Diary #3 - Qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships
Persistence Over Everything Else
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Get buckled up for Diary #3, because September has been a big month. Here’s what you can expect from today’s email…
Table of contents:
The 3 Lessons I’ve Learnt
How Much I’ve Earnt
What A Week Looks Like
What I’ve Been Reading
What’s Coming Up Next
September has been month of sport, change and weekends away with a clear focus on the “life” part of the work-life integration. This has been reflected in the financials, as expected with several new projects set to start next month.
For now, let’s recap 2nd September - 30th September:
The 3 Lessons I’ve Learnt 📈
The last 4 weeks have been jam-packed with life lessons.
The new experiences of triathlon, work and friends have been powerful reminders of the strength of the human spirit. We truly can do anything we set our minds too - all we need is self-belief, the right people and consistency.
Here’s what September taught me:
#1: Persistence is Everything, Seriously
The Ironman training has pushed me to my limits.
It’s been a journey of highs and lows that’s taught me more than any other sporting adventure that I’ve ever been on. From pulling myself up from the bottom of a Mallorcan mountain to knocking back 20-hour training weeks to finishing my first Olympic distance event, it’s been full of twists & turns.
But, by the start of June the Ironman adventure had led me to a cliff-hanger moment. I was stuck between deciding to give up on the 2022 season entirely to allow the injuries to fully recover or resetting my goals on a race at the end of Summer. After asking around the tri club and thinking long and hard about my options, I decided to press on with the latter, committing to Ironman 70.3 Weymouth for Sunday 18th September 2022.
The date was set. The race was in the calendar. And time inevitably marched on. Before I knew it Summer was over and the race week was on the horizon. I’d been telling everyone that this was now my sole focus for the season, but it was only in the days before that it really hit me that I needed to actually string together a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21km run on the weekend.
Having banked 15 weeks of solid training I had enough confidence to set sub 5 hours clearly in my crosshairs. A time good enough for a top 3 placing in my age group in 2021. Pretty cool, right?
Travelling down to Weymouth with my triathlon friends Dan & Briony, the nerves started to build by the hour. First in the stomach and later in the chest. By the time we hit the sack for a 4:15am wake-up, it’s safe to say it wasn’t the best night’s sleep ever.
The adrenaline was flowing and my body was readying itself for the day ahead. Once the alarm rang to cut the evening short, I knew it was time to face the day head-on. So, we grabbed breakfast, did a last-minute check of the bikes and headed to the start of the swim.
Then we watched as the sunrise broke over a peaceful ocean and the megaphones blasted the latest motivational tunes, psyching all 2,000 of us up on the start line. The next thing I remember it was GO time.
The swim & cycle went exactly according to plan, exceeding my expectations in both. But, it was once I dropped off the bike and slid on my trainers that the body started to head south. Straight out of the transition area my stomach tightened up and a stitch drew across my whole right side. It felt like a sucker punch right in the gut. But, I wasn’t going to stop now. Not after over 3 hours of racing already banked. So, I pushed on.
Starting with 3:40/kms and ending with 4:30/kms, my average pace of 4:06/km brought me home in a total time of 4:48:53. It was a job well done as my legs collapsed across the finish line and I dragged myself to the recovery tent, sitting down for half an hour before I could bare to move my stomach that was now screaming at me with all its might.
Eventually I recovered enough to grab my bags and checked my position - 59th out of 2002 overall and 7th in my age category. Nice. It was impressive for a first performance, but likely not enough to go to Worlds. Just as the spark of hope was fading, something inside of me told me I should just turn up to the awards and see what happens. Maybe others had already qualified or if nothing else, it would be an interesting experience.
So, after eating my daily intake in Calzone pizza, I perched myself in the theatre and watched them announce the age category winners and the slots for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Finland.
They awarded anywhere from 1 to 5 places per age category depending on the number of athletes and would “roll-down” any unclaimed places to the next best placed participant. The M18-24 age category was last on the list. There were 2 slots available and I’d watched the top 3 claim their awards already - surely there was no chance.
The speaker called the Winner. No response. Then 2nd. No response. Then 3rd. No response. My heart started to pump. Then 4th. No response. Ahh for f*cks sake. Then 5th. No response. Well, here goes nothing. Then 6th. No response. Then “Charlie Rogers”. “YEEEESSSSS” I shouted in response, standing up and strolling straight onto stage.
The music blared. The lights glowed and the audience clapped as I received my slot for the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
And in that 60 seconds, the day went from pretty great to down right awesome as I received the invitation to head to the big leagues with the pros.
The lesson: Be persistent in everything you do. From the rehab to the training to the ceremony. Just turn up. You’ll be rewarded.
#2: Your Impact Outlives Your Projects
Quitting is not the end of your impact.
When you close a project, it can feel like it’s all over. Like your time, energy and money have led to nothing tangible. And that it was all a massive waste. But, this isn’t true at all. Where your projects create a meaningful difference, they live on in the minds of those you impact now and forever.
It took seeing 6 of the House Hack team at The G Team Conference to remind me of this fact. As we spoke, we reminisced on how much we missed the community, updated one another on how our lives had changed and caught up like old friends again.
Hearing them describe their latest passions and interests brought a tear to my eye as I looked on at the true professionals each one of them had become. They’d all grown up. Realising the potential I saw in them so clearly only a few years before. House Hack really had been the spark to ignite their careers.
And for me, there is nothing more satisfying that impacting another person’s life in this way. Making a seemingly small change in how they perceive themselves that eventually leads to huge results down the line.
So, here’s a reminder to myself - it’s not about the £££s in revenue, the millions in investment or the HUGE brands you get to work with. It’s about making a meaningful impact to the lives of the people around you.
That’s what truly matters.
The Lesson: Remember, if you want to make a difference, it’s not about you. It’s about the lives of those you impact. So, keep focused on it.
#3: Say “Yes” to Unique Experiences
Last week my housemate from final year at University sent me a message out of the blue with an interesting request.
Here’s what he said:
“I’ve been invited to a party at a private members club by someone I met travelling. They said I can bring +1’s. I will only ‘know’ that one person, so will be a lot of strangers all round for both of us haha, but could be a cool experience and you’re the kinda man I’d want by my side in that scenario. Let me know if you’re up for it..”
“Count me in” was my response. And I’m so glad I said it.
We met for a quick drink on the Thames before heading over to the National Liberal Club and checking ourselves in past security. We told them we were there for Emma’s leaving drinks and were directed towards the roof terrace. Ooo, very fancy. So, we headed upstairs and lost ourselves in the labyrinth of rooms, feeling like wizards exploring Hogwarts for the first time.
After tracing back our footsteps and taking a different door out of the Smoking Room we stumbled upon the bar area and rooftop terrace. There was Emma with all her friends wishing her farewell as she moved to Australia.
Josh & I walked up and introduced ourselves. We were “the friend from Morocco” and “the friend’s friend from Morocco”. What a great justification for spending the evening with this group of people.
But, I wasn’t going to let that get to us. So, I headed over and started conversations with all the friends that had come out to celebrate. Making my way through the crowd I realised they were all 10-20 years older and so sought out to make the most of the situation by becoming a sponge - learning as much as I could from their unique life experiences.
Before I knew it the evening had turned into night and it was time to head home. I wished my new companions farewell, gave Josh a hug and said my thanks to Emma for an awesome evening. I’d met new faces, explored a private members club and landed a new experience with one my friends.
That sounds like a successful evening to me.
The Lesson: Break your routine every now and again. Do things that are completely new and be there for the experience. Because life is cool.
How Much I’ve Earnt 💰
September has been a month of patience on the revenue-front as deals have been agreed for upcoming months, while little cash has landed in the bank account in the short-term. This was to be expected and will remedy itself in the last few months of the year as the new prospects get started.
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