An Adult Onset Athlete: Pre Adult Onset Athleticism...

Fact: Ive never been athletic.

In fact Ive always prided myself in the phrase...."what I lack in skill I make up for in enthusiasm" Oh and believe me, theres always been plenty of enthusiasm! From tennis to netball to basketball, even to touch rugby, Ive been out there, floundering after a ball. Hell I even got a few tennis trophies as a kid...still no idea how that happened. Any ball I hit these days goes over the back fence!

Fact: Lack of athleticism has never stopped me.

I dont think I ever quite understood that I couldnt do what I wanted. It still makes me laugh that in my "training" for the 4 day Inca Trail hike in south america when I was 21, I struggled to get to the top of the You Yangs...a half hour stroll!!! Lets just say that the Inca Trail was my idea of fitness hell on earth, and carrying an extra 25kgs from what I am today (and i dont mean in my bag!!), it meant that even the photos are uuuuugggglllyyy! But I did it!

Fact: I enjoy challenges.

Having learnt a thing or 2 from the Inca Trail, when in London, over a few wines, a mate and I decided to do Everest Base camp, I spent every 2nd weekend for 6 months hiking up every hill that I could get a hold of in the British Isles. Seems concientious...but woefully unprepared for a 13 day hike to 2/3 of the way to the top of the world. Excercise and I were not buddies. Least I had something to overtake the Inca Trail as the hardest thing Ive ever done. Alone too.....the wine buddy pulled out the night before we left! Hell on earth...but yes, I did it!

Fact: Everything happens for a reason.

Still a sucker for punishment, I signed up for Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa. Somewhere some god was looking down on me, cause at the same time I was introduced to a guy at work who ran small group training sessions 4 lunchtimes a week in the park across the road, for free. Distracted by his good looks, I was quickly brought back to earth by his sadomachocism. I started not being able to run 100m.....by the end I was comfortably running the 5k around the lake. Fartleks, hill sprints, burpees and planks became my life.....I was hooked. By the time it was time to leave for Africa I felt pretty prepared. But the body on the other hand disagreed....day before I left I found myself in hospital for 4 days dosed up on morphine, with the fattest head you have ever seen. Id gotten the mumps from the vaccination....Africa was cancelled. I needed a new challenge, I needed to use my new found fitness.

Disturbing I know - but this fat head kick started it all!!

Fact: Its time for the dirty word...Triathlon!

Feeling the fittest id ever been in my life, Triathlon Pink became my goal. 300m pool swim. 10km path ride. 4km run. I joined Tri-Alliance as part of Try-The-Tri program. Finishing that race was I think up there with one of the most satisfying moments of my life. I felt like I ruled the world! Triathlon was gonna be my thing!! Summer of 2008/2009 saw me do the Brooks mini tri series....I think I came bottom 3 in every race, but I was loving the buzz!

2009 became my year for riding....if i was gonna invest in a road bike, id be using it! Convincing a couple of mates to get bikes, Great Ocean Road 145km ride was the first....I think it took me 9 hours...horrendus! So ill prepared so early in my riding career! Then there was the the Kinglake and Whittlesea Challenges...horrid weather conditions, I came close to hanging up the cleats. But the Around the Bay in a Day 2009 was the ultimate! 210kms of perfect riding conditions, with a great mate. Who would have thought I could have ever achieved that! 11 hours, but I did it! Comfortably too!

2009/10 and 2010/11 Summers... they found me dabbling in tri's again....some short ones, and some sprint distance. Was only training off and on. I got a bit dis-enchanted with the tri club, I tried doing it alone. Half hearted effort. Still appearing in the tail end of the field. I worked out what was holding me back. I HATED running! Recognising that, I vowed in Dec 2010 that I was retiring from triathlon....

2011. Im not too sure what happened.....well actually I do.

My new trainer showed me how to make friends with running again, showed me how to love core and upper body strengthening, and kick started what to date has been a 14kg weight loss. First time Ive been a size 12 since I was a teenager!
Ive done 5 tris this year, including 2 off road tris. I retired well...
Ive done a couple of 10km fun runs, which just keep getting faster and faster. They are in fact fun!
Ive rejoined the tri club, and found soooo many people just like me, with the same goals, just to improve themselves.
I turned 32.
Ive surrounded myself with motivated, and motivating people...people who "get it".
Ive had a look at some of my own attitudes, and made some improvements in my own head
And last but not least, Ive discovered a new love, my mountain bike. Who knew that training could be soooo much fun!
Oh yeah, and I got a podium finish at my first Off Road triathlon back in March!! Hello!