The first day of my new life as a triathlete
began on an icy morning in the middle of winter last year. A count down from 5
– 1 signaled the start. I was standing pool deck, fully clothed and completely
bewildered by the mass of 12-16 year olds who apparently knew what this count
down represented. As time would tell, whether you were in the pool on 1, or
out, was the only thing that mattered at 6am, 5 mornings a week. A gesture of
leniency given it was my first day and I was soon enough amongst the other
swimmers…. Who were at least 10 years my junior!
Just 3 days earlier, I had been sitting at my
desk on the top floor of 101 Collins Street – also known as the hub of finance
and Investment Banking in Melbourne. Now I was swimming in a lane with 12 year
olds, in Geelong, Victoria with no desk job to attend to. It was a weird
feeling. There was no client in London hastily requiring an update of our BHP
model, or research sales in Hong Kong needing a sensitivity analysis done
pronto. It was definitely an odd feeling and to be honest, I still feel like I’m
simply on annual leave… a really long annual leave. Morgan Stanley had been as
supportive as an Investment Bank possibly could be of my outside endeavors and
for that, I thank them. If it weren’t for that, I would have had to make this
tough decision earlier. That, or I possibly never would have been able to
achieve what I did whilst working, which then would never have prompted the
cross road that it did. Either way, I owe a lot to Morgan Stanley and the close
knit team in Melbourne in particular. Maybe it’s separation anxiety (that
remains 7 months later?) but I am convinced of returning there one day. Yes,
the hours are long, 80+ hour weeks are not out of the ordinary, but the work is
fast-paced, fun and rewarding (yep, I’m a finance nerd)….. But nonetheless, I
found myself sans Blackberry, and my corporate attire had been replaced by bathers
and running gear. My “gap” year/s had
begun….
Fast forward 7 months and I sit here having
been through the most amazing journey, and one I hope will continue. I
certainly miss my ‘other’ career but do not regret for one moment, the decision
I have made to give myself every chance of reaching my triathlon potential
(whatever that may be). I can ‘work’ the rest of my life, but for now, it’s all
things triathlon…with my Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) study on the side.
There have been a plethora of awkward,
embarrassing, EPIC fails along the way and I know there are so many more ahead.
Make no mistake, I am every part a total rookie as I sit here writing this 7
months down the track….which makes what I have been prior to now….well….a
complete and utter…RUNNER!
There was my first group ride, which included
“efforts” in which we had to stay in a line behind none other than super
triathlete, Pete Kerr. Seriously! At that point, I had barely ever ridden more
than 60mins, and was not known for anything even close to a strong bike leg.
Naturally, I was dropped within about 30 seconds and given my shocking sense of
direction, got lost and sat, peeling grass somewhere between Geelong and
Torquay….for 30 minutes! I ride by that patch of grass at least weekly now, and
silently salute the girl that sat there 6 months earlier. Everyone has to start
somewhere. It’s remembering that starting point that makes me appreciate so
much more when I don’t get dropped by known cyclists, whose mission it is to
drop “the runner” in draft-legal races.
There was my first crit race. I got dropped
on the neutral lap, not realizing that we rolled through into the race itself.
I had just sat happily off the back for the entire lap, thinking we’d regroup
before setting off for the race. That was awkward, but my lesson was learnt and
NOT repeated at the following race.
There was the time I put a rib out whilst
diving in at a swimming carnival in Colac…against 10 year olds. That was
embarrassing, and I couldn’t sleep for 2 days due to the extraordinary pain. A
chiro visit later, and I was back on track…and working on my dive starts.
Then, there was my first ‘elite’ Gatorade
triathlon. I solo’d the entire bike leg and I have no shame in saying that I
was solo off the back, and ultimately, 3 minutes down into T2. Luckily, I ran
the fastest time by a few minutes and recovered what would have otherwise been
quite a memorable entrée into elite racing. It was, at the very least, a
perfect example of draft legal racing and the huge importance of swimming well.
I had only been 15 seconds down out of the water but whether it’s 1 second or 1
minute, if you miss the pack or even a wheel, it makes for a tough tough day!
Thankfully, despite the above, my general
trajectory is definitely up. I am learning so much every day, and it’s starting
to come through in results. I’ve been fortunate enough to get a few podiums and
even a few wins this season in my first as an ‘elite’. Essentially, this is
representative of the amazing training environment I’m part of down in Geelong,
and the expert guidance of Jarrod Evans. If anyone can turn a ‘runner’ into a
rookie triathlete, and then a rookie into (hopefully) something better, it’s
him! Here’s hoping the improvement continues at the same rate.
S
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