Setting The Foundations

As I approach my final day of classes here at UT Austin, Im beginning to look back and reflect on certain things and events in my life. One of the things Ive thought a lot about is how throughout the years, I've set the foundations to get to where I am today, and always through the foundation setting process, how many obstacles Ive faced and how eventually (now) most of the obstacles doesnt seem to frankly matter thah much anymore.

One of the key things Ive reflected upon is my sports career (as usual). It truly amazing how many lessons and things you can take away from sports that apply in life. Its like theyre the same thing!

My first year doing trithlon back in 06/07, I always wanted to put in the huge weeks and mileages that the pros were doing. Back then 15 hours of training a week seemed like eternity to me as even when I was running at a high level 10 hours of running was enough to kill me (especially when I did 100 mile weeks as a 17 year old). My only goal that year was to finish and do a 1/2 ironman. I came in 3rd in my age group for my 1st ever triathlon and finished within the top 10% of the field! As of last year, I decided to take it up a notch and was trying to turn elite amateur, trying to win my age group at the prestigious UK 70.3 1/2 iron race. I failed, I bonked out with tight muscles and dead legs on a typical cold UK day. Bummer. I was depressed, all those months of 20hours of training for no good reason at all! (Or so it seems). However that loss and that day was only the start of something even better!

I went back home for summer, trained with Stingray Swim club back home and worked hard in the pool. I was rewarded with a stronger swim coming to TX in Aug 08 and boy did everything seem to pick up from there! I suppose its sufice to say that, if I never had done those 20 hour weeks, I wouldnt be where I am today. Those hard weeks training alone back in the UK has set me up well for the 25hr per week of training Im holding nowadays. I suppose in a lot of ways its like paying your dues before you are able to get to a certain point in life.

Its amazing how this law holds true for everything, such as relationships, career, and even studying. All those years rote learning and doing all those homework back then set the foundation for university today! The problems with relationships where one works hard but never succeeds/ breakup also has set the foundation for one to learn and the opportunity to be a better person and do much better the next time round.

So in short I guess, sometimes in life we have to pay certain dues, put in the time and work (along with scrweing up again and again) before certain things come to us. That way we are able to appreciate things more when they do finally come to us!

Still building,
Yuen