Phew!

Phew!

I am exhausted.  And if I am exhausted so should another 16 people be.  And this is supposed to be a long three day mid-summer holiday weekend when all Aucklanders are resting and relaxing and enjoying the anniversary of Auckland being what it is – the greatest little big city in the world.

But my body can barely move from the couch to the computer.  Mind you, as an aside, I noticed there was almost a little lilt to the step when it was heading for the fridge.  ..  maybe more on that later.

It has been an interesting 12 months since Anniversary Weekend this time last year.  Indeed, I recall having a quiet few days at home with Tony whilst my Ironman ‘athletes’ were in Taupo for the annual Tony & Verna Ironman Training Weekend.  Of course myself and Tony were unable to do the training weekend last year and it was with a great sense relief and gratitude, and fortune, that an associate from our triathlon club put up his hand to volunteer taking himself and his family down to  run the weekend for my team of first time Ironman athletes.  To this day I do not think I have thanked him appropriately for doing that for me, for Tony and for the athletes.  One day I will.

Since then twelve months have passed by and Anniversary Weekend loomed for this year’s small Ironman crew of athletes from the Cook-Jackson stables, first timers and repeat recidivists.  And repeat supporter even.

Clearly organising a weekend away to train and train with a bunch of eclectic individuals, 16 of them, will never be an easy task.  Certainly each person has a common denominator but each person is an individual and that in itself can cause many a sleepless night in ensuring the preparation, organisation and clockwork timing of each day will result in everyone of those athletes achieving the best possible learning experience to add to their journey toward the big Ironman event on March 1^st.

For the purpose of brevity, which I am never very good at – the planning process will not be scribed here – am sure the balancing acts of where, when, how we would all get there, be there and stay where is not interesting topic matter.  What does make these weekends most interesting is the personality strengths, gains, weaknesses, development, interactions and contributions that make for a memorable couple of days, or few hours, for each of the individuals that they will reflect on for the rest of their lives.

Among the 17 of us who headed for Taupo for the three days of Ironman training on the Ironman course, only ten are to compete in this year’s Ironman.  Six of those for the first time. Four for their second, fifth or more Ironman event; therefore very experienced Ironman athletes.

Of the other seven in attendance, one was a first time Ironmanner in 2013 and had a generous want to come along to help those as he had been helped last year; two have a definite commitment to themselves to achieve Ironman in the future and had recently been successful in their own first time half Ironman races in Taupo and Auckland; one other had also achieved at a recent half Ironman event and methinks was coming along to not only support her partner who is doing Ironman but also no doubt was curious as to see firsthand what really makes an Ironman.  Fortunate for the rest of the group she brought along her twelve year old budding athlete son who seemed to gained as much from the weekend of being part of the Ironman crew as any other individual.  More maybe. 

Then we had Phil, husband of one of the Ironman-wanna-bes;  a seasoned cycling athlete who even in his middle ages can whip the cycling backsides of many a young chap on any cycle race, and very recently done so on two occasions.  Last and by no means certainly least, as she had committed herself to give up her entire weekend back home in Auckland to come down and be a chief supporter and main volunteer for the athletes during their long and arduous six to seven hour bike training ride on the Saturday.  Her presence was invaluable to the group as a whole. Having her there and knowing she was experienced in her role of helping the ‘team’ gave me a sense of relief in knowing we were covered at all bases should anything unexpected occur.

Thus the ages of the group of 17 went from 12 years to 70 years.  Now that easily can take the label of an ‘eclectic’ bunch of gnarly athletes.

(I had a rethought about using the word ‘gnarly’, figuring the odd person in the group may be offended at being labeled ‘gnarly’.  However the dictionary defines the word as meaning:  finest, magnificent, marvelous, great, swell, superb, sensational.  Who could possibly be offended at being called gnarly then!?)

Drove to Taupo on the Friday and my co-driver had asked me how I thought the weekend would go.  Without having to think I responded with a couple of quotes that even I am amazed proved to be 100% accurate with the eventual outcomes.  Shall not note them as they are not worth delving into, but am chuffed at my own ability of prediction.  So was my co-driver who spent some time on the drive back to Auckland at the end of the weekend questioning how I could have predicted so.  People experience, nothing less than people experience.

Now, the whole purpose of this scribe is to remind anyone who reads, that what you give out you get back. 

Coaching on the level I have been since Tony passed away has not always been a smooth and reclining ride.  I continued with the coaching after his death for two reasons.  One being I know he would have wanted me to, as he always told me he considered his wife a far better coach than he ever was.  But it also gave me something to do.  Grief is horrid and everyone experiences varying levels of grief and I know and knew the depth of my grief would be so that should I have no immediate focus I would take myself down the road to eventual self-destruction.  I knew the best manner to prevent this would be to give something back to others and the only skill I had to do that would be the knowledge skill of knowing how damned hard it is swim, or bike, or run, or all three if you have never done those things before.  A case of having been there and done that.  And it is not just the physical skill but the mental skills also to overcome the mental weaknesses.  That’s why Tony said I was so good at it. 

Individuals will be individuals and all along the ride one can only hope that your own experience and ability to give and share as much energy level at both physical and mental planes will eventually give someone the physical and mental strength to reach a goal they may never have otherwise ever achieved.  Not everyone achieves the same level of physical or mental strength as others, nor at the same time, or in the same manner of coaching.  Therefore it does make for some enormous highs and lows when dealing with a wide variety of individuals, bodies and minds.  I have found that if one athlete is troubled and not sleeping, so too am I troubled and not sleeping. Am constantly trying to fathom out ways and structures in how to overcome their particular short coming.  The mind rarely shuts off.

Thus I am forever being berated by others for my over commitment to the ‘team’.  And know that I have emotionally overcommitted, which in turn has financially done the same.  Common sense tells me I should be working an 8 to 5 job and focusing on that and finances instead.  I will, soon.

In the meantime – it all boils down to the old adage, “What you give out you get back.”   Or as Tony kept telling others to do…. Paying it forward.

Paying it forward has had its unexpected rewards recently.  I have “got back” such a lot over the past many weeks.  The successes of the athletes in the Taupo Half Ironman, in the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman and in the Auckland 70.3 has been enormous and personally satisfying to this coach.  To see those individuals who had only weeks earlier been stressing mentally, or physically, crossing the finish lines and then smiling and relating their races to all and sundry afterwards – for days and weeks afterwards – has been the greatest satisfaction one could ever wish for.

I have “got back” for putting out, or paying it forward.

Even more so after this weekend.

I “came back” to Auckland with two adorable, smooth shaped wine bottles of Pinot Noir and a hugely gratefully received voucher for almost anything one could wish for at some country escape that runs a face and body wellness spa somewhere in the countryside, where I can have a whole or half day escape in luxury, and be treated top to toe to whatever unexperienced (for me) cleansing, exfoliating, tightening!!?? massaging, nourishing, hydrating, invigorating, indulging treatment I want.

I figure that on the day I go, which will be very soon, I shall sit back and go, “Phew…”  and enjoy.