You could be forgiven for thinking this will delve into some Casanovan act or a salacious sculpture I was inspired by in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery…alas no.

The sum of three was in fact a swim, bike ride and run…yes a triathlon and on the Olympic* course too! Challenges come at us from all different places and in 2017 I had been too reactive to them, it was time to put a holt to this. To celebrate the start of 2018 and five years of An Endless Summer I gave myself one…try a different summer travel experience – a triathlon…and to achieve it would take a complete realignment of myself, the perfect catalyst.

Each week brought hours of early morning swimming at Icebergs, cycling and running mixed with many more hours of personal training and numerous yoga sessions. At the first yoga session I thought I had found my calling, only to find out I entered the previous class that was about to finish and there was more to it than lying down listen to music, frigg. Never fear, I would soon conquer Dagwood Dog…um…I mean Down Dog.

3+ months later and I couldn’t wait for the starter’s gun. My waist was down from a 38 to a 32, weight down over 10% and my mind tenacious…all focussed on the crystal trophy waiting at the finishing line (ok, it might be been diamantes but hey, you still had to finish…right?!).

The race was thrilling with 300+ competitors who were all there in the name of fun…even the 17 year old who took the day out with a cracking time…I never saw him.

Crossing that line I thought what is next? Carrying the Australian flag at the Commonwealth Games (!!) of course, having just hit my peak fitness at the perfect time. Turns out I needed to be slightly quicker to qualify…only in the area of 50% quicker…um, yep, ok…Garling Games it is till then (sans my cousin Matthew Garling who is faster than me).

On the drive home I could not help but muse how the Greeks have it so right…not just the lamb Gyros from the food truck at the finish I had devoured… but their saying that the whole is greater than the simple sum of its parts…so to paraphrase…even if you don’t excel or come up short at one aspect remember it is the whole of you and your actions that become the totality of you.

Be amazed at what you can achieve, and mostly importantly find out. I am.

* For those into detail this was the rowing Olympic course and not the triathlon one, a small point that may get left off any future story telling.