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My Happy Blog!

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Today I felt like writing a happy blog. Simply because I am filled with an immense amount of happiness based on what our BEXI team has achieved over the past few months. Also… because there’s a special something to celebrate.

Firstly, to share some of my happy-beans:

  • Our Tri-FIT team achieving their first sprint triathlon;
  • Our Race-FIT teams achieving their half-marathon and marathon goals in Canberra, Sydney & Great Ocean Road;
  • One very special team member who ‘quietly’ achieved her first half-marathon on her own;
  • Others for stepping out of their comfort zones to complete their first 5km parkrun, endurance trail run, and organised cycle ride;
  • Others for teaming up to support each other in ocean swims, bike rides and training runs.
I love how our BEXI community responds to every call that excites their spirit!

Secondly, a very important happy-bean that fills me with so much pride. Our community is made up of very special people and we want to celebrate these very special people. We have therefore introduced a special prize to recognise these people… and are pleased to announce our ‘BEXI Ambassador Award’. This award goes out to one truly exceptional member who lives and breathes our BEXI values. She|he goes beyond their call of duty to inspire, motivate and support others. Each year we will select one member, who will receive one full year’s free training with us.

We are therefore incredibly thrilled to announce of first BEXI Ambassador for 2016 (click to reveal). Huge congratulations to our very deserving BEXI member!

I’m totally honoured to have been a part of your successful achievements and look forward to sharing many more in the months ahead.

Best wishes,
Debbie x

What’s up next?

 

MS Walk & Fun Run – Sun 5 June

 

Team BEXI are committed to supporting our chosen charity, Multiple Sclerosis. We will be teaming up with our families and friends to take part in the 5km|10km walk or fun run on Sun 5 June.  We’d love you to join MS Fun Run Team – or if you can’t make it, please donate towards this very worthwhile charity.

Achieving the Impossible

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Last Saturday our Tri-FIT team embarked on the final stage of their 12-week triathlon training journey – the Diamond Women’s Active Festival in Penrith.  The conditions were almost perfect – apart from the smokey air from the back-burning. Nervously the girls entered transition to set up their bikes… then it was race briefing… and next, the long walk to the swim start…

One of our team member’s captured the journey beautifully…

If someone would have told me I would compete in a triathlon a few years ago, I would have smiled and told them that they were dreaming. I guess I am in their dreams now, as I officially did my first Sprint Triathlon (750m swim, 20 km bike and 5km run) last Saturday, 7th May 2016.

It started 12 weeks ago as I wanted to learn to swim the real Ozzie freestyle, and enjoy running and cycling with a team. From learning to bubble in the ocean pool, to doing a few 50m laps in the early days, to doing 750m in the race, was a beautiful and challenging journey. Not to forget our interval training in the dark, early mornings – to conquering hills on the bike without understanding how the gears actually work (and I am Dutch!).

I had been hesitant to commit and register for the sprint distance, as I doubted my ability. But with the support from my amazing team mates and coaches who believed, inspired and motivated me – I was encouraged to sign up for the big one (the sprint), instead of the shorter option.

And yes everybody was right. It was more than possible and they were not dreaming – I was dreaming.  Achieving the impossible is just possible by just believing and doing it.

Plus keep on smiling!

 

Monique Manse
Sprint Triathlete
May 2016

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In the Pink

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Last Sunday one of our favourite Beauty of Exercise (BEXI) members, Liza Dukino, faced her fears and took part in her first ever triathlon – the Pinkie Triathlon. We are all so proud of what Liza achieved – from being anxious in the water, to having an immense fear on the bike (having had a bad stack). Liza has filled so many of us with inspiration and admiration. Below is a heartfelt story about Liza’s journey to the start-line and the actual race day – enjoy the read…

When you are part of a group like BEXI an injury can leave you isolated and lonely… if you let it!
In November last year an MRI showed a 50% tear of my plantar fascia and the advice was to stop. Stop meant no more training for Coastrek with the BEXI Trekkers and no more running. This was tough to deal with, with a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out), I couldn’t imagine not being around all my BEXI mates. And bigger than that I was afraid of stopping and going back to who I was before I found my healthy lifestyle focus.

I needed a new focus something that I could do that wouldn’t exasperate my injury and would still allow me to be part of the community. I had always enjoyed swimming and I had bought a 2nd hand road bike earlier in the year that was gathering dust in the garage… they became my new focus. But what to work towards?

I had joined the BEXI triathletes at the Port Stephens Triathlon event that year, just tackling the swim leg for the fabulous Helen. Seeing the team tackle and conquer the swim, cycle and run all with a smile on their faces and celebrating their achievements that evening lit a little fire in my belly… that was something I wanted to achieve.

So I joined the well time new Swim-FIT program with the lovely Sue Bennett and joined the Run-FIT crew on a Tuesday morning with a special tailored Liza-FIT program on the bike. A few rides on closed paths gave me the confidence to join the BEXI cycle girls on my first ride to Church Point – almost 20km and I was stoked. My confidence crew on the bike the more I joined my buddies Cass and Katja on our regular rides and my swimming was improving as I learned about my stoke and bilateral breathing.

Now, it was time to give all this effort a focus… the Ultra course of the Pinkie Triathlon. The plan was to do the whole thing myself, just do the run on the day and deal with the consequences of the injury to the foot afterwards but I had been finally started to see an improvement. Finally, I was learning to listen to my body and decided 2 of the 3 legs was a much better option. Super Coach (SC) Debbie, a constant source of advice and support jumped at the chance of joining me to finish the tri off with the run.

Along came race day and off we went, my run coach and my swim coach by my side on the trek out to Parramatta Park, I was pooing my pants I was so nervous. Waiting for the briefing to start I see 3 figures in the distance, all decked out in orange. My first thought is ‘WOW!’ – we need to get those feather boas and hats for the BEXI support crew for the Australian Running Festival in Canberra next month’. My next thought was -‘Oh s*#t’… that’s Lisa, Cass and Kris! These 3 amazing BEXI friends had taken time away from their families on a Sunday morning to come and support me. I welled up. I was so touched and overwhelmed by the support of those girls there on the day and all the positive support from those who couldn’t be there.

So with my BEXI friends cheering by the side of the pool I jumped into my first triathlon, maybe my second if you count Port Stephens but this time I was adding on another leg. The event was tough but the whole time I had a smile on my face because I was there, I was actually doing it! I tagged SC and off she went, blitzing all the other runners and I joined her for the last 50m and we ran through the finish together. Phew it was done, now where is that champagne?

So my advice in all of this is, never let an injury let you feel isolated and lonely because there is a fabulous BEXI community around you that will train with you and support you in whatever goal it is you set out to achieve.

Liza Dukino
BEXI Triathlete, March 2015