Surprise

Something a little unexpected happened today. I got selected for a a state team.

The team I got selected for was not in triathlon (I don't think such a think exists) but actually in paddling. I say unexpected because while going to the national championships has been a goal of mine, I wasn't really expecting to get there this year.

I have some reservations about accepting my invitation because I will racing in the Open division (that is the default category for under 40s). The Open division is sort of like lining up in the Pro division in an Ironman, it is where all the professional team paddlers will be. Fair to say that going to the championships will definitely result in me getting my rear end handed to me on a platter.

However, like I did when I decided to race as a Pro Triathlete, I tend to approach these opportunities with a philosophy of not letting fear of the unknown inform my decision. Not entering a race because you are scared that you will lose seems like a silly reason to not do something. If you lived your life that way you would end not doing anything, which I guess is what some people do. I would prefer to have the experience and lose than miss out on the opportunity and feel that I kept my ego intact. That is the approach I took when I raced triathlons and I have never regretted it, not for a moment.

Anyway, it is for these reasons I am pretty sure I will accept my team nomination, it is simply too good a chance to miss. Plus I am only under 40 until the end of this year and after that I will move out of the division, so I literally won't get this opportunity again.

With all that in mind I have decided it is time to take some of my own advice. I am going to look into getting a coach.

I often say on this blog that one of the best things an athlete can do it get a coach, somebody who knows more than you and can use that knowledge to help you push your boundaries, make improvements, drive fitness and generally get quicker. I definitely believe in this advice and stand by it, but I have to say, I haven't been following it myself when it comes to paddling. The main reason I haven't employed a coach is because I haven't been taking it all that seriously so far. Paddling is something I do for fun, I know enough about fitness and technique to be dangerous, so I have been figuring that self coaching was probably good enough. So far it has worked okay, but as the gains have been getting harder and harder to find I have been starting to feel that a coach might not be a bad idea, somebody to help me find those unrevealed 1%ers. This invitation to go to the national competition just crystalised that feeling. Just starting that process now, which is kind of surprising.

Getting the invite overnight was certainly an unexpected surprise, but I think it is one that I am going to try and grasp with two hands.