My name is John O'Brien, I am 6foot tall, dark hair, I can run 100m in 12.2seconds and I have a six pack. If you have ever played the game 4 truths and a lie you will have guessed that only 1 of the above is true. My name is John O'Brien, I am 5f 11", its about 10 years (more say some) since I had dark hair and the only 6 pack I saw lately was in an off license.
I am a huge rugby and soccer supporter in layman's terms what is commonly referred to as an armchair supporter. I talk a good game, shout at the players when they do what I perceive to be wrong but if I had a football at my feet or a rugby ball in my hands I would struggle to actually dribble around or sidestep my armchair.
About a month or so ago Barry (who will introduce himself to you all soon) asked me if I wanted to get fit. Excellent I thought; Barry has discovered a new way to get fit and loose weight without actually exercising. "Sure" I said "What do you have in mind". Barry suggested we do a Triathlon. For some reason before my brain actually processed what he had said my mouth had replied "Ya that would be fun". It is because of this that I am here writing for you all on this the first day of my training program.
To understand what exactly this event means to me you need to know something about me. I am as lazy as anyone you will ever meet. If the battery's were gone in the TV remote control I could end up watching Judge Judy for hours rather than get off the couch and change the channel. My boss said to me in my last review that I wasn't a finisher. I have great intentions, spirit and drive in starting things up. It was the closing them out where I let myself down. This was possibly the first time anyone described me so perfectly in such a short sentence since my 1st year Irish teacher told me my digestive system was quicker than my brain.
Now don't get me wrong I'm not a selfish person. If a friend asked me to give him a kidney it would be done without hesitation. It is generally things for myself I fail to finish. If Barry had said to me about joining a running team or a cycling club I would have joined, gone a few times and then my "dodgy" knee injury would have flared up.
This event however is much bigger then me. The training, the effort, the fund raising the 1500m Swim, the 40K cycle, the 10K run, its not about getting fit. Its about the kids. Its about the charity, the hospital, the lives that are saved and the families that are reunited. Anybody can give 10Euro not everyone gives their time.
I'm putting this blog up for all to witness:
- I will raise this money.
- I will finish this race.
- Getting fit is just a bonus.
"You only lose if you quit" is my motto for this event and I am not going to lose this one.
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