I know this is always something that needs to be taken with a thought process that allows you a learning curve that is outside an obvious physical exertion but the relationship between the thought and the action is very conected
Kerryn McCann Marathon Ispiration dead at 41
Some things come along and just rock you and I felt this way when I learned of the death of the 41-year-old dual Commonwealth Games gold medalist Kerryn McCann from breast cancer. Damn I get a tear in my eye as I write this, you see so many tales of extrodanary feats but as an Ozzie when
she won gold in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006. i cheered for a bloody great effort by a real person her victory rightly taking its place as a great moment in Australia’s history.
Tributes have been paid to the humility and unassuming character of marathon runner Kerry at her funeral her death leaves behind husband Greg and children Benton (11), Josie (5) and Cooper (14 months).
McCann was diagnosed last year while she was pregnant but held off having treatment until Cooper was born.
Former Olympian and breast cancer survivor Raelene Boyle and long distance runners Steve Moneghetti and Craig Mottram were among the mourners.
Husband Greg delivered the eulogy,his hurt apparent by his statements of heartfelt descriptions of his champion wife of 17-and-a-half years,
the memory of a vibrant,sweetest person I ever met
Photo: Danielle Smith
there was a short time there we had absolutely everything. We couldn’t have wanted any more.”
He said she made sure their family was OK before she died.
“Just before 20 past 11 at night she said goodbye. She was so exhuasted but she never gave in,” he said.
Kerry has been an inspiration to many Australians and Australian athletes… she will continue to be an inspiration,
her legacy stretched beyond the track and pavement, for mothers across Australia, Kerryn McCann was their athlete
all mourn the loss of a wonderful wife and mother, a champion athlete and a truly great Australian.”
Sprint star Raelene Boyle, a breast cancer survivor herself, said her friend was as brave in life as she was in running
She said she spoke to McCann just a week ago and the mother of three was still speaking hopefully of making progress
against her aggressive form of breast cancer. “She wanted to win,” Boyle said.
McCann was diagnosed with breast cancer in August last year while she was pregnant with her third child.
McCann noticed the lump in her breast months before she did anything about it
She had a 2.5cm lump removed from her right breast when she was 31 weeks pregnant, but McCann delayed having chemotherapy until after the birth of her son Cooper Patrick.
She underwent an 18-week course of chemotherapy after the birth, with her treatment ending in January this year.
Soon after McCann was diagnosed with secondary cancer in her liver.
McCann won the hearts of Australia
McCann’s marathon win was judged the most memorable moment of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and made into a stamp.
McCann was aged 38 when she provided one of the dramatic highlights of Melbourne’s 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Exchanging the lead several times with Kenyan Hellen Cherono Koskei as they approached the MCG, McCann hit the front and entered the stadium to a massive roar from the crowd.
As the pair battled the final stretch around the stadium, McCann lost the lead before summoning an inspiring home straight burst to eclipse Koskei and snatch victory by two seconds.
She described it as “probably the greatest victory I’ve ever had, or the greatest race I’ve ever run”.
She also won gold in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 and represented Australia in the event at three Olympic Games.
When McCann revealed last year that she had beaten breast cancer after it was detected during her third pregnancy.
“The surgeon was confident he got it all and he was right. It’s fantastic news,” McCann told New Idea in October 2007.
However, in September of this year, her husband said his wife was undergoing a “few problems”.
Leaving you with a statment from Kerry do you think she stepped up to the start line, Oh people be bold, you do not know when the sand empty’s from the hour glass of our time here, step up to the start line now
But you ride with it. Yes, it’s just the way it had to be
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Short course or sprint Triathlon for beginers
- Image by matt coats via Flickr
Mini Triathlon
Training for a triathlon can seem overwhelming to athletes who are just beginning or who aren’t quite physically ready for multisports racing.
Just the thought of having to swim, bike AND run successively in one race is probably enough to turn anyone off from even trying the event. If this sounds familiar, why not try for a mini triathlon? These small but challenging races are popping up all over the world and are proving to be great fun for every aspiring multi sporter.
You Know I used to POH HA these events as I was firmly in the camp of purist Olympic distance racing but as the insurance and ligative arm of human interaction reared its ugly head the short course became a viable option for getting people into the sport of triathlon
Some mini races feature different distances for each of the three disciplines of the sport. Some are separated into different age group categories, such as a mini triathlon for kids and one for seniors, but most are open to virtually any athlete that cares to join.
Some start as small as a ( I have put this in old money distances as I am surprised how many people outside Ozzie read this The distance I would be talking about in Ks is 300 mtr swim 20k bike 3k run ) 250 yard swim in a pool, a 4 mile bike ride and finally a 1.5 mile run, some are a bit longer and include a ¼ mile swim, twelve mile ride and three mile run to the finish.
Why subject yourself to a mini triathlon? Many athletes would admit that training for and finishing a triathlon is one of their most memorable accomplishments as well as most enjoyable.
Wherever you end up on the finishers results list, you’ll probably get hooked and want to try another race which is a great thing to promote
With every finish comes the natural desire to push a little bit harder to get a little bit quicker. Trying to beat your last finish time is always a huge personal motivator for most athletes! .
However, a full Olympic or Half-Ironman tri could prove to be too much of a challenge so you have to be realistic and safe, so aiming for a mini triathlon is a much better and more realistic choice.
If you set your goals too high, the likelihood of giving up half way along your triathlon journey is much greater, whereas having a goal that’s attainable - such as first completing your first sprint triathlon.
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Air Force’s Lamoureux overcomes depression
Image by Auntie P via Flickr
I like to write or comment on any sport related motivational story for those who are into ice hockey this guy has a great story and timely observations.
Jacques Lamoureux, a
accolades typical of a team leader quickly fill the air. amoureux, according to consensus, is a rink rat,
Lone of those guys who is the first one on the ice and the last one off.
So it hardly is a surprise to learn that when Lamoureux was at his lowest point, when it seemed as if nothing could relieve the pain except a more forceful squeeze on the shotgun he was curled beside, ‘lamoureux’s wake-up call did not occur due to any surrender to his own misery.
It happened because his depression was putting someone else he cared for in jeopardy.
Lamoureux, then a teenager battling a depressive state that seemed all-encompassing, did not want his misery to bring harm to his brother sleeping beside him.
“When it got to the point where I recognized myself that I needed help was when I was sleeping with my dad’s shotgun and my little brother was sleeping on the mattress next to my bed,” I was trying to make little cries for help, but I don’t think they were being taken as serious as they should have been. I just said I needed to get help, or something might happen.”
Lamoureux got help, setting off a journey through depression that would involve heartache, recovery, dedication and frustration
Dark days
Teenage depression often is not identified until it is too late, after a child hurts himself, or worse.
Lamoureux was aware enough to reach out when he needed help, an act of admission made easier by the support he knew he had within his family.
Raised in Grand Forks, N.D., Lamoureux grew up in a hockey household. Feeling the pressure of following in the footsteps of his father and brother, while also enduring a painful breakup, Lamoureux finally confided in his mother about the full extent of his depression.
After an immediate trip to the emergency room, Lamoureux was paired with a psychologist and prescribed antidepressants.
” I put a lot of pressure on myself to play well and be recognized. I think that kind of snowballed.
“You see that a lot with teenagers today. . . . They break up with people and they think their world is coming down. I think that happened with me, and it spiraled out of control before I could get a handle on it.”
It was during this time in Bismarck that Lamoureux discovered another outlet for his demons. For a composition assignment, Lamoureux recounted a small portion of his tale.
Encouraged by his teacher as well as a psychology instructor, Lamoureux began speaking to classes at his school about what he had endured and how they too could get help if they ever fell into such dire straits.
After his story was published in several local news outlets, a representative from Yellow Ribbon, a national organization dedicated to preventing suicide, helped arrange for Lamoureux to speak at several schools in Pennsylvania.
Lamoureux’s demands at the academy have not allowed him to schedule similar speaking engagements around Colorado Springs, but he said he would welcome the opportunity.
“The responses that I got and my teacher got helped a lot of people into the process of getting help,” La- moureux said. “There are a lot of kids that have the same type of problems, but you don’t know about it because it’s not talked about. If it helps one person, then I’m doing my job.”
The long road
His hockey and academic careers back on track, Lamoureux set his sights on college - specifically, Air Force.
Yet while Lamoureux more than fulfilled academic and athletic requirements, his depression, combined with the medication he had been prescribed years earlier, came back to haunt him.
The academy failed to clear Lamoureux medically, denying his admission.
Lamoureux couldn’t help thinking he should have been on that team.
given that Lamoureux had been off medication for years and had excelled academically at Northern Michigan, a window of opportunity was open.
Lamoureux eventually was accepted, spending last season getting acclimated to the academy while taking a redshirt season because of NCAA transfer rules.
“I hoped they would think that I was over the depression now that it had been four or five years,” Lamoureux said. “I did well in school, did well in hockey. I figured I’d give it another shot and, hopefully, they’d let me in this time. Thankfully, they did.”
Flying start
“We knew he would be a great addition to our team, but I don’t think anyone thought in their wildest dreams that he would be doing the things that he’s done and contributing like he has been. He’s worked hard and pushed himself and put himself in the position he’s in.”
Lamoureux stormed out of the gate, posting multiple points in the first six games before hitting a three-game lull that ended with a two-assist effort during a sweep of Sacred Heart last week.
Chances are, Lamoureux, like all hockey players, will hit another scoring drought at some point this season. But after surviving the trials that brought him to this time and place, he never will feel so despondent and lost regarding something as simple as a disappointing game.
“You always hear, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’ ” La- moureux said. “I’ve read a lot of books on different players’ approaches to the game, and it’s the hardships you go through playing hockey that make you a better player. It’s the same thing in your personal life. When you go through tough times, it’s going to make you stronger mentally and make you more prepared for things that come up.
So what is the take home for us, may be, it is, a dark time is not always the end of the road if you are involved in sport and you take a dive in your results, take a step back and connect with a passion not a result.
If you are part of the 1 in five statistics of insistences of depression get help, find a friend, hell man I don’t know you but I care speak up you can be heard by people who understand.
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Raw food for depression and sport
I have been so slack of late partly because I have been struggling with direction and other issues that I have to deal with in managing my depression. Since I have had to stop running because of my ankle injury I have lost a method of depression managment I have used for many years. I have always been conscious of my diet and have commented on this blog before today about the benefits of a raw food diet I though I would put this video up about this fellow who is getting some great results in his running endevours on a raw food diet
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Off Road Triathlon
I thought I would repost a cut down version of a video I posted last year as I was wondering what is the thoughts out there on the way Triathlon is going.
I know for myself I have seen entry costs rise, crowded race courses, and getting nothing back. As a participant I am not so concerned about silver ware as It is not the driving motivation for me, but I do wonder am I getting value for my money ?
Cyclist Anna Meares fractures neck in Velodrome race crash
I like to sit down in front of the idiot box to watch a bit of news and sport and I watched a nasty prang that Anna Meares had, I guess giving her a hard task to get to to the Olympics.
In an interview She said
“I realise that I’m pretty lucky with the injuries I’ve come away with,” admitted Anna “The C2 vertebra, so I’ve been told, is the one that controls your breathing and if that goes so too does your life.
…Wow….. she is a professional sport star, it is good to read that she understands that life is more important than results on a sporting arena.
Folks take a cue, engage in your sport for the right reasons. The tragic death of
Amy Gillett rocked the Australian cycling fraternity, hey shit like that happens. Life can be like that, you can not see what is coming around the corner.
If you survive, the lesson is in how you deal with it, if you don’t, the lesson is for those who are left behind.
The act of participating, is the reason to be at a place different from where you are, whereby gaining a foothold on a life that may have been,that would have never could be.
That’s why, by you stepping up to the start line, you engage with life, and dream to arrive at a place that you have elected to strive for.
In addition to the heavy skin grazing, torn tendons and muscle tissue. Anna dislocated the AC joint in her right shoulder and sustained the hairline fracture to her C2 vertebra.
The Los Angeles accident was the first serious crash Anna has been involved in since 1999, while her last track crash of any form was during her first year as a senior in 2002.
The accident in Los Angeles has a very real impact on her Beijing Olympic Games bid. she is currently ranked fourth in the qualification standings for August’s games, the four to six weeks she’s expected to spend off the bike will mean she will miss the final two qualification events – the Copenhagen Track World Cup round and the Manchester World Track Championships.
Anna Meares’ determination is to be ready for the Olympic challenge, from the day after the accident it was evident she has already began preparing for the road ahead.
When asked how the accident has affected her emotionally with regards to returning to the bike she responded with saying
“Right from when I was conscious after the accident I could feel both of my legs and I had no trouble with that,” she explained. “The time that I really started to worry was when the doctors came in and said there was a hairline fracture and that they needed to go back and look through the x-rays, I was pretty heavily sedated by that stage so it didn’t really sink in until a few days later. “I don’t really think at this stage I’m too scared of getting back on the bike, I’m quiet eager to get back on the bike. I guess the main thing there will be when I get back on the velodrome and see how that goes.”
GO girl go thank you for your courage, dare to to dream your own dreams folks step up to the start line
Triathlon breast beating
Like training for a triathlon, beating breast cancer takes strategy.
And for the six breast cancer survivors on the Roaring Fork Women’s Triathlon Team, strategy involves passion and endurance, perseverance and camaraderie.
All parts of life are held together with the determination to be at a place that is comfortable and to a level that is dependant on the motivating drive behind the desired outcome
One of the reasons I do this is because I don’t want to have any regrets if it comes back,” triathlete Debi Wright said.
Wright, of Glenwood Springs, is a six-year survivor and two-year member of the team. she described being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing treatment as an out-of-body experience.
Triathlon training serves as a reality check.
“Just to know you can get your body back,” she said.
The six women share a passion for their sport, which helps them lead healthy lifestyles, even during the toughest of cancer treatments. Their determination to not let cancer win extends from the courses they run to the courses of their everyday lives.
“Fitness is absolutely non-negotiable in my world,” triathlete Jill Jarling said. “There is absolutely no doubt fitness helps fight reoccurrences.”
Jarling, of Glenwood Springs, is in her first year on the triathlon team. She celebrates four years of being cancer-free Saturday, and suggests exercise in any form to help cope with cancer.
On Aug. 19, Halladay marked two years being cancer-free. Triathlon training keeps her motivated to lead a healthy lifestyle, she said.”Having a goal … training for a triathlon, it gave me something to focus on,” said Halladay, a five-year triathlete. “And Tri for the Cure (Sprint Triathlon for breast cancer), it’s got a lot of meaning for me now.”
Nancy Reinisch, the team’s co-coach, said Halladay was an inspiration after her breast cancer diagnosis a year-and-a-half ago.
“To me, Heidi was my mentor,” Reinisch said. “I don’t want my life to be cancer. And athletics are a part of that, part of the power of knowing other breast cancer survivors. It’s important to have role models.”
Mary Jay was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago and became interested in triathlon training to support other women.
She finds participation empowering.
“I joined for the motivation and support, and the accountability to get up in the morning,” she said.
Anderson - a breast cancer survivor of one year - joined the team long before she knew how important the 50 triathletes would be in her life.
“Nancy (Reinisch) really inspired me. … She was just four months in front of me,” she said. “I also knew I had to get back in shape after.”
“What research is saying is that exercise actually blocks the hormone level for return of tumor growth,” she said. “It’s not just for our appearance - it’s life or death.”
Wright said exercise keeps her mind and body in check.
“It’s the mental aspect of it,” she said. “I don’t like to take drugs. I’d rather go out for a run.”
Or swim. And a bicycle ride.
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Sometimes when you really do want to get started
BUT
the Motivation is not there try the power of positive therapy to change the way you think CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE
see where it takes you
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