Mental Acuity & Triathlon

I remember watching Ironman Hawaii not too many years ago when Natasha Badmann was rolling out of T1 (swim to bike transition) when she went out of her way to say “have a great day” to the volunteers just before crushing the competition and winning yet again.  Just the way she had a smile on her face the whole day and was such an inspiration to everyone around her, I can still picture it.  These days Chrissie Wellington has taken up the mantle in Hawaii and wherever else she goes to be very much like Natasha.  Have to admit triathlon has brought out some of the most positive people on the planet.  How exactly do you gain that sense and keep it has been on my mind of late.

This winter has been tough on everyone who lives remotely north, yet from a mental acuity standpoint this has been one of the best for me, if not the best I can remember.  A number of days this winter I get up early to ride before work on the indoor trainer and get off feeling just super positive about the upcoming day.  Makes we wonder just what factors have come in to play, and how do I keep this sharpness.  Certainly some of this comes from my wife Sherrie and the kids, my great family, friends, my coach Daniel Bretscher and a number of others who contribute daily to my life.  Taking classes at WGU and having my mentor Jill call me every week to be sure I’m staying on task could be a contributor.    No doubt as a person of faith, having a focused life that revolves around living a life pleasing to Christ plays a major roll.  

Somehow this support system, staying positive and getting mentally and physically fit all play a roll.  Yet I wonder sometimes how to keep it all in proper balance so I don’t mess this up.  Certainly my goal is to have a really good year in terms of competition, yet I also want to borrow a page of out Natasha’s book.  Keeping that smile on my face and being an encouragement to others while going about my day.  If somehow I can keep all that going, 2011 is going to be a year to remember.

Comments

rhino said…
Sounds like you are off to a stand-out year! Great work!
February 17, 2011 at 8:02 AM
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