Sooo.. another year has passed. Did you achieve what you wanted? Was 2012 a year to smile about or one you'd rather forget? For most people, including me, I'm sure it was a mix, highs and lows, things to remember, things we'd rather forget!
This time of year brings with it a certain magical feeling, a sense that anything is possible. We begin planning all the great things we're going to do, all the amazing changes we are going to see, and the coming year is going to be THE year. And diaries! Does anyone else get REALLY stupidly excited about having a new diary? I do.. all those pages, empty and ready to be filled.. and you use your neatest handwriting, and the same colour pen everyday.. that is, until you get to late February/March when it all goes to pot and you scribble your shopping list and everything in it.
I try really hard not to make new years resolutions. Simply because I go over the top and plan a whole life change basically starting one day to another. Then I inevitably fail and end up feeling awful and dejected. Sooooo, lets do some SMART goals!!
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time Based
Just kidding. That popped in my head because Ive been on 3 courses recently that all had a section on goal setting. I'm fed up of it now! And... British Triathlon actually make it even more fun, because they make it not just SMART, but SMARTER!
Exciting
Recordable
Woo hoo! But, I digress. Yes, resolutions. Number 1 for most people has to be the diet. Slimming clubs, gyms, and fitness classes make a fortune at this time of year. But now is the worst time ever to do it! The resolution 'I will eat more healthily in the new year' actually translates as 'I will eat a lot more crap leading up to new year'. It's one I'd always set. Every December I would decide that January 1st is the day I'm going to stop all sugar, all junk, I will read all labels and not have processed anything, and I will therefore magically transform into an enlightened dietary guru. No wonder I would fail and end up in Dominos by January 8th.
So this year I'm not setting anything. I have plans, things I want to achieve and work towards, but now I realise it is a work in progress, everyday, and I don't expect a personality change from tonight to tomorrow morning.
I feel rather fortunate that I actually enjoy exercise and sport, and don't have to go through the whole 'I will do more exercise' resolution. I do feel sorry for people who have to drag themselves to the gym or a fitness class, just for the sake of it, because they feel they should. They hate every minute of it! And we regular goers have to put up with a January influx of people getting in our way because they said they were going for a 3 hour walk on the treadmill or are chatting to their mates right at the front of the water machine. Until a few weeks later when they gave in to temptation and have a bakewell tart and think now the whole health kick is ruined so they may as well go back to watching tv and buying full fat coke. And inside a little voice is screaming, 'yay, I never liked that diet shit anyway!'
The leisure industries are then rubbing their hands in glee, because that £60 a month gym contract for the next year will only be used when the person pops in for a shower because their heating is broken.
I always tell my friends (who are not sporty at ALL) to find something they enjoy. There no point playing tennis if you get angry and upset because you can't hit the ball. You won't go back. There's no point swimming if you don't like to smell of chlorine and have dry hair. Find something you enjoy, click with, and then do that!
I once read a quote that said 'Go and find what makes you come alive, and then go and do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive'.
So as we leave 2012 and a year of sporting excellence and inspiration, go grab that feeling that bubbles up when you run, ride, swim, play tennis, dance, use the treadmill, or drink full fat coke. Whatever floats your boat.
A happy, healthy, and prosperous new year to you all.
Monday, 31 December 2012
Sunday, 2 December 2012
If Carlsberg Made Triathlon Clubs......
So last night, nicely rounding off another year were the Absolute Tri Club awards.
Absolute is a Nottingham based club, and open to all.
I came to triathlon from martial arts, because I wanted a change. I had become disillusioned with my routine, I was fed up of repetition, and was looking for a challenge. I was actually in WHSmith one day, looking for a magazine, and saw triathlon plus. I'd never heard of it, had no idea what it was. I picked up the magazine and leafed through it, which was followed by, 'Jesus, these people are insane! Who the hell would want to do that?!' I put it back and bought something ridiculous like 'card crafting' and went on with my day. Yet my mind kept wandering back..... WOULD it be possible? COULD I contemplate trying this triathlon malarkey when I hadn't swum, cycled or run since school?
On my way home I bought the magazine. The rest, to quote a famous line, is history.
After reading through I looked up a club in Nottingham. It actually took around 6 months of procrastinating, looking at the website, and writing 'go to new tri club' in my diary before I actually got there. I eventually went to a ladies only swim that was being aimed at beginners. Walking out onto that poolside I was crapping myself! I mean, I'm very shy anyway, so being shy, not really swimming unless water slides on holidays count and feeling completely out of my depth being at an actual club, it was all quite an overwhelming experience! I got in and could barely do 2 lengths. And my technique was basically around not drowning. I got out absolutely knackered that day and wondered what I was playing at. But, I'm lucky enough to have been blessed with a don't quit mentality. I become very stubborn, and very determined that I won't be beaten. In this case it was about swimming properly. So even though I felt silly for being there, thought everyone was looking at me, all the usual fears, I kept going back. Each week the coaches pushed me a bit more, and a bit harder. Sometimes I really just wanted to just give up and go back to my comfort zone and what I knew.
It all started to pay off though... I remember clearly when I got moved up a lane. I was so excited that I went and told everyone I could the next day!
I did my first sprint with hardly any proper training. I think it was just around my base fitness that I already had. I'd done hardly any cycling, or running. I had no idea what I was doing, I even glugged an energy gel as I was starting the 5k run, what with it being SUCH a long way... clueless. But crossing that finish line, I was grinning and raised my arms and jumped and whooped like I was winning the thing. I was on a high the whole day... I had done it!
From there I became more and more involved, I'm now a coach at the club, I organised the fabulous one of a kind club naked calendar, and have entered my first iron-distance.
I think there are many real and sometimes valid fears that tri is all for the super fit, and is elitist. Some people are. Some clubs are. But there are also many who aren't.
Absolute is one of those clubs. All are welcome, irrelevant of ability or experience. And that is why I love my club so much. I've met people who are just there to make friends and keep fit, I've met people who are aiming to finish their first Ironman, people who are going to the world championships, so many different people who have such different goals. And each person inspires me in different ways. I admire them all, from the dedication and grit needed to get to the top, to the nervous person, as I was, who takes the first step into something new and scary.
When I'm coaching and people get in the water and I say right this this and this, and I see the faces of horror and hear the protests, I smile to myself. Because I know they will do it. The same as my coaches knew I would. One of the most rewarding things for me is seeing that. The focus, the commitment, and the surprise that they've actually done it. And obviously that leads to 'what now?' (ooh, and before you know it you've entered the Outlaw Relay team!! You know who you are) ;p
Last night at the awards, the Female Triathlete Of The Year was a woman who has been in tri around 2 years, and in that time has competed and come in the top female rankings at the outlaw, and in the same year qualified for the world championships and raced for GB. The Male Triathlete Of The Year was a 60 year old man who through sheer determination and hard work, also completed the Outlaw this year.
The differences between the two are huge, but also the same. Commitment, dedication, outstanding achievements.
People are rewarded for their own goals, and sometimes it just isn't about winning or being faster than the person next to you, it's about what it has taken for you to be there, where you came from and where you're going, what you've achieved and what you personally have to be proud of, whether that's pulling on the GB kit, or running your first 5K.
I'm proud to be part of a club who recognise and encourage that. The future's bright....
Here's to 2013!!
Absolute is a Nottingham based club, and open to all.
I came to triathlon from martial arts, because I wanted a change. I had become disillusioned with my routine, I was fed up of repetition, and was looking for a challenge. I was actually in WHSmith one day, looking for a magazine, and saw triathlon plus. I'd never heard of it, had no idea what it was. I picked up the magazine and leafed through it, which was followed by, 'Jesus, these people are insane! Who the hell would want to do that?!' I put it back and bought something ridiculous like 'card crafting' and went on with my day. Yet my mind kept wandering back..... WOULD it be possible? COULD I contemplate trying this triathlon malarkey when I hadn't swum, cycled or run since school?
On my way home I bought the magazine. The rest, to quote a famous line, is history.
After reading through I looked up a club in Nottingham. It actually took around 6 months of procrastinating, looking at the website, and writing 'go to new tri club' in my diary before I actually got there. I eventually went to a ladies only swim that was being aimed at beginners. Walking out onto that poolside I was crapping myself! I mean, I'm very shy anyway, so being shy, not really swimming unless water slides on holidays count and feeling completely out of my depth being at an actual club, it was all quite an overwhelming experience! I got in and could barely do 2 lengths. And my technique was basically around not drowning. I got out absolutely knackered that day and wondered what I was playing at. But, I'm lucky enough to have been blessed with a don't quit mentality. I become very stubborn, and very determined that I won't be beaten. In this case it was about swimming properly. So even though I felt silly for being there, thought everyone was looking at me, all the usual fears, I kept going back. Each week the coaches pushed me a bit more, and a bit harder. Sometimes I really just wanted to just give up and go back to my comfort zone and what I knew.
It all started to pay off though... I remember clearly when I got moved up a lane. I was so excited that I went and told everyone I could the next day!
I did my first sprint with hardly any proper training. I think it was just around my base fitness that I already had. I'd done hardly any cycling, or running. I had no idea what I was doing, I even glugged an energy gel as I was starting the 5k run, what with it being SUCH a long way... clueless. But crossing that finish line, I was grinning and raised my arms and jumped and whooped like I was winning the thing. I was on a high the whole day... I had done it!
From there I became more and more involved, I'm now a coach at the club, I organised the fabulous one of a kind club naked calendar, and have entered my first iron-distance.
I think there are many real and sometimes valid fears that tri is all for the super fit, and is elitist. Some people are. Some clubs are. But there are also many who aren't.
Absolute is one of those clubs. All are welcome, irrelevant of ability or experience. And that is why I love my club so much. I've met people who are just there to make friends and keep fit, I've met people who are aiming to finish their first Ironman, people who are going to the world championships, so many different people who have such different goals. And each person inspires me in different ways. I admire them all, from the dedication and grit needed to get to the top, to the nervous person, as I was, who takes the first step into something new and scary.
When I'm coaching and people get in the water and I say right this this and this, and I see the faces of horror and hear the protests, I smile to myself. Because I know they will do it. The same as my coaches knew I would. One of the most rewarding things for me is seeing that. The focus, the commitment, and the surprise that they've actually done it. And obviously that leads to 'what now?' (ooh, and before you know it you've entered the Outlaw Relay team!! You know who you are) ;p
Last night at the awards, the Female Triathlete Of The Year was a woman who has been in tri around 2 years, and in that time has competed and come in the top female rankings at the outlaw, and in the same year qualified for the world championships and raced for GB. The Male Triathlete Of The Year was a 60 year old man who through sheer determination and hard work, also completed the Outlaw this year.
The differences between the two are huge, but also the same. Commitment, dedication, outstanding achievements.
People are rewarded for their own goals, and sometimes it just isn't about winning or being faster than the person next to you, it's about what it has taken for you to be there, where you came from and where you're going, what you've achieved and what you personally have to be proud of, whether that's pulling on the GB kit, or running your first 5K.
I'm proud to be part of a club who recognise and encourage that. The future's bright....
Here's to 2013!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)