Inspirational…

Over the last few years my life has taken a dramatic turn. Running in particular has occupied large chunks of my life and from being relatively unfit and overweight I am now fitter than I ever remember. My journey has been quite short but steep, but this in comparison to some of the stories I have read and encountered pales into insignificance…

I commute on the tube each day which, when not blogging, gives me the opportunity to read and catchup on podcasts. I tend to read autobiography’s and having entered the sporting world was pushed towards Lance Armstrong’s – It’s Not About the Bike.  This book should feature on any athletes bookshelf and it would do his book and story dis-justice to highlight it in one short paragraph.  However, if you are ever feeling at a low point in your life this book will show how it is possible to overcome the seemingly impossible and that with self discipline anything is achievable. The other book which I would recommend to any runner is Paula Radcliffe’s – My Story So Far. I did not know what to expect from this book and will be the first to admit how little I knew about Paula and the rollercoaster of a journey she has traveled on. Her running career was far from simple and whilst I’m sure a lot of people out there think ‘well she is obviously just a good runner’ would be amazed at how much training and dedication went into becoming the World Record holder that she is. The title was certainly not handed to her on a plate and I have great admiration towards her and how much she put into her life and running.

As mentioned previously I also use the tube and my long runs to follow a podcast that only started at Christmas. Having followed Liz Yelling on Twitter for some while I acknowledged a tweet pushing the very first Marathon Talk podcast and since that point I have been hooked. It’s a great show to listen too and there audience base is continually growing. The program is presented by Martin Yelling and Tom Williams and it’s the later of the duo who has the most motivational story I have come across over the last few months…

Five years ago, whilst in Lanzarote, Tom witnessed an Ironman for the first time – he had never heard of them before but at that point he decided he wanted to ‘Race’ Ironmans. His overarching goal was to qualify for the ultimate Ironman in Kona, Hawaii. This race takes only the cream of the crop and you have to be in the top percentage of your age group in a select set of worldwide races to be able to compete. Tom set himself a target and decided that this would take up no longer than five years of his life and during that time he would give all he could…

His story is amazing and whilst I’m sure his background in sports science certainly helped, he shows with dedication anything is achievable. Even though he may not have quite reached his own goal I wonder how many people along the route to Lanza he has inspired and are now setting their own goals and pushing themselves further than they ever thought possible. How many people would have seen Tom and gone “well if he can do that then what can I do?”. I have posted before about comments I have received about my own relatively short experiences so can only begin to imagine what it must be like for Tom. I believe all the people out there who are prepared to share their experiences and help others along the way deserve a lot of credit, Tom you are on that list and you can add me to the list of people who have been further inspired by your story.

It’s all still very early in my running career – I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go but whilst there are a few people out there willing to share their wisdom to people far from the elite world like myself I will be happy and in the meantime I am happy to help those that want to listen.

Ironman in five years time when I’m in my early thirties? Ha! Tom – what you think to that…fancy helping me out!!?

N