Chats with the Chief – Blog 1
PART 1 : “ Power to the People “
4 weeks ago to the day and very much true to previous history, I made the somewhat confusing and irrational decision to sign up for the Busselton 70.3 half Ironman held on May 4th 2019. Over the coming weeks, I will be documenting a few of the interesting, potentially life changing and sometimes confronting moments I experience along this journey.
The “why” of my decision had many motives , however, the major player as it often is for me was to see what I am made of by removing myself from the ever enticing comfort zone that life can constantly attempt to provide. I have plenty of reasons not to sign up, which is why I did.
What’s my plan heading in? What’s my thought process? Well, it’s all pretty simple to be honest…
1: I have 12 weeks until race day, plenty of time to get up to speed in this gruelling long distance game.
2: I have a lifetime of training under my belt to fall back on. I own a gym, I’m pretty handy on the assault bike, I made the interschool carnival in year 6 for the 50m backstroke and did plenty of running 2 years ago in my final year of amateur C grade footy. Surely this has me starting ahead of the pack?
3: I’d like to say I have a fair bit of Grit about me. I’m more than happy to get uncomfortable when required and more than happy to commit to what it takes to realise a goal
Surely all of this equates to the perfect recipe to succeed in my ambitions to not just complete the Busso 70.3 Ironman, but to complete it in under 5 hours and 30 minutes….? Only time will tell.
Initially, I plodded along at my own pace, did my own programing and was getting by, but, the triathlon game was so new to me that naturally, curiosity got the better of me and I started fishing around online for assistance. I tried some free programs but it just didn’t seem right as whoever wrote them didn’t really know me, where I was at or where I wanted to go…
I then found myself a credible online coach and the satisfaction that I was on the right track set in. The endorphins were flowing freely until the time came to complete my first 2 hour bike ride…..on the road!
PROBLEM # 1:
I managed to incur a “strained prostate” from my first indoor wind trainer session 3 days prior to this ride leaving me a little tender and tentative to get back on the bike. A quick visit to the docs and some anti inflams / antibiotics seemed to do the trick though, I was back in the game.
PROBLEM # 2:
I had not ridden a bike on the road since the end of year school holidays in year 7.
At this point in time legitimate fear set in and I questioned my ability to get the job done. I was at a loss as to what I was going to do moving forward as I was shit scared to hit the road by myself, I mean, what if I popped a tyre? So, I tried my luck seeking assistance from my beloved Crossfit Chamber members on our private Facebook group page. Thankfully and a little surprisingly I was met with an overwhelmingly positive and supportive response. In a few short hours I managed to secure a group of 10 members to take me on my first road ride.
As the sunrise hit on another balmy Belmont Sunday morning, The Chamber Peloton congregated in Lycra and we all saddled up and clipped in for the inaugural ride. It was easy to see who was the rookie in the field as we departed the gym making way to the river. Despite taking 10 minutes to figure out how to clip in my shoes, my nerves had subsided when I realised I was surrounded by some of the best people on the planet. I felt safe and the possibility of enjoying this experience was lifted.
This position I was in lead me to my next chain of thought. Anytime we as humans feel out of our depth, uncertain or hesitant we are paralyzed by fear and it holds us back from doing. What changes this? For me, it was the people I had around me. They made it fun, they made me feel safe and they took great pride in working as a team to support me with my new goal. At this very moment, I realised I was experiencing first hand what it would feel like for many starting as a new member in my gym. The fear of the unknown can make things feel uneasy within but can be washed away as quick as they came in the right environment with the right people. I am so proud that within our community, we are blessed with the best type of people, people who want to help, want to support and want to see the best in each and every other member. A support network like this is a game changer.
My little take away from my first road ride was this : If you are serious about making change, reaching your goals and and actually enjoying the process of change, you need people around you, good people, people that buy into what you are wanting to achieve and will back you in every day of the week, especially when it gets a little tough. Having this network around you can makes anything possible, hence my title for this blog “ Power to the People”!
(Above) True to form, falling off of my bike!
In part 2 of this journey, “Coach knows” I will be touching on my experiences with online coaching v Face to Face contact coaching. Such a hot topic and readily available resource in this day and age and something that again provides for a very interesting conversation.
4 weeks down 8 to weeks out from Race Day!
