Corinne Ellison

No longer will I be posting about my recovery weeks – the official 12 weeks is over! So what now? The beginning of the rest of my life.  The excitement of the future and acceptance of events in the past. My mourning for months lost, finances lost, confidence lost is slowly easing and my focus again shifts to I can do. The easiest way for me to measure success is exercise. Every day during my recovery I kept a diary of how far I walked, starting with a tiddly 7 minutes and round the block.

Today I ran 6 miles, at a slow pace (12 min/miles with a couple of walk breaks) but felt good. The distance was no problem. If any slight nagging voices came into my head about wanting to run faster, I cast them aside. Right now, I’m lucky to be running and want to enjoy the joy of getting out in the fresh air and soaking up the scenery like this morning’s run (see pic!). I am great at sticking rigidly to training plans and getting psyched up for faster times and results but now is not the time to do this. I get the odd bout of chest pain if I raise my heart rate above 150/160 or push that bit too hard. I have plenty of time to work towards my goals in triathlon and running in 2011.

Speaking of which: here is my race plan options for 2011!:

Jan / Feb – Rempstone Roast duathlon series

20th Feb Brighton half marathon (got place)

March – Either Mad March triathlon in Dorset or Bournemouth Bay half marathon

17th April London Marathon (have my beloved place!)

8th May Try a tri, Dorset  or maybe New Forest Olympic on 1st May

June – London to Brighton bike ride (have place), Bournemouth pier to pier swim, maybe Summer Sizzler tri in Dorset

July – Bournemouth Olympic, London Triathlon (have place)

August – not sure about this one. Maybe Hyde Park on 6/7th or Swanage on 14th

September is 70.3 time! Options are New Forest middle distance 25th Sept, Vitruvian. Depending on pennies there are some M-Dot events abroad (New York, Mexico, Canada, New Hampshire!!!)
Have entered pre-reg for the Great North Run as well

All very exciting.

The above plans were jotted down for this year but my heart had a ‘mechanical’, so to speak! My mind never stopped believing in my ability to achieve, hence the endless frustration and disappointing times despite good training. I have many people around me who provide great inspiration. These include my friend who ran the London marathon for the first time this year, despite injury and an age 0f 63. We run together regularly and she really keeps my spirits up. Also, a new training friend inspires me – she has taken up triathlon despite health problems. It’s great to have strong people around you. I love following stories on Twitter about people who have gone from overweight and unfit to triathletes qualifying for Kona world championships! When in the pool, on the bike or out on a run, I imagine I am Chrissie Wellington and all seems effortless and easy! Role models are amazing motivation.

Check out this for motivation:

For most people, it is difficult to make a living out of sport unless you are gifted and have the determination to work excessively hard. But everyone can use sport to improve the rest of your life. Like holidays, sporting events give you something to look forward to and work towards.

Women in sport intrigue me. When pushing your body to it’s limit, how does this make you strong mentally, what lessons do you learn about yourself and how can you apply this knowledge to other challenges in life?

Two women who inspire me:

Chrissie Wellington.

For those who don’t k now, Chrissie is three time world champion Ironman. In an interview, Chrissie expressed how women with body issues depress her. Her mission is to inspire others to unlock their hidden sporting talents.

“The gender boundaries that exist in other sports don’t exist in triathlon. And I love that.” Chrissie always portrays an image of positivity, smiling, enjoying her job, never complaining. How many people do you know like that? I can think of 2 or 3 and they never fail to make me smile. Surrounding yourself with optimistic people really does have a profound influence on your own well-being.

Chrissie has recently become patron of the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, which leads on to my next inspiring woman.

Jane Tomlinson

“Jane raised over £1.85million through a series of gruelling challenges including several long-distance bike rides, marathons, triathlons and a full Ironman triathlon. Since her death the charity that she founded has announced a new fundraising target of £5million.” Wikipedia

Marathons and triathlons are part of my life, therefore I relate to Jane’s focus on these athletic challenges. I think of Jane whenever on a particularly difficult run or race, each thought of Jane’s strength against such adversity propels my legs further.

 These are just two women who I aspire to. Many of my friends and family cause me to stop and question a natural instinct to think negatively. I cannot stress enough the important of keeping inspiring figures in mind and surrounding yourself with the kind of person you’d like to be. In my case, this doesn’t necessarily mean world-class athletes, but local triathletes and friends, business people, those who have achieved in life or those working towards success.

Simple, but effective!