One Step At A Time

I've recently started a local triathlon club where I live - exciting, I know, I love it! - and whilst I knew it wasn't going to be the easiest thing to do, there have been some things that have been more challenging than I had thought. And not just for me, but for those joining too.

It's very easy to forget what it is like at the beginning, when you don't know anything or anyone, you can maybe run a bit but you haven't swam since primary school and the last bike you were on was your kids when you were teaching them to ride. It's daunting. And we forget that.

Ok that's maybe a teeny tiny bit of a lie because I sure as hell remember how scared I was at my very first triathlon. I don't need the photo's of me looking whiter than Casper The Friendly Ghost to jolt that memory thank you very much.

There are a few who have joined the club who have never done a triathlon before. They've never heard of Taylor Knibb or Alex Yee - they ask Alex who? And Kona is 'just' a place in Hawaii...

That last one hit hard..

But in all seriousness each one of us would benefit from taking things one step at a time. It's great to have grand ambitions of achieving wild goals - and I actively encourage this - but they need broken down in to current, and realistic chunks for this moment in time. If you haven't been in a pool since your school years then don't expect to get in and swim 1000 metres in 20minutes. Expect to swallow half the water, genuinely believe you're drowning for half an hour and come out exhausted after a grand total of 200 metres. Yes you will fall off that bike at some point, probably in slow motion and unable to stop it even though you can clearly see it happening in front of you. And as for running? You'll feel like you're a 90 year old, 30 a day smoker looking like a total lycra w*** before you hit that golden star of a 5km.

It IS all achievable though. (No I don't just mean the drowning, falling and lack of ability to put air in your lungs, that's just the bonus points). Take each session or workout at a time and focus on the here and now. That age old saying of 'this will be your warm up one day' is SO true I'm not even embarrassed to say it to people.

So take those first steps and see what happens. If you fall so what. Get back up, go again, and relish in the fact you now have a funny story to tell. There will be a lot more to come, trust me.

And if you want a helping hand give me a shout. (Better still if you have a funny story let me know. Misery loves company as they say ha ha).