ATHLETE OF THE MONTH – MAY 2016 

Congratulations to Ian Edwards, AOTM for May 2016. Well done!!!
 

1.           Red Dog AOTM, how do you feel about that?  

Wow!  There were so many wonderful performances at Port, in both races, especially from the first timers, and obviously a number of others who could equally have been awarded this for the same reason, so I am very thankful indeed.  I think the results achieved by RDTT over the past year have been phenomenal and a reward for everyone involved… Just being a part of the culture of RDTT, and the tight group of people training together throughout the year has swept me along and I really do owe Trent and every other member a huge thankyou for helping me develop the way I have.

2.           What attracted you to the club? 

I had been referred by a couple of mates a few years ago, who said to me“…if you want to improve, really improve, if you want to train with people that are better than you, if you want to be pushed, then join Red Dog… they are the best club to join if you want to win”.  This couldn’t be truer… and the lead up to Port, which really for me, started with the lead up to IM70.3 Sunshine Coast in 2015, has been an enormous progression, both technically and mentally.  I have learned how to swim properly, improved my bike strength and speed, and learned how to pace a run without bonking… but more importantly, I have felt cared for, listened to, valued and a real part of RDTT by Trent and every member.  I can honestly say, I have learned something (lots of things) from everyone that I have trained with, and the journey to Port and beyond simply would not have happened like it did without that level of coaching, support, friendship, competition and motivation.

3.           How much training do you do at the moment?

Post Port Mac, I am at around 12-15 hrs/week.  In the lead up to Port, I was between 20 and 24 hrs/week.  Probably not the highest number of hours when compared with a lot of others, but coupled with full time work, is significant enough.

4.           Least favourite session and why?

I love going to training, even early mornings… but if I had to pick one… Tuesday night swim session… it’s the one session where I always feel the slowest in my lane, and I always seem to have that post-work sluggishness going on.

5.           If you had one wish, what would it be?

Just one more bike…

6.           Favourite motivational quote?

“…it never gets easier… you just get faster.”

7.           The one bit of advice I’d give to a newbie is… set goals for yourself if you want to improve, but realise that sometimes the goal you set can limit your performance if it is too realistic… so don’t be afraid to set a goal that seems more than a stretch target… if you truly believe and buy-in to that goal, even if you miss it, more often than not, you will have squeezed the absolute maximum out of yourself…   Realistic goals usually get you realistic results.

 8.           My next race is… World Champs in Kona… who’d of thought I would ever be able to say that?

9.           I couldn’t do what I do without… the support of my wife, Dani… the time I spend training, the holidays that are based around races and the amount of money spent on food, requires a very understanding partner.

10.       What do you do outside of triathlons?

Try to spend as much quality time with the kids as possible, and obviously work… I rarely watch TV, and spend the rest of my time keeping the house and yard looking respectable.

11.       What’s your one guilty pleasure? 

I actually have two…

1) getting a lunch swim session in during the day whilst “working from home”… and

2) Falling asleep on the couch mid afternoon… or falling asleep with the kids after reading a bedtime story.

12.       Any advice on how to avoid divorce while training for Ironman? 

a) Schedule training between 2am and 7am... being able to get a decent ride or run in and make it back home before the kids are awake takes the pressure off, and

b) make sure the housework gets done... those two things seem to prevent the most common grievances from surfacing.

I remind Dani of the photo below… “See… obviously, cos we are still married, I can’t possibly be training too much…!”

A list of all AOTM recipients can be found here