When the coach gets coached!

Have you ever had the experience of getting a taste of your own medicine? Where everything you do is just turned back on you in a way that makes you understand the irony of life and have a good laugh at yourself?

Well, recently I’ve had the joy of experiencing exactly that! And it’s happening on a daily basis from my Kili training coach. Admittedly, I find exercise difficult (see previous blog) and I have to say – yes, hard to admit but true – that I’m a bit of a complainer when it comes to doing it. I’m using all the resources and support I can to get myself going and even in the sessions, you’ll find me bargaining over the number of hill sprints, push ups and the like. I’m the first to puff and pant away saying “stop – I can’t do this anymore”, only to hear my coaches saying back to me, “of course you can! Come on Daphna, what kind of talk is that coming from a coach?”

I’m the one saying “I can’t do it, isn’t there an easier way?” This is a slightly embarrassing admission for a person who has dedicated her life’s work to helping others achieve their own ambitious, challenging goals! I’m the one encouraging my clients to move beyond their comfort zone, take a deep look at themselves and go for what they want – even when it challenges them on an emotional, mental and physical level. The irony of the situation has gained me not a few chuckles from my partners in climb. “What would you say to a client who tells you they can’t do it Daphna?” in a mocking, sarcastic tone – wink wink, nudge nudge!

But together with that, I am pushing myself beyond my comfort zone (way beyond!) and I am thankful for the reassurance and support from my trainers and friends – of course you can, look how well you’re doing, look how much you improved – and at the same time we all chuckle at the tables being turned.

So, yes… I can admit that I’m battling with this exercise thing. I have Robyn coming to fetch me in the morning just in case I decide to pull out at the last minute and stay snuggled in my warm bed – I came very close on a few occasions. I have Tshepo, Lucky, Thabo and Sipho – amazing training team – encouraging and motivating me to take that extra hill, extra lunge or push up and all the while chuckling at how they need to use my own words back at me to get me going! And I have amazing friends in my fellow climbers who inspire me to keep going by knowing they are facing the same challenges and plunging ahead!

For now, the support, encouragement and inspiration is working. And the experience is making me that much more empathetic to my clients when they struggle through the things they need to overcome to push their boundaries and achieve more. I have the same struggles as anyone else and I can see that having someone believe in you, challenge you and encourage you is exactly what is needed to get the goal done!

It's no use!

“The first question which you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, "What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?" and my answer must at once be, "It is no use." There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It's no use. 

So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the point of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what makes life worth living for.” 

- Sir George Leigh Mallory, 1922
 

Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise...

Never in my entire life have I seen as many sunrises as I’ve seen in the last 10 days!

I am a night owl. I can often be found burning the midnight oil catching up on emails, carrying on with work, writing up my thesis or adding to my blog! I’m always available for late night chats – for anyone else who is up into the wee hours. Nighttime is when I get my second wind, when the house goes quiet after the mad rush of the day and I can just take a deep breath and focus on stuff that needs to get done.

Another important aspect that makes me who I am is that I hate exercise. It has always been something I have to do rather than want to do. In my school days, I would do anything I could to avoid any kind of sport or PT. Parent notes were produced aplenty when it came to sport. In my adult years I always played the game of on-again, off-again when it came to exercise because it would only happen when I felt good enough and motivated enough to go – which is not very often. I’ve tried yoga, aerobics, circuit, walking, running – anything I’ve left out? – to no avail.

And now… I’ve set myself a goal to climb Kili in 3 months time! Very quickly I realised that I have a better chance of enduring if I do some training and with my schedule, this training could only be fitted in in the early hours of the morning…

So… Take two very unlikely events that could happen in my life, put them together with a lofty goal and here I am… 10 days into a training programme where I wake up at 5.40am to begin a 6am training round. I’ve been consistent, I’ve been dedicated and I’m aching all over. So now I have a couple of questions for all you early risers out there:

1.              When does exercise begin to energise you rather than make you feel exhausted and sore?

2.              When do you begin getting used to the early morning wake up call and start adjusting by going to sleep earlier the previous night?

3.              Is this all really good for you?

With these questions in mind I shall continue on this rigorous training schedule and hope to see some fantastic results. Hopefully when I’m climbing the mountain, I’ll be thankful for the effort I put in before.

I’d like to end with this message of inspiration for anybody out there who is wondering if they can do it… if I can, you can!

These Boots Were Made for Walking...

When I think of a symbol of commitment, I often think of a ring. For various reasons it was chosen as a symbol of commitment when it comes to engagement and marriage. The circular design symbolising the completeness of life – beginning merging with end.

For me, more recently, another symbol of commitment emerged and that came in the form of hiking boots! Not really circular, not really a symbol of the completeness of life but definitely a symbol of a new beginning for me – the start of my journey to climbing Kilimanjaro. Never in my life have I owned such a pair of shoes and yet, buying them meant a whole lot more than just adding to my already wonderful collection. Actually, for those who know me, another pair of shoes may be quite apt as a symbol of commitment – commitment to buying a larger shoe cupboard maybe! I love my shoes – particularly the high heeled, gorgeous variety. People often marvel and comment at my ability to spend a whole day on my feet in high heels and look very comfortable. Not surprisingly then, was the fact that when I made the decision to go climbing Kilimanjaro, my first purchase was a pair of hiking boots.  Before I had even paid my deposit, I purchased the appropriate shoes for the journey.

Once my thinking process had ended and my decision was made, I needed to take a tangible step towards making sure that this was more than just a thought. Paying the deposit became an important milestone that was delayed due to my analytical nature and need to investigate insurance options and best payment methods. I didn’t want to stop the momentum that I felt from making this momentous decision, so I paid for my boots and waited for delivery. When the not-so-gorgeous boots arrived, I knew that I had truly arrived in my commitment to the journey.

Upon the boots arrival, I realised that I can’t own this pair of boots without a journey to take them on. I was now even more motivated to pay my deposit and was looking forward to making the payment that would symbolise my commitment even further.

Now that the shoes were purchased and that the deposit was paid there really was no turning back. The next step was to get hiking and wear the boots in. The initial wearing was so uncomfortable that I came back sore, blistered, bruised and determined. I tried a different way to tie them which was slightly more comfortable. The second wear was already better. I climbed to the top of Table Mountain, Cape Town and felt a great sense of achievement. The boots were more comfortable but still felt foreign and clumpy. Give me back my high heels any day! However, with each wear, I get more used to the boots and at the same time more used to the idea of the climb. Less scared? I’m not so sure – but more excited and more comfortable.

These boots were made for walking… and that's just what they'll do - climb Kili with me inside them!