You've got to be Healthy to Get Fit
As a lot of you may be aware the last few weeks since London have been somewhat testing!!
I ran at the London Marathon as part of a little bucket list I have. I had a great day finishing in 2:51:48 and was in the top 1000, which for an old chunky triathlete who only plays at running wasn't to shabby. More importantly I had a great weekend with my better half Joey. But here is the thing. Leading upto the day I was fighting off a bit of a cold, or so I though, but the days after the event revealed something a bit more sinister, a good old lung infection.
So as I Write this blog I am less than 8 weeks out from Ironman UK my 'A' race for the year, I have had to cancel a 50 mile TT I was due to do today, I an finishing my second course of antibiotics and am booked in for a chest x-ray on Wednesday, plus the weeks since the Marathon has seen my training take a real hit. But that is not what this blog is all about.
If you have ever wondered about the way you conduct yourself, help others, try and share what little or large amount of information you know and generally how you behave, then going through something like I am going through at the moment you will get an idea if you are 'doing it right' or not. Let me explain.
Your friends and family are and always will be your main support network through good and bad times and I'm not just talking about triathlon here. And, as always my close friends, Joe, Adam, Pete, Neil (Legend) and my coach Ian as well as others have been steadfast. Additionally, poeple on social media have been offering advice and support. What has been overwhelming is the people who have reached out to me with advice and what I consider to be valuable information. Firstly a guy we all know really well but sometimes don't like very much due to his brutal events, Marc Laithwaite. A chat with him in the Endurance Store was invaluable, as he has suffered a similar illness over winter, tons of advice from him and the fact he is going well now is proof that if you manage yourself correctly there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Mark Livesey got in touch with some great advice on supplements, nutrition and general well being which again was brilliant. If you don't know Mark he runs one of, if not the best 70.3 in the country, The Rubicon, ask anyone who has done it, its great, additionally he is a top bloke and does the best race brief I have evar heard, oh and he and his Wife Caroline are both fantastic athletes to boot!! Add to this my sponsor telling me not to panic, if IMUK doesn't happen then Weymouth will be sorted then you should be getting the picture.
Finally and this was the call I was blown away with, mainly because he was the first guy I ever met in triathlon in 2010 and is still the nicest guy I've ever met in triathlon, Ian Roberts an absolute star in every respect. We had a great chat on the phone last night and he used his 10 years plus experience in the game to share some of his experiences and mistakes when he has been sick. This was a real eye opener from an athlete I have a massive amount of respect for. If you are ever wondering how you should conduct yourself then look no further than Ian!
So there you have it, I'm a lucky lad, I have been adviced by people not only who I have a massive amount of respect for, but who are also right at the top of the game. I feel really blessed and somewhat humbled by the people who have helped duing this experience (I don't like to call it illness). The words of encouragement, advice and support from everone who was been in touch is difficult to describe, after all I consider myself to be just another age grouper, however I do feel that the way I go about my busines is correct and like to think that this is the reason all this sound advise has been given to me. I will leave you with a statement that Ian used last night which I know to be absolutely true, "Joe mate, you've got to be healthy to be fit".
I love this sport and the people involved, much love to you all xx
Take it easy
Joe D
