No wonder she’s a champ…
From Chrissie Wellington’s Blog
Wow! I have suddenly realized that it was 12 months ago that I was packing up and ready to start my new life as a professional triathlete. What a difference a year makes! I looked back at the first blog that I wrote as a fresh faced, naive novice, and saw these words staring back at me……
“Had I fulfilled my potential, or did I have more to give? Had I pushed my mind and body to the limit? If not, what were those limits? What stars was I capable of grabbing? Without giving it a shot I would never know……”
“But it is not only about physical prowess, about skill or about times or distances, it is about the special something that the athlete has inside, the drive, the ambition, the determination to succeed, the ability to bounce back when faced with adversity – as Muhammad Ali says ‘the will must be stronger than the skill’. There will be good and bad sessions: good and bad races – the key is to learn from both and move on.
Physically, yes, I am getting better. Mentally, too I am learning. But there is a long way to go. I need to learn to relax, to switch off, to focus my mind when surrounded by chaos. I can only watch the others, the masters of their art, follow orders and trust in my coach and believe in myself. Hopefully then I will be able to realise my dream”.
The words from my first blog are still just as relevant now as they were a year ago. There is always room for improvement and I will not stop striving to be a better athlete, mentally and physically. I will make sure I am in the best possible shape when I toe the start line at all three races – and give it absolutely everything I’ve got, and more.
