This time last year, I was quoting an ancient Greek dude (Socrates, who said “The unexamined life is not worth living”) while I looked back on an epic 2014 and looked forward to 2015, wondering what it would hold. Fast-forward 12 months, and 2015 is pretty much over. As Queen would say, \u201cAnother one bites the dust!\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than give you a blow-by-blow account of the year that\u2019s been, I thought this time round I\u2019d give you some selected snapshots, mainly because I reckon that\u2019s the way memories work. When you look back, it\u2019s not like watching a movie with the story unfolding in order. I find it\u2019s more like a collection of photos, sounds, and feelings \u2013\u00a0highs, lows, places, and people \u2013\u00a0that you sort through, look at, learn from, and then file away in the Experience folder.<\/p>\n
If you know anything about me, you\u2019ll know that I\u2019m not a great one for reflection. Usually, I\u2019m too busy moving on to the next thing. But, it\u2019s good to stop every now and then to look back. Maybe Socrates was right after all. So, here it is, warts and all\u2026 2015 \u2013\u00a0my year in review.<\/p>\n
The High Points<\/strong><\/p>\n What were the highlights of 2015? There are a bunch of memories that stand out:<\/p>\n The Low Points<\/strong><\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt that the lowest point for me this year was Kona<\/a>. I put so much time, effort, and energy into that race. It was my main focus for 2015. And not just me, everyone around me in my circle, including my sponsors and my support crew. At about the 120 km mark of the bike leg, I knew my shot at the World Championship was over, and that was just a massive kick in the guts.<\/p>\n On the plus side, I\u2019m thankful I finished the race. Mentally and emotionally, it was something I had to do, just for myself. But that was really tough. Normally I don\u2019t get disappointed with races, but I definitely did with that one.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no point in beating yourself up about the past, so I\u2019ve drawn a line in the sand and moved on. It still stings a bit, though. On the plus side,\u00a0you live and learn\u2026 and there\u2019s always next year.<\/p>\n The Races and Places<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a privilege to travel and compete as an elite athlete. I get to visit some of the most beautiful and challenging places on the globe and mix it with the world\u2019s best. I love to race, and 2015 gave me plenty of opportunities to do that. Here are some snapshots that stick in my memory:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The People<\/strong><\/p>\n At one level, triathlon is a solitary sport. On race day, you\u2019re out there on your own. But beyond the races and places, it\u2019s the people who really stick in your mind when you look back on a year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [aesop_gallery id=”1983″]<\/p>\n Thanks<\/strong><\/p>\n When I look back on 2015, I feel thankful for a whole bunch of different people. Some I\u2019ve already mentioned, and some I need to mention by name now. In every case, they\u2019re people who have believed in me, supported me, encouraged me, or added something positive to my life. Let me start with my sponsors:<\/p>\n As a sport, triathlon is lucky to have great support in the media \u2013\u00a0good coverage, quality journalism, and the occasional probing question and kick in the backside when needed. A big thank you to Phil Wrochna and the crew at First Off The Bike<\/a>, Trent\u00a0at 220 Triathlon<\/a>, and Rob Hay at Triathlon and Multi Sport Magazine<\/a>. Keep up the good work, and keep telling it like it is.<\/p>\n I guess all of us have an inner circle \u2013\u00a0the people we depend on to keep us going through the good and the bad. I\u2019m fortunate, and thankful, to have good people around me.<\/p>\n Final Words<\/strong><\/p>\n One final thank you is in order, and that\u2019s to the fans. By that I don\u2019t just mean people who take an interest in my progress in triathlon \u2013\u00a0although I appreciate you guys especially. I mean anyone who is a fan of triathlon \u2013\u00a0whether you\u2019re an age grouper, an occasional competitor, or a spectator. At the end of the day, you\u2019re the ones who give life to the sport and make it possible for me, and the rest of the elite crew, to do what we love doing.<\/p>\n 2015 was certainly a year of change for me. It had its ups and downs, that\u2019s for sure. As I head into 2016, my plan is to keep chipping away at things. Often that\u2019s the way improvement happens \u2013\u00a0you review where you are, refocus on where you want to get to, and then start working at it, step by step.<\/p>\n I wish you all the best for 2016. Go hard and enjoy the journey!<\/p>\n Tim<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[343],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1981"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1981"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2006,"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1981\/revisions\/2006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timberkel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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