The summer was a bit of a whirwind, having finished up my teaching job in Calgary, moving to Vernon, getting settled, and beginning my very first taste of being a full-time professional athlete.  But it was just that, summer, and as you all know teachers have summers off, so I had not felt the change…yet.

In early September right after IMC, on the first day of school here in Vernon, it hit me…as I was driving to Kelowna to meet Scott (my coach) for some one-on-one swim coaching.  As I was heading off to the pool, I drove past the nearby elementary school on my way through town to find kids and parents scrambling around in typical ‘first day of school’ fashion.  It was at this time that  I realized that I was not a part of the madness.  I will say that a moment or two of ‘nostalgia’ hit me….but I got over it quite quickly:-)

As well, I still find it odd when I’m on my bike and I ride by a schoolyard of kids during their recess or lunch break…as I’m out putting in the miles on the best ever bike…my Trek TTX Equinox, which is really my  favorite buddy these days!  It’s times like this where I really realize just how different my life already is from where it was only three months ago.  Wild.

So….what’s it like so far being a full-time athlete?  Well, of course I love it….I am not only chasing a dream, but now I really am living it, and there is nothing that compares to that.  Nothing.  But the reality of being a professional athlete (if you’re not a hockey player) is not nearly as glamorous as some may think.  I remember just before I finished teaching, many people would say to me…”How great it will be!  You’ll be able to eat, sleep, and train, and that’s it!!!”  Although I knew then that this would not be ‘reality’ per se, I didn’t really know how different or similar to this it really would be…and there’s only one way to find out!!!  I remember chatting with Heather Wurtele a few weeks after I had finished teaching and she said, “It’s funny…you think you’ll have all this extra time, but you don’t, because you’re too busy…resting.”  Little did I know just how right she was!!!

 You train, you recover, you train, you recover….period.  Anything outside of that little scenario is probably not benefitting you.  I have to say that when I get to have an afternoon nap, it’s pretty darn great, but usually it is followed by a tough workout, so that’s always in the back of your mind….rest up…cuz you’re gonna need it for what Scott has planned for you before the day is out!  Ha!  It’s nice to rest, but it is disciplined rest, and that changes things. 

There are also no real days off.  This is a 24/7 job (but lucky for me it’s a job I love!!!) and there isn’t a lot of room for engaging yourself in things that are not good for that little duo I mentioned before called “training and recovering.”  I don’t get ‘excited’ about Friday in any way anymore.  In fact, Friday nights are a combination of eat, stretch, and early to bed for the weekend hoop-la!!!  The more boring…the better… really!!!

But I will say, that the ability to really focus your energy on a goal, rather than juggling several, is quite a treat!  Workouts are already more focused and deliberate now, rather than the ‘get in and get out – get ‘er done’ mentality that happens when you are constantly time constrained.  To know that I can absolutely slam myself in a workout when that’s what I am told to do, or as Scott would put it…THRESHOLD +++.  Or even put in the longer endurance/steady efforts with good concentration on form, rather than thinking about the assignments I have to grade when I get home.  I find it makes a big difference already.

  As well, having one-on-one swim coaching with Scott while we work my swim over from scratch (which has been so very much needed) is another added bonus of something I now have the ‘time’ to do.  In fact, I do believe my next blog will be all about our circus of adventures re-working this swim…stay tuned!!!  I could dedicate an entire blog about how ridiculous the BAND is….okay people….it`s all good and fine if you have a pull buoy, but the band without a pull buoy….you have GOT to be kidding…but like I said I will tell more tales of these swim sessions in future blogs as that is a topic in and of itself.  Oh boy.

In the meantime, however, I will just continue getting used to this super boring, yet tremendously exciting new life I have happened to stumble myself upon as I prepare for my next two races: Longhorn 70.3 in Texas(where I plan to meet Lance Armstrong…oh yes I do)… with Ironman Arizona to follow.   YEOUUUU!!!!!!!