“It’s the bad days that make you who you are.” - Jenson Button
Today I completed my first warm-up event on the road to
Paris: the Jenson Button Trust Triathlon.
This was a short sprint round the scenic grounds of Luton Hoo, and the
spectacular surroundings were matched by the weather as temperatures soared to
29 degrees.
Each participant competed in two races: a heat followed by
either the final or ‘wooden spoon’ race.
With only 100 of the 500 capacity qualifying, and with a number of
professional triathletes involved, my goal was simply to join Jenson in the
final.
I pushed hard and happily I made it - then was delighted to come home in a very
respectable 38th place.
Following the race I was lucky enough to get the opportunity
to have a chat with Jenson. I asked him
if he had any recommendations as I continue my preparation for next year.
“When I was younger I was given some advice that has always
stayed with me: It’s the bad days that make you who you are.”
This message really resonated with me. You see, in March 2009 I had a very bad day.
It started so well. I
was living in Verbier, a ski resort in Switzerland. The previous night had seen a huge dump of
snow and in the morning the sun came out.
Conditions were perfect. On the
way up the mountain
I turned to my friends and said “I think this is
going to be the best skiing day of the whole season.”
Famous last words.
On the very next run I fell.
It was an innocuous fall, but it was in the wrong place. We were off-piste and it was steep. I fell and kept on falling, over rocks and
cliffs, before coming to rest 150 metres lower down in excruciating pain.
It took 45 minutes for the helicopter to get me off the
mountain. In hospital the Swiss doctors catalogued
my injuries: 14 broken bones including 3 broken vertebrae and 2 shattered
heels.
It was a bad day.
But this is not the end of the story. It is the beginning. This day, more than any other, is what made
me who I am.
Oh, and Jenson had one more piece of advice for me.
“Don’t wear women’s clothes.”
True story; Wise words.
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