It’s been a month since the World Championships in Hawaii. Someone asked me the other day, “Is there life after Kona?” That’s a good question. The short answer is “Hell yeah!”
Build-ups and Big Days
If you followed the Road to Kona articles here on the website, you’ll know that I spent the last year preparing myself mentally and physically for the big race – that one day in October. I guess we all have big things in our life that we work towards. There’s a long build-up- you plan and you dream and you work like crazy to make those plans and dreams turn into reality.
And eventually, the big day comes… and then – what happens, happens. Some of what happens is in your control and some is out of your control. That’s the way it goes in this sport and to be honest, I reckon that’s the way it goes in life. You have good days and you have bad days. And we all deal with those two outcomes in different ways.
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Thinking and over-thinking
One thing I try not to do is over-think stuff. I’m not talking about reviewing performance, analysing the numbers, considering what I could have done differently – that process is crucial to learning, developing and improving and my coach, Dan Plews and I are working through that together.
By over-thinking I mean getting stuck in the woulda, coulda, shoulda loop, where you’re churning those things over and over in your brain – what I shoulda done, what coulda happened… how things woulda been different. The harsh truth is that you can’t change the past and over-thinking it just does your head in.
It probably says something about my personality, but whether it’s a good day or a bad day, I try not to dwell on stuff too much. This sport waits for no one. I’m the sort of person who puts things away and gets on with what is next. I learn from my successes or my mistakes, set another goal and then move on. The reality is that at this level of competition there’s no time for moping around if things didn’t go according to plan. You’ve got to get back in the saddle and start training for the next race.
Looking backwards and forwards
So, is there life after Kona? Definitely! The last month has been really relaxing. After the big race I took two weeks off – I did nothing tri-related at all and just let my hair down. Sometimes you need to take a complete break… and I loved it. In Week 3 I did some social training and then last week it was back into the program. Along the way I went to a bucks party and a wedding – congratulations Clayto and Kendall- and enjoyed being back on the farm.
Looking forward, I’ve got two races coming up in the next month. At the end of November, I’ll be heading down south for IM 70.3 Western Sydney and some beautiful scenery in the Blue Mountains. In early December I’ll be heading across the Tasman Sea to enjoy some Kiwi hospitality at IM 70.3 Taupo. The water can be a ‘but chully’ in New Zealand, but it’s a nice way to finish off 2015. Look out for the race reports and my ‘2015: A year in review’ wrap-up coming soon.
Tim
2 Comments
Thanks for the post Tim. I think it’s especially important (and often harder) for us AGers to move on. After 4 years between Konas, it meant so so much for me to even be there, and I expected (and still am expecting) a massive downer afterwards. But planning a fun summer of racing and my next Ironman has helped me look forward. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get back there earlier than 4 years next time!
Nice work. I bet this applies to a lot of people who hit Kona this year. Good luck for the season.