Circle of Support

As many of you know, a couple weekends ago I had one of my big races for the year at Wildflower (near Paso Robles). It turned out to be a great weekend, full of fun and a pretty decent race result. But it was a solid reminder of how important it is to have a strong support team around you.

We all run into tough times and go through struggles in life. During these moments, our discipline, will power and perseverance is tested. Sometimes we can get through it on our own, but for those times that it’s just too much, you need to have a great support system around you.

I had been looking forward to this race for months and had a great plan to be fit and on form come race day. But as luck would have it, all of my planning went out the window. With all of the changes happening at Rough-Fit, I wasn’t getting the sleep I needed, and my training runs, rides and swims were taking a back seat to everything that was going on. I was very excited about everything Rough-Fit related, but the early mornings and extra work were a big change.

When it was time to leave for the race, I was quite stressed. I had doubts, I couldn’t focus and it seemed like everything was out of control and the odds were stacking up against me having a good race that weekend. Lucky for me, I have a great support team. Going up to the race with me, I had my close friend and new business partner, Jenni, some friends from college and the coworkers from the triathlon store that I work for.

My team calmed me down, refocused my energy and made sure I got to the race safely with all of the necessary equipment. By race morning, I felt much better. Focused, rested and ready to race hard! It wasn’t the smoothest morning, with a few mechanical issues to attend to, but I made it to the start line with lots of encouraging words and thoughts.

The race didn’t go quite as planned. The swim was slower than expected, and the conditions made for a tough day, but I couldn’t let my support crew down. I had shared my goals for the race with them, so I was kept accountable for my efforts. That accountability led to perseverance throughout the entire race, even when I felt like giving up and walking.

The support I built around myself for the race not only kept me focused, on track, and accountable for my efforts on the race course, but it also ensured that I had a wonderful and fun time throughout the whole process. I crossed the finish line knowing I raced hard and gave it my all. I could be proud of my efforts and had great company around me to share in the joy.

We all need the support of our friends and family from time to time, and having that support around us makes it so much easier to stay on track. It keeps us accountable and pushes us to do things we never thought we could do. We have our own little built in system of support at Rough-Fit, with the trainers and all your classmates keeping you accountable each morning (or evening). So remember that we can all help each other by working together, cheering each other on, and being there to share in all of the great accomplishments.