Have just
dropped off the little orange bicycle to Ben-the-Bike-Man’s place.
The bike
that rode Tony so stolidly through his last five Ironman races. The bike that decided it was not going to make
my Ironman day an easy one. The bike
that protested at having my Khyber Pass on its seat (check the Cockney
dictionary for that one). There in lays a story for another time.
Dropping
the bike off reminded me of how fortunate we all are.
Ben, his
side kick Owen, and I chatted about the Ironman event, about people and their
achievements, about training in general, about life in general; it was all very
pleasant standing out in the cool sunshine and having the time to reflect and
enjoy. It was yet another moment in time
when I was made to reflect how fortunate we all are, most particularly
myself.
I regard
these two as warm friends now. Tony
always had a soft spot for Ben, he saw in Ben someone genuine, accepting yet
still stoic in his own beliefs. For me, if Tony liked someone, I would too, not
matter what I really thought of the person – for Tony’s sake I would like
them. I digress.
The
direction I wish to go is in the direction of saying how fortunate I, and we,
have been to have some lovely friends.
And I am all the more fortunate to have so many friends.
This was
related back to me last week when I returned home. There were some flowers awaiting my
return. There were some lovely notes,
cards, emails and texts. I had a flow of
visitors through the house – some armed with their guaranteed entry pass of a latte,
one with a bag of passionfruit (a favourite of mine, next to fejoias), others
with the always welcomed hug.
A day after
I returned home I commented to someone about the inability I had in progressing
with unpacking and tidying due to the flow of friends who had come knocking and
was adequately reprimanded and told (not in these words, but this is what they
meant), “Pull your head in. You’re lucky to have so many people that care.” Was
an appropriately timed growling. And
timed to be given just as there came another knock at the front door. It was an
effective scolding.
The next
morning I rose early to head out for a run, with the knowledge that this day
too would have a progression of folk knock at the door and thereby delay any
further progress around the house. What
a great decision heading out for an early run was. Auckland had the biggest, brightest, reddest morning
sky that I can ever recall seeing in my life.
It was truly magnificent and seemed to last for so very long.
I know
others were up and about that morning as there were attempts at capturing the
sky on cameras and put on Facebook. But no camera actually captured the
enormity or the beauty of the sky that morning.
Despite the fact it was a forewarning of what was to come; one could not
help but be in awe at nature’s beauty.
Could not help but feel a lift in the spirits. I know I did, as I ended up flogging the
pavements for the next two hours, on a high from witnessing such a spectacular
sight.
The run, if
it could be called that, gave me more little lifts as came across three people
enroute that I knew. Three nice people
who gave me an excuse to stop and chat to before heading in opposite directions
on our merry way.
And merry
it was. For I arrived home to find a
delightful slice of Lemon Meringue Pie sitting on my door step, just waiting to
be savoured. It was. How kind.
Ironman is
over now, I don’t have to watch what I eat – as everyone knows I don’t.
So heading
into the future has been rewarded by the positivity of how lucky I am. PLUS, I won $23 at Lotto on Saturday
night. Not bad for a $20 investment!
As to the
future. I have spent many months
wondering how I am to financially survive over the next many years. Professional coaching would have to be the
most rewarding employ I have ever had (aside from Exclusively Auckland). It certainly can be the most frustrating employ
for much of the time. But the rewards in
the people reward is beyond a dollar value.
Seeing people grow, people glow and people achieve is the best reward
this coach can have.
But of
course the almighty dollar does have to be taken into consideration and it has
been clear to me that coaching will never be a feasible manner of sustaining
myself, the home and all life expenses.
That is unless I change my whole direction, concept and manner of
coaching. That would mean no real hands
on, no real individual programming, no real coach-athlete one-on-one, no real
coach-athlete bonding. I see it in so
many of the fellow pro coaches. Dollar
value is first, individual is second.
That is not a criticism, that is a fact.
Everyone has to make a living to live; coaches are no different from the
mechanic, the baker or the accountant.
All have to make a profit to survive.
Coaching in
the manner I coach does not show any profit.
Therefore sometime ago realised that whilst it is my greatest interest I
would have to eventually face reality and search for a ‘real job’. Which I shall do, soon. But I will still coach. Maybe on a slightly different basis, only
slightly, for I cannot give individuals the same amount of individual time I
have done in previous years, future individuals may have to be a little more self-sustaining
and self-motivated for me to be able to maintain my own life balance. Like other athletes with other coaches are.
But I realise
and accept that it is me who will have to restrain myself. Therein lays the difficulty. I feel for people in any endeavours they do
and consequently become too involved, to my detriment. I cannot help it – it is because most become
my friends and we all want our friends to do well, feel good, achieve their
goals.
Which
brings me back to the beginning, on how fortunate I am, and most of us are, to
have made firm friends throughout all our years of life; friends that we have
shared much with and who value the relationship. So many athletes I have coached have become warm
friends. Many I have coached were friends before I became coach. Most are the other way round. Life is like Facebook. It is your choice to join, your choice to make
more friends. You can turn friends down whenever you like. Delete friends
whenever you want. The best ones you
keep. There are many in my ‘best ones’
who I met through coaching. There is
something about the long, hard perseverance and training in Ironman that cannot help but bond coach and athlete,
and athlete to fellow athlete. It
certainly is an unusual and unique bond.
I would not like to stop making those new bonds. I just have to do it a little differently in
future. As one of my wise advisers said
to me, “Stop being so nice.”
So -
caution – if anyone wants me to coach them in future, I'll still be their friend – they just have to learn - to harden up!
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