Lessons Learnt and Oceania Outcome I wish to express my graduate to the members and staff of Free Radical, TSV Tri, Peak Performance Swimming, friends and family for your support and assistance over the last year to get me to the Oceania Paratriathlon - plus - I wish to share an important lessons I learnt on the way that I think people should hear. I am a novice to triathlons and I still consider myself as a person with disabilities that has much to learn and to accept. On my return from the AIS in early November 2014, I had my sights on bettering my performance for Oceania; with an overall goal to prove my ability for Rio or World Championships. I seeked the guidance and support of a tri coach for the first time, where I committed myself to a strict and professional program that I thought fitted in to my life. My life is not simple: I am a single father of two beautiful children; I am currently trying to complete a degree at James Cook University as an Occupational Therapist; I seek that companionship of a partner to share my experiences with and to feel the warmth of our affection when we pull each other close; I have many friends that are willing to help me that I dont ask help from because I want them to see me as being strong - not weak/ disappointing; and finally, I am sometimes haunted by my incident during the day or night that coursed my injuries. Lesson learnt - I lost focus and the passion for living life to my fullest. Returning from AIS, the words that stuck with me were; if you are not training every day, someone else will be and you will fall behind. I wanted to prove myself to those that have supported; I wanted to catch the athletes that were out performing me; I wanted to make the community and my friends proud, as I remember the feeling of what I believe to be letting men and a team down; and I want to go to Rio or World Championships. These were all wants - not needs. I only realised this when it was to late: I lost someone that was more than a friend to me because my focus was on me; I had no photos of my childrens birthdays, us going out, and the photos I did have were not taken by me; and I could not really remember any good times with my children and friend because I was worried/ concerned about getting injured reducing my chances of competing. I had lost my focus and the passion for living life to my fullest: my priorities were wrong. My need is to capture those memories with my children without worrying about injury/ me. I would like for that someone where I can communicate and show my affection towards with equal focus on my training. I would like to help people by sharing things I have learnt and continue to learn myself. Fix; to live life the way I wish too - from my heart - passionately. Stop worrying about injuries and being so intense; remember life is about having fun and enjoying what you are engaging in and with who. It is about trying to maintain that lifestyle balance of - fun, love, and passion. I strongly believe this fix is important for anyone that is trying to catch a dream - while trying to maintain a health lifestyle and relationship. From this experience on a lesser note, I received a Personal Best by just under a minute at the Oceania Paratrithlon. The weather was not favourable for me as it rained during the event and overnight with the morning been overcast. I lost my confidence and aggression on the bike leg due to pour vision and the bikes rear sliding out from under me on one of the corners. Being honest, I am disappointed; but a lot of lessons have been learnt: pre-race, during, and post-race. I crossed the line in 5th position / 7, which does not qualify my for the international meet in March or Rio. I can only continue to try and enjoy the sport of triathlon to see what the future holds. In closing, I am truly grateful to so many people and yet I have learnt a important lesson that I wanted to share - to help others from making such a simple and easy mistake. However, It is now time to learn and to move forward with the lesson learnt. I hope this helps others and if people can sympathise, I hope helps you to reflect. Thank you ALL that have helped me with my achievement today
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 06:32:16 +0000
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