ATHLETE OF THE MONTH – APRIL 2018

ALLYSON LINDSAY

Congratulations to Allyson Lindsay, AOTM for April 2018.

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

I was pretty shocked when I found out about this. It's a real honour.

I’m so thankful to Trent, the coaching team and the people I train with for their advice, encouragement and support over the last few years.

2.        What attracted you to the club?

My partner Paul briefly called himself a triathlete a couple of years ago and was working in the Valley so he started training with Red Dog at Valley Pool. I was training with another tri club whose timetable was changing constantly. I saw that the timetable had a lot more training options that fit in a bit better for me – so I thought I’d try it out and I’m very glad I did.

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

I’m training about 13-15 hours a week at the moment and am on a program for Cairns 70.3. I’m doing 2-3 sessions per week for each discipline depending on the week, and I do some gym work and yoga as well.

4.        Least favourite session and why?

My favourite sessions are where I just have a run to do. The simplicity of heading out for a while and listening to some music without any interruptions is bliss.

My least favourite sessions would have to be swimming. I seem to swim slower when I try to swim faster.

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

That drivers give space to cyclists as the law requires and stop the abuse.

6.        Favourite motivational quote?

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

7.        The one bit of advice I’d give to a newbie is…

I have a few bits of advice:

a)    Don’t go out and buy every bit of kit straight away – take the time to work out what is best for you and ask lots of questions before you buy 

b)    When your program says that you are on an ‘easy week’ – do not believe this

c)    Please see my comments about trialling new things just prior to a race in my answer to Q 8

d)    Don’t follow Sarah Richmond in an open water swim – see Q 12

8.        My next race is…

As I mentioned, Cairns 70.3 is next. This will be my first half ironman race.

I did do Goondiwindi Hell of the West back in 1997 but it was a total disaster. I was new to triathlon back then and had no idea about nutrition or how much training I should do and just thought I’d give it a go. I did pretty much EVERYTHING they say you shouldn’t do prior to a race. My biggest mistake was that I ate stuff the morning of and during the race that I picked up at the expo the day prior that I hadn’t trialled before. The very kind lady who let me use her bathroom whilst I was out on the run course may still not be game to go in there.

9.        I couldn’t do what I do without…

Paul is a huge support to me. Whether it’s keeping my bikes clean and running ok or just being a voice or reason when I’m getting my crazy on about something – he’s always there for me.

10.      What do you do outside of triathlons?

Work – so that I can afford to do more triathlons. I also like to sit down with my feet up quite a lot.

11.      What’s your one guilty pleasure?

I love a nice glass of wine with some good quality cheese.

12.     Who’s your favourite sparring partner in the squad and why? 

Sarah Richmond and I are in the same age group and she is much quicker than me across all three disciplines - so she’s not really a sparring partner. It’s more that I’d like to solve the mystery of what happens to Sarah in the swim because a couple of times now, I have somehow ended up coming out of the water in front of her by quite a few minutes. It happened again at Moreton Bay on the weekend. I’ve searched for answers and so far have found none. #wheredoesrichogo 

A list of all AOTM recipients can be found here