Read this brutally honest and inspiring blog from Emma, a Challenge Tri Camp Coached Athlete who has had a very difficult 2024 season, read how she has coped with adversity and re-invented her ‘drive’:
I am in awe of all the time, commitment and dedication of every ability of athlete that takes on the triathlon challenge from Ironman to national races. The juggle of life, work, time, social balance is huge, physically and mentally whatever your age. Fundamentally we want to be our “best” whatever that is to us …. that is the drive.
As a sports psychologist I constantly deal with injuries, anxiety, belief, confidence challenges. I always believe there are tools and processes to get you through these. Helping others has helped me.
Over the last 6 years Brent and Challenge Tri Camp, have been my coach and club. They have been my rock, drive, my training guide, my conduit to triathlon challenges to help me on that journey. To be the best I can be.
So, as we entered the season of 2024 after a great few week’s training in Mallorca, the goals were set and mentally/ physically I was in a good place. As we all know getting to these events takes a lot of support, the challenge was beginning of June, Coimbra European 70.3 Champs.
The swim and bike went very well, leading by 12 mins into the last 6 k of a long straight empty road of the bike course I was quietly confident. Out of nowhere another bike overtook and pulled in front of me, I glanced up from my TT position, saw the front wheel of that bike wobble, not recover, clipping the verge, taking me with them, and then the slow inevitable knowing in a split second I wasn’t going to be ok. The impact of the other bike and hitting tarmac at 35kph face first was black. I can feel the impact now as I write this.
I woke up in an ambulance…35 stitches to my forehead, lip, chin, smashed nose, concussion, hole in knee, countless stitches, torn lats, fractured ribs, bits of fractured bone in my elbow not to mention the unbelievable bruising on every part of my body, made childbirth seem quite attractive.
The weeks and months after were a blur of headaches, being off the pace at work and in life, of continuous pain, lack of mobility, anger, disappointment, worry, loss of confidence, and doubt. I went into a hole in all aspects.
Getting on the bike was the most difficult but I started by going around the block at home with my husband on little rides. Running hurt and was hard work. Swimming which had become a real love now became a disaster; from swimming 1.25’s I was back to 1.50’s min per 100’, my fitness levels dropped hugely. It wasn’t fun.
I carried on … My feedback to Brent on Training Peaks was non-existent, it was hard to be positive and also unfair to inflict that on someone else. I felt low, there was many moments where I had decided to call it my last training day, but I wasn’t quite sure the following day, so I kept going just hoping it may get better.
At the end of August my body suddenly started to feel less painful, small moments of feeling good came back. I met Brent and we started training again with a very much ‘see how you go/feel’ attitude. With all my numbers down on TP I carried on hoping that time and Brent ‘s unwavering belief, few words, honesty and calmness to let me come back to it on my terms evolved. If anyone had pushed me, I would have broken. Goals were set and many goals removed. Being goal orientated this again was hard, but we focused on consistency and building the workload. Small gains.
One goal was still there which we hadn’t removed was 17th October; the World Champs in Malaga, do we go or not …am I ready or not…5 days before I went to a swim day with Challenge Tri Camp….I was unconfident, anxious and doubting and found it tough to go back into that athlete environment again….my swimming was not World Champ speed…but something Brent said flicked a switch…one thing that only your coach could say or notice.
I went to World Champs 5 days later, again still feeling unconfident, scared about the what ifs, but with an understanding of what I would need to do. My husband aptly said, “don’t let doubt hold you back”.
Not really sprint fit I took each element at a time, breaking it all down into the processes and smashing each one thing as best as I could. Going into the pain locker ( which I had been avoiding since my accident`) and in many ways it was very liberating and quite calm making. Our aim was top 10, and as it was I was 4th, 10 seconds off bronze but in a funny way not getting on the podium sort of feels right ….hunger to strive for that top spot again but knowledge that I wasn’t quite good enough this time……so we go back to that good word “drive”…to be the best you can be which I’m not yet. I like to think I’ve broken through and my drive is back, I will call it a setback now and setbacks are not permanent. I like to hope it makes me a better sport psychologist with a new insight into injury trauma and maybe a better person too. So good comes out of bad.
Thank you Brent, Challenge Tri Camp, my husband, and Sarah and Chris, as without your support, expertise and direction I’d have hung my boots up on my accident’s terms and not mine. More challenges ahead, I think.
Emma Fisher – Challenge Tri Camp Coached Athlete
