach tournament and they wanted to promote it with a bang. We actually set up a net and played in front of the changing of the guards! We were with two of the men's GB team members, Greg Weaver and Steve Grotowski. The promoters for the event achieved royal permission to make this happen, and from what I was told, there was a look of shock on the faces of the cavalry.

Watch our guide to beach volleyball basics

Four weeks have passed since the surgery and I'm just starting to participate in full training sessions on the sand. I've never experienced an injury like this and let me tell you, it was painful to watch everyone else competing in Australia. But we'll get our chance in Shanghai at the end of April. I can't wait!

And if you’ve got any questions about my career, or beach volleyball, then please add your comments below.