Becoming a winner – part 5

Alex

My wife used to think I was wasting time posting on Transitions. In fact she thinks I’m wasting time any time I’m not out there sweating in the hot Queensland sun. I think I’ve spoiled her. My average day starts at 4.30am to either be out training at 5am or at the pool coaching at 5.30am. After I have coached the squad I train myself, usually swim or sometimes swim and then intervals on the windtrainer.

After that start to the day I either write training programs or articles for the day on an easy day or work at landscaping projects for the day. In the evening I answer all of my e-mails and catch up with my office work, knocking off at about 7pm. Anything less and she thinks I’m getting soft.

If I hadn’t wasted my time on Transitions I would never had met Alex. The amazing thing is, he almost bought a block of land just down the road from me a year earlier and we could have been neighbours.

Alex contacted me after reading some of my posts and some of the critical comments I attracted on Trannies. It seemed that some of the Trannies folk disagreed with whatever I said without evaluating the content.

Anyway it was a good day for both of us. They say “good horses make good trainers”, the same goes for coaches. Who would have ever heard of John Carew, if Kieran Perkins had not walked into his swim school?

From the first contact I had with Alex, I read, “honesty, intelligence, cool head, responsible, committed”. They say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. I am usually guided by gut instinct.

Alex has been training with me for 12 months, in that time he has dropped over 20kgs (I’m not a details person, he’ll probably tell you it’s 23.62kgs). He’s like that, he likes details, me, I like the big picture and the feel of things.

Apart from his dramatic weight loss, his athleticism and personality have changed. He’s gone from being a lone trainer searching the internet for new training ideas and the latest equipment, to a Cyco. A valued team mate who can be relied on for his dedication and courage.

After the first year of training Alex has reduced his Half Ironman time by 1hr 14min. We both look forward to his next Ironman event Busselton in Dec 07. Last year it was his first IM in a time of 13.50. Don’t be suprised if he takes 4hrs off that.

Alex has set some long term goals, he’s already having to fast forward them. I told him it would be a two year plan to get results he’d be happy with. We’re only half way there.

His surname is Rieken, I haven’t asked what’s the ethnic origin of it, but he has a German Ironman triathlete attitude. In Ironman triathlon, attitude is everything.

Alex is already a winner, and he has lots more to achieve.