Escaping from prisons

It has been almost three years since I started this wonderfully crazy sport. I never thought that I would love it so much when my Mom and Dad first suggested that I give it a try almost five years ago. The problem was that I was not exactly in the position to commit to a sport that really does require vigilance and dedication. With the help from God, wonderful people and a 12 step programme I escaped from a mentally imprisoned past - a past that I chose myself. For two years drug and alcohol addiction took the better of me and swung me around until I finally gave in and asked for help…and this is where it all started…

I was in a treatment clinic for an entire month, I know it doesn’t sound long, but it felt like a year! In one of my first written exercises I pathetically put pen to paper about how frustrated I was that I could never launch a triathlon hobby. The next week I started running around the periphery of the property, which we couldn’t leave without permission. It was roughly a 400m lap of which I ran about 10-15 laps per day. Everyone thought I was crazy (suppose I was a little) but I knew that I was starting my long awaited triathlon and running hobby.

Now at the end of 2007, after having done a few races in the past two years, I was introduced to the most gruelling and most physically challenging race that I have ever done. Believe me, I have done weeks of physical farm labour in the Karoo sun for hours every day, even that was does not compare to the amount of physical endurance required to do the Jailbreak Max (Half Ironman - actually ¾). My fitness is definitely at a peak, but I soon realised that training for a half and full Ironman requires a different professional approach.

I do also find that shorter races (sprint and standard triathons) are very difficult and probably as challenging, but the mental and physical endurance required for even just a half Ironman is something that doesn’t develop overnight.

I know popular belief is that up to 80% of a race is mental stamina and not so much the physical readiness. I do believe that this is true but the only way for me to attain that mental stamina is to make sure that I train enough. Dedicated training and routine is the only way for me to feel mentally fit for a race.

In this last Jailbreak race that I did I wanted to quit every minute of the entire cycle leg. We had to do 2 laps which amounted to 100km, 50km each. After the first lap of fixing two punctures in the freezing rain I thought that I will ‘down grade’ and just do the rest of the race as a standard distance. But the fighting spirit came through and I ended up finishing the race and escaping from prison. Initially I wanted to have an above average finishing time, but this soon changed to just wanting to finish as an achievement on its own. I then realised that for me triathlon is all about achieving what you never thought you would ever be able to and taking your body to another physical limit. The combination of swimming, cycling and running has some incredible effect on the body that you feel you have used every inch of muscle in your entire body. The pleasure that comes with having achieved such distances in all disciplines is immeasurable.

I was totally overcome with emotion by this twofold Jailbreak - breaking through and finishing the race and breaking free from addiction.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 am and is filed under 2008, Jailbreak, Jailbreak 2008, Jailbreak triathlon, race report, story. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.