Day in the Sun

A wonderful day today, a day that reminds you just how good a day can be and what is important in life.

Today the weather was a repeat of yesterday. Warm without being hot, endless blue skies, gentle breezes. An Perth Autumn day that was being all it could be.

To make the most of such perfect weather our family unit spent most of the day as a family relaxing down by the river. The kids spent the entire time, digging, running, swimming and playing. Over and over. They are shattered now, but they had a ball. For us the day was spent sitting in the shade, chatting with friends and occasionally heading out on the Standup Paddle Boards. It was pretty much a perfect Autumn day. It was a reminder of how good life can be and that it is about so much more than sport.

Today did include a bit of exercise, a jog this morning, but that was a bit of a footnote on the day. The rest of the day had nothing to do with sport and it was one of the nicest days that I have in a very long time.

People often ask me how I am adjusting to life without racing, but it is a tough question to answer, because the answer often changes from day to day. However, I think over the last few weeks I have been adjusting pretty well. The longer I spend without racing and full time training, the more I am appreciating what a balanced life can be like. I am never going to be happy without exercise, and for my long term health it wouldn't be a good idea to stop. However, with the decreased training load has come a significant increase in time. It is a slow process, but I am really starting to enjoy the variety of life that can come with that extra time.

I have said before that I am never going to regret the time spent racing pro in triathlon. The opportunities it gave me and the experiences I had will be memories for life. However, as my life moves to a new chapter I am finding myself happier and happier to be making the move. Days like today are illustrations that while stopping racing wasn't part of my original plan, it isn't the end of my life. Instead, rather than the end, it is just the beginning of another new and exiting part.

Looking forward to many more days in the sun.