Hany Yacoub

And So It was a Maiden Olympic Triathlon

And just like that it was the end of a race, the end of my maiden race an Olympic Triathlon,

Where shall we start?

I think a few race wrap ups are due…

To summarise this in one word is hard, but the word is “Tenacious”.

I have been known to be stubborn, inflexible and a mule…That much I have proven in this race. But who didn’t know that about me J

Let’s recap the race day and I will try not to get emotional about it.

The first bit of news worth mentioning for the day was that I was notified that

• No wetsuits allowed
• Had to rush to get bike in transition

Can I just say that those two items combined had set the wheels in motion for the rest of the day. As I had previously and consciously stated that my swim leg had been “Atrocious” to say the least. Abysmal! Abhorrent! Abominable and basically an Anchor

You get the picture yet? Well if you don’t I am ranked 599 out of 609 finishers and out of the 609 finishers 10 DNF (Did Not Finish) the race… so yeah, I was dead last out of the water.

I am grateful for a few things though. And they are in that order:

• I want to thank John Mergler whom without his help, I would not have finished at all.
• I wish to thank the patient crew that despite me being as slow as a snail in quick sand let me continue
• The creators of Finding Nemo for the distraction when I just needed to swim and stop panicking so I started singing, “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming”

It was an ugly and horrible experience and I cannot promise I will not attempt it again. After a very fragile start and getting kicked and swum over in the rush, I drank half the ocean and was filled with dread and panic when I looked up and saw that the marker was so far away.

But, a mule just sticks to the task and so I did.

I came out of the water gassed and completely running on empty. Forgetting to drink and taking supplements and coughing and spluttering I got on the bike. I can vouch that it was not important how smooth that bike was because I was still coughing on it and had no rhythm for the first lap. In fact I think in the first 12 kms I only overtook one person and it was mainly because I was exhausted, frustrated and god knows had no power in the legs to pedal. That last one was a fellow CanTooer who overtook me slowly and while she remained infront of me, I was almost penalised.. Talk about a wake up call

I had no song in my head for just keep pedalling and I didn’t want to say just keep swimming. I think it was all a blur. It was 3 painful laps and the only memorable things to occur where

• I hit a stationary cone climbing a little crest (I am really talented, most people do it descending due to speed and control and I do it going up slowly)
• I overtook someone walking their bike up a crest
• I didn’t get penalised for drafting

Did I forget to mention that I stupidly could not locate my race belt that had my nutrition gels and when I got back after the bike I had no water and no gels and was in too much of a rush that I did not have any of the ten different gels I had.

The run was basically running on the joys of getting on the track and seeing fellow CanTooers. There was Fel, Polly and Maxi. Grant, Kay and Mon And how can you not go fast past the ever smiling Ariel who even in the midst of major cramps was cheering and smiling.

I started the race with an aim of 2:59:59 and finished with 3:00:12. I will gladly accept that and be extremely grateful I did not jump on the first board that was near me as I was coughing up the sea. That I didn’t quit when I was offered a raft to get out of the water and I stayed stubborn to finish.

I wanted to make up a 100 positions from my swim leg to my run leg and despite ranked 599 for my swim and 254 for my run, I only managed to improve 97 positions overall and to that ladies and gentlemen I have a Personal Best.

I wish to acknowledge and thank a few very important people that made this race a reality for me.

• I wish to thank Chief Brabon and Gunny Brabon of Original Bootcamp who have literally changed my whole mindset and life about challenging and finding strength when I don’t think I have any.
• I wish to thank the crew at RunLab who have helped me with drills to learn how to maintain consistency
• A special Thank you for CanToo who are an amazing bunch of people driven by passion and positive attitude
• Thank you Gordo #Performance Plus, David & Mark for being awesome coaches and not giving up after my first session
• Thank you John (super awesome Swim coach), Deb and the #cupcakes for their assistance on the bike leg as well
• To my fellow #CanToo team mates who have constantly encouraged, teased, and helped me through a pat on the back, a quick tip or just cheering me home and on the track.
• I wish to thank my lovely girlfriend who minded my boys for the whole weekend so I can go out and strut on the course. And my boys who mostly behaved and I hope one day they too join CanToo
• A Special thank you to all my sponsors who had been magnificent and extremely generous and I am almost there now with their prevalent generosity.

I wish to leave you with the one quote I recite every time I go through adversary or want to remind myself that nothing is ever easy. I was taught this when I was 16 and somehow it stayed with me

“Progress is like a wheel barrow, unless you lift it and put your effort into pushing it, you go nowhere”

I will be back again and look forward to posting more progress.

My Last Track Session before the race

And so the journey down the path is coming to an end.

It was so long ago that I recall arriving to my first session at ES Marks Athletics track. I was running after spending almost 2 hours commuting back from work to train with a new team.

I did not know anyone there. I missed the inductions, introductions and warm up and needless to say, I was very embarrassed. I was running in my own running shirt while the majority already donned a bright orange singlet with CanToo. Hard to miss these guys even in a dark and stormy night. I did what I do best and in the year I was o stop running, I ran as fast as I could and as hard as I could. I didn’t know who was in our pod, I didn’t know why I was running? Who am I running with, from, to and most importantly when was I going to Stop?

Gordo in his calm voice was instructing me at every lap and when we were done, I started stretching and hearing about other members of the tribe. About some fundraising activities, about names that were a blur and about the swim session that was the following night with Deb and John. The next thing I know, I had everyone saying how fast I was on the track and the applauds were coming. I guess at that point in time no one could believe that this allegedly fast runner when I was asked to say something about me; I announced “I am a good runner and shit swimmer- literally an anchor”. I think a few eyes rolled and they thought I was being modest or something like that… Needless to say it didn’t take long for them to see what a shit swimmer really is…

John and Deb tried so hard on the next day and Grant our team captain was so encouraging yet I somehow failed to even swim 50 metres and John tried so hard, he even removed me from the plane… (primarily because the way I was kicking was bound to hurt someone) and no instruction was really getting through.

Move the clock forward 15 weeks and here we are on the last night on the track and I have become a better runner, a better swimmer, a better cyclist and I am actually a tri athlete having completed a Sprint Tri.

However, I actually feel that I am a better person. The training program had not only allowed me to achieve physical endeavours and ambitions, it helped me mentally to keep focused on what’s important during what had been a fairly tough start of the year.

I have built a new connection with an inspiring group of friends who have cheered, aided, assisted and taught me so much in such a little time. I have acquired valuable lessons that will last my a life time:

to persevere in my weakness,

to learn in my ignorance and

to build on my strength

It’s definitely something that I will treasure for life and am absolutely grateful for Jamie who inspired me to be part of it.

I wish to thank all my sponsors to date who have helped me raise the funds needed.

I wish to thank my coaches and mentors who have helped me.

I wish to thank CanToo who have a multitude of hard workers in the back ground to coordinate and organise such mammoth events and bringing it all together seamlessly.

I guess its now left to one last blog post Sunday’s race and I look forward to posting post the euphoria (and the agony) but it will be done// That much I am sure of.

Thank you and if you ever have an inclination for learning and achieving, why not do it while doing something greater and being part of a great team. Go on, you know you want to.

#CanToo

A Post post Husky

The post post Husky,

a lot lot of people will say (including family) that driving 6 hours in a day to run under 2 hours "is not normal"!

To be honest I don't believe I have enjoyed a run as much as I did yesterday at Husky. There was great atmosphere and plenty of positive vibe but to be honest, it was the comaradere and that team spirit that gets you going. It was the cheers along the course for #CanToo and the recognition of that orange shirt up and down the course.

I was extremely nervous prior to the start of the race. I had so much emotions through my head and my body that I was a wreck before even starting. At the start line I ran into a colleague Rob, who only last weekend lost his partner of a life time and she was meant to race with him. She was going to do the run. At 46 Cheri's journey on earth came to a premature and sudden end and I cannot even fathom to imagine what Rob and rest of her and his family and friends felt. She was fit, happy, joyful and way too young to pass away. Yet she did and all I can say that by all accounts she left this land leaving a profound mark on everybody that not only met her but on those who have heard of and about her. Rest in Peace Cheri and may the next journey be just as happy and fulfilling for those that you pass by.

During the run, I had to also ponder why am I doing this? It was time to really assess is this the competition, the down time I get from running, the joy running brings to me or is there another reason. To be totally honest, it was all of the above. But above all its running for a better cause and that's why I chose #CanToo. It was almost 25 years ago that my grandfather passed away from Cancer, 4 years later my grandmother passed away from cancer too. My mum just returned from overseas where she was visiting her brother who for the past 3 years had been battling with colon cancer. Make no mistake, it's a war that he had been fighting and at times it had been a low point and at others it had been a relief in the battle. He is now at stage 4 and its terminal and yet he had been able to fight it for so long. It was not just a fight that he did alone, my grandparents would have fought it too if they could but the disease consumed them and defeated them in a few short months. What has changed is the medical advancements and the research that helps oncologists and radiologists to assist in that fight. It's vital research over 25 years that is giving my uncle that breath of air that keeps him and others like him going on and battling.

That at research is not cheap, it is not wholly funded nor is it sufficient yet. The Organisation of CanToo supplements that research and helps facilitate greater and bigger research than that would have been possible through limited government grants alone. I run for two reasons really

1) research says that excercise helps keep cancer at bay & with several confirmed generations of cancer in the genes, it's a very likely chance I could be struck down. Prevention is better than the cure

2) if I am struck down, I want all the research and possible cures, drugs and any other procedures available to the doctors that are treating me and others.

i will contribute to solving the problem by going through "madness" "abnormality" and tortoures activities in hope that I inspire people to get off the couch and train and to help people to stick their hands in their wallets and provide some assistance towards funding the research. So far I am pleased to have been able to do both, and hope to continue.

In the process of conquering my fears, I am helping in a way to conquer cancer. I hope you can assist, whether it be by getting out there and train (train with #CanToo you will feel great when you don that Orange singlet) or if you are able to pledge the funds. Or do both. It's a fight we all need to stand together on.

#runforcheri #CanToo

I am A Triathlete

Yesterday was my maiden Triathlon.

I have been pondering the atmosphere I had experienced yesterday amongst the nerves, the hurt and the elation of finishing; the experience of a Tribe. Some will say “Tribe” does not always have positive connotations associated with it; however, let me tell you what this Tribe was to me.

The Tribe was CanToo, 73 strong plus almost another 30 in support.

A CanToo Tribe that had the same colours and were easily identifiable by all those who witnessed us and mostly come together only 10 or so weeks ago. Personally, I can attest that I did not know a single person there 10 weeks ago.

The Tribe consisted of 16 year olds to over 65 years old. People from all walks of life, athletic to novice; from all ethnicities, diverse families backgrounds and upbringing, work, socioeconomic , suburbs, beliefs, diets, shapes and sizes and everything else. Yet, this Tribe stuck together united by one goal to find a cure for an incurable disease.

Make no mistake the Tribe was in competition mode, no one had given an inch away and not a single person was not fighting out there to be the absolute best they can. The proofs were 5 podium finishes competing against seasoned professional and elites in the field. A total of 20 in the Top 10 finishers in their categories. This was not a walk in the park or for the faint hearted.

Personally, I have benefitted the most out of the CanToo Tribe. I have achieved greater goals than I had thought possible. I had conquered some fears and had learned to grow a bit each day. I learned the value of tackling tasks that I had doubts I could achieve. I learned to accept my weakness as a learning path not to give up but to try harder. I got to first hand witness comradery and strength and support from complete strangers. I joined a positive Tribe that encourages and advocates not just for its members but for their cause that impacts far beyond the circle it encompasses. The Tribe provided a safe haven not just for those in it but for those that want to be in, it welcomed them with open arms, even when they did not done the Orange shirt.

There is something to be said about that. Everyone was equal and everyone was encouraging and trying to add to the Tribe. I am grateful that this is not what this Tribe experience was. Everyone helped and everyone encouraged. Everyone was positive and including those who did not compete and even some that did not complete their own race were out there helping and cheering and pacing and encouraging.

This made me think of what I want for my Tribe. I want a Tribe that helps more and criticises less. A tribe that cheers all achievements and one that can make each other stronger. A Tribe that has a goal beyond its members and their benefit but one that benefits others and attempts to go beyond what had been achieved to date.

I am proud to have been able to be part of the Tribe and continue to be part of it. I would urge and encourage anyone that wants to belong to register and try it for yourself. They are encouraging all abilities and will have you perform far beyond your own beliefs and what your abilities are.

Thank you to the Organisers, coaches, mentors, team captains and all those working tirelessly behind the scenes.

There is one more event. The one I am actually training for. There will be more heartaches guaranteed and more frets and more pain. But to be honest, there will be more encouragement and more positivity and a great deal of courage to pull from the Tribe.

Thank you to all those that sent messages, donated and checked in before and after the race. You are all amazing.

Till next time

Spice of Life

2015 is coming to a quick sand end. “The Year I stop Running” was my motto for 2015 and I hope I managed to do that.

I see some of you are shaking your heads and saying, no you haven’t. Well let me put some context to what the Year really was all about.

The year I stop running was not about physical activity at all.

The Year I stopped running was to standing up and facing my fears and tackling them head on. It was a reality check of what is my purpose and what am I really running away from.

I guess like most people we have a game face, the face that we present to most of our friends and acquaintances. You know, that one where we display we are in control and know what we are doing and have a purpose that we are driven by and for. The truth is as the years roll by, the clearer the picture that I am not in control of anything. The fact is, this year had taught me more and more about my inability to control the environment I am in. Thank you to those few that have seen my real face and helped apply the joys to it.

Here is some hard truth I have learnt:

I have no control on how my kids grow up or how they learn and how they evolve. But, I do have control on what example I can set for them and I do control that they need to be nurtured and praised and allowed to make their mistakes and be supportive and protective. Yet I also need to be a teacher and not always the friend.

I have no control over my work environment and the actions of other. But, I need to maintain my objectives and deliver what I can and just not dedicate my life to fixing everyone and everything.

I have no control over my own body and even when I train and stretch and cut down my activities, something comes from left field and knocks me out for six. But, I control how to not quit and concede defeat.

Now to the crux of why I am doing this?

To be perfectly honest, I have to say that a certain friend made me lean towards this event. Thank you Jaime Horton for raising the bar and the challenge to tackle something bigger.

I think cancer is one of those things that had touched everyone I know either directly or secondly. I guarantee you that there is not one person out there today that has not known someone that perished from that disease.

Last week I heard of a story from a friend, she received an email from the widow of a close friend to advice of the passing of a friend from cancer. They lost touch for a few years and this father had left behind a young family of four young children. The saddest part for me was the confirmation from his widow that he suffered a great deal from the disease and that she was unable to do more than just being there for him. It’s a major wake up call for everyone. Be present. Be attentive. Be caring. Be gentle and above all BE HAPPY.

Life is precious and it won’t last forever. Make it Special for the Limited time you have.

Be the Spice in your own Life.

I'm training for an Olympic Triathlon with Can Too!

I am training for an event with Can Too, a health promotion organisation that engages and inspires individuals and the community to achieve personal health, wellbeing and altruistic goals.
 
Beginners and experienced athletes alike are given professional coaching as part of a team to run or swim in endurance events- including 10km, half-marathon and marathon runs; as well as ocean swims and triathlons.
 
In return, I am raising valuable funds that go towards innovation in the prevention, care and control of cancer. In 2014, our Can Too community has supported 19 early career researchers through Cure Cancer Australia.

Thank you for supporting me!
 
‘It’s so much fun and I can’t believe I’m going to achieve this goal that I never thought possible. A great program and team support is making it possible. You Can Too!’