Inspirational People

I love an inspiring story, especially when you're cold, tired and feel like training is going nowhere. Triathletes inspire me the most, along with ultra runners. These people push themselves to the max, for hours at a time, and make you believe the unbelievable. Them pushing their limits make you feel like you can push yours.

One especially inspiring person for me is Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee. He won the Olympic gold in triathlon after having had a torn Achilles tendon earlier in the year. Instead of giving up and sitting around waiting for the injury to heal he decided to take matters into his own hands. He started using the public pool for his rehab water running but as it was very crowded he built his own pool in his front garden, to stay in shape while injured. Before the Olympics he only got 6 weeks 'proper' training but still fought his way to an Olympic gold.

If Alistair Brownlee can manage an Olympic gold with a less than ideal preparations then surely the rest of us can manage to reach out more moderate goals?! Don't give up or give in but fight your way back - even if it means you have to take a detour!

'Aren't You a Little Obsessed?'

Sometimes regular exercise/training seems to really annoy people.  Words like 'obsessed' are being tossed around, because surely no one trains so much without being obsessed. It seems like training/exercising isn't really allowed to be a hobby. You're allowed to hit the gym to lose weight or shape up, but you shouldn't like it, and you shouldn't do it too often. If  you do, then surely you're obsessed. With this reasoning then everything that you like to do on a regular basis is an obsession?! Or can the word only be used when describing regular exercising?

I like exercising. Running is my hobby, cycling makes me happy, swimming is my challenge and lifting weights is an accomplishment. All these things keep me fit and healthy, they make me better equipped to deal with my everyday life, reduces stress levels and boost my immunesystem. Is that being obsessed, or being dedicated to living the best life you can? You tell me.

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

It's really scary yet equally exciting to step out of your comfort zone, ot at least it is for me. It kind of makes me feel like that first day in school as a kid....worrying about not being cool or good enough. This year I've decided to try two things I've been wanting to try for ages - crossfit & triathlon - and instead of worrying about making a fool of myself I am gonna embrace the challenge and appreciate the butterflies flying around in my tummy. I'm alright with failing, but I want to know that I at least tried - and to fail or succeed I need to be a beginner again, a beginner that as stepped outside of her comfort zone and into the big unknown.

This morning I was firmly stuck in the comfort zone though, running 1 kilometre intervals in the shoes on the picture below. I did five 1k intervals, and finished off with two 400m sprints, and while the legs didn't feel great they didn't feel rubbish either. It wasn't one of those sessions that make me throw my hands up in the air upon finishing, like a boxer having delivered a knock out blow. It was a mediocre session but what it positive that what's now mediocre used to be almost unattainable when I started training for my first marathon. Sometimes it really is the little things, eh.