This will be me on June 16th 2013.
Ok maybe not quite as tanned or quite as quick but…..
I want to share this little insight into my journey so far. Not to show you that I am super human, completely the opposite, because I am not, believe me.
I am 28 days in and I have already become very aware that I have a lot to work on to achieve my best on the day!
I have a desire to be accountable not only for the things I do but also for the things I don’t.
Just in case you don’t know, the event I am doing is by no means an Olympic games event, but its bloody tough!
I was stood at the finish line at the same event this year, with 3 very good friends and our dusty old push bikes, as these “athletes” burst along the finishing straight to huge applause from a big crowd and I turned to my mate and told him I would do it next year. Immediately I thought to myself I am absolutely crazy! But I am the sort of person that once I say I am doing something, its happening!
So immediately I start plotting when I am going to start my mission and how I am going to get there. Who I need around me but most importantly I wanted to find out “why” I wanted this…because I knew that if my “why” wasn’t important to me or if it didn’t excite me then this would not happen and I would be wasting my time!
For me every little goal I set myself is a journey. I have done a lot of thinking, my fiancé often tells me I think far too much, about what makes me happy, what makes me smile and what I want from life. So for me completing the event is really just the destination, but it’s the journey that I am looking forward to, each aspect of it, the good times and the tough times. I know there will be days when I don’t feel like training, there will be days when I can’t, there already has. On day 10 I was due to run, not long, but I was completely drained. In fact I actually had to sleep on my studio floor, but recognising this and taking the day off, I felt absolutely brilliant the next day and was straight back into my programme. And…One day this week my dog was really ill and I could not concentrate, so I just spent some time with him.
So back to my point that for me each thing you set yourself, you have to know the process or journey you will encounter to get there and then enjoy it else the whole thing is pointless. That’s why I spend time with my clients helping them find out their “why”.
I am no different and have done exactly the same; because there is no way I am doing this without enjoying it! Sure its painful, time consuming and at times exhausting, but that’s part of this journey for me.
I needed a challenge that depended on my preparation and my ability to do what is needed to be the best I can on the day!
The next thing I needed to do was get a coach. Someone who could facilitate my goal.
I could set the game; he/she could set the rules to get me there.
Luckily I knew someone who could help, and he happened to be one of my best mates. I know how good he is at his job and how passionate he is about it, so it was one quick conversation. I said to him I am not messing about here, I want to be one of your clients. Job done!
Having a coach has increased my free will.
When you spend a lot of time guiding others and facilitating their success, it can be hard to spend that time on yourself. I see this week in week out with the people I coach as they raise families, run businesses and care for loved ones. I am no different and I am not afraid to admit it, some times you don’t get enough “you time”.
So this is where I knew I was going to get a coach, I need someone to guide me to success. I want to be told what to do, when to do it. I really like being accountable to Andy (my coach). I know that I can call him if I have a question and that each Sunday he will be sending over my programme for the week, all I have to do is take the best version of me and get it done! Having this totally frees up my mind to just get on with it and spend my energy on taking me towards my goal of completing the UK Ironman 70.3 on June 16th on Exmoor.
So right now I am 28 days into my 28-week journey.
Things haven’t been easy…how do I feel in the pool? To be honest like a bear with a stick!! Well for the first 3 weeks anyway, then all of a sudden it starts to feel a little easier. Thank god! I was absolutely exhausted after my first few sessions, it was so tough, my technique isn’t bad , but “jeez” it needs attention! At times I thought I can’t carry on, but I know that stopping wont help, I need to keep going. I actually start to picture myself in a Rocky like stance at the finish line in 2013. It kept me going in one session.
You will hear top sports men and women talk about their successes and they will often mention how they were never going to lose. This is not an absolute physical certainty but in their mind it is, the result was never in doubt. When things are getting tough for me on my cycle sessions as I get near to 2.5 hours or doing repeated hill sprints on the bike as I did today I just keep visualising that finish line. Going to the event last year helps me, as I know what it looks like, I know what the atmosphere is like but the only thing I don’t know is how that will feel.
Positive Thoughts as I am running on week 3 after a turbo session in my garage I begin to start thinking of what I want from this. As I already mentioned I wanted a challenge that the result depends on my preparation and adherence to the programme. I am running down a dark lane and just when I was starting to get a little tired and my legs felt like they didn’t belong to me I started to think that taking part and finishing this event is not actually what I want. I know I can do that with preparation but deep down I want to get as close to the top as I can. I am not going to spend 4-6 hours every weekend and train 6 days per week to merely turn up, I want to bring the best version of me and attack this.
One thing that has definitely helped so far is training with a friend who is also doing triathlon, having like-minded people around me is so helpful. Not just triathletes but people who want to be the best they can, in all walks of life. I know that these are the people that will benefit from my journey as I share it with them and I can feed off of their enthusiasm as well.
This wasn’t really written to convey a message as such, but I guess really what I would take from this is that none of us have a god given right to achieve success, we need to work for it! I think this country (the UK) needs more of this attitude!
So get out there in 2013, be the best version of you and inspire and help others along the way!
Thanks for reading,
Matt
