“You don't have to be a hero to accomplish great things---to compete. You can just be an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.” 
― Edmund Hillary

We talk about an inclusive world in which all persons with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential.

Meetings, talking, words, manuals, guides on how to be inclusive, signing acts and plans is all part of the working towards a society that becomes inclusive for people with disabilities, but what really changes.

Most of the time it is just a physical act of what the word really means for it to be seen and not just spoken about. “The CBM Family Team” tried showing this on Saturday by racing the ITU as an all-inclusive team!

On the 25^th April, Melani, Judith and I took on the ITU Discovery World Triathlon. In my mind

when I asked Melani and Judith to do it with me I didn’t think “inclusion”, I just thought “team building” and “Fun”. Yet being who I am I decided it needed to mean something and when I looked at our team it made sense….. “UNITING TOWARDS A DISABILITY INCLUSIVE SOCIETY”

Here we were, me with a disability, Melani and Judith, racing as a team showing something that walks inclusion.

Catherine to swim 1, 5 kilometres

Judith to cycle 40 kilometres

Melani to run 10 kilometres

Being Cape Town and being the Atlantic Ocean the water temperature on the day was 9 degrees Celsius and the swim was cancelled due to it being too cold, so my part of the race was no more. So we kept our heads flying high and went for coffee instead. Oh yes we still had to race two more parts of the Triathlon……..

 Judith cycled 40 kilometres, and then handed the baton over to Melani who ran 10 kilometres, and as a team we all ran into the stadium together and finished as an all-inclusive winning team, not winning the team race but winning by participating and bringing in inclusion where we knew how.

"What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?” 
― John Green

Did we do something remarkable in this race?

Did we change mind-sets of people by being an inclusive team?

Did people even see us?

Did this impact society in any way by making it more inclusive?

I can’t answer these questions but I do know we had coffee together as a team, Judith cycled for our team, Melani ran for our team and we all finished inclusively together for our CBM Family Team, we even got the medal to prove it!

Another step to Iron

A very quick update on my – “Journey to Iron” and my step for a hand cycle.

I received the amazing news from the CAF (Challenge Athletes Foundationhttp://www.challengedathletes.org/)............... “I am happy to inform you that you were approved for a Top End Force 3!! Congratulations! I have included the certificate in order to start the ordering process and your approval letter. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any other questions and again, congratulations!!”

Yes so I got my hand cycle and will hopefully be getting it to South Africa soon. Just another small step to Iron!

 THANK YOU TO…………………………………

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination"

Journey to Iron

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together"
-Vincent Van Gogh

 

 

My last update was all about recalculating, you know the x=y mc2 kind of stuff, the if plan A isn't working then what is plan B, if plan A doesn't work is it ok to go with plan B or does it really make any difference if plan A or B work, don’t work, the point is there has been a plan recalculated and its coming together slowly but surely!

 

My formula which has been in development the past 4 months = #journeytoironman

 

Yes you read it correctly I am journeying towards doing an Ironman. What is an Ironman for those who don’t know it is a 3.8km swim and 180 km cycle and a 42km run, all on the same day straight after each other. All this with only my arms! 

You might be thinking how on earth is this possible for me especially since my legs don’t work properly? Well with some new equipment, some training and some determination and good coaches I am sure the day will come, for now it is all about the series of small things coming together.

 

 

In order for me to do this I had to make some serious changes to my way of racing. I had to make the decision to take one of my biggest fears (being in a wheelchair) and throw it in the bin and just get over my fear. Yes I now have a racing wheelchair. A friend of mine said “only you Cath would get a racing wheelchair as your first wheelchair”

 

What do you use the racing wheelchair for, it’s for the RUN section of the race! An amazing donation from a friend James Grierson and an amazing DHL donating the transport from the UK, I received my “Flying Start” from Motivation in the UK. I actually am doing my first “running” race on the 17^th May. It is just a 12km race but it’s a great way to test out my new running legs in an official running race!

              

 



Handcycle

I could really not go further than 10km on my trike with my legs for the CYCLE part and realised this is not going to work, so I gave my trike away to an amazing up and coming Para cyclist and applied for a hand cycle from the CAF Foundation. Patience is not one of my strengths and so it’s been a long time waiting to hear if I will receive my hand cycle, I will know this Wednesday 1 April! It’s a faith journey, let’s just say that as these hand cycles do not come cheap.

Giving my trike away!

 

 

My amazing organisation I work for CBM has supported my with a swimming wetsuit for the SWIM section and been amazing in giving me the time to fit my training into my work schedule!

 

So to say again………………………………………..

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together"
-Vincent Van Gogh

So as you can see there is a series of small things but they are coming together slowly but surely on this next journey. I am excited to have recalculated and found the answer to a formula on this journey of life, and the answer for my next season which is a #journeytoironman

There are still many small things to accomplish and pull through and get, if you want to support me on any of these other small things please let me know directly!

 

Onwards we go in the series of small things to do a great thing and become an Ironman!

 

Greg Hyson and I just back from a training run!

 

 

Keep going just RECALCULATING

“The more challenging your goal, the more unknowns there tend to be. That means the more difficult goal you have, the more you’ll have to recalculate throughout the process.” Joel Runyon

 If you have ever used a GPS and missed the turn to your destination you would have heard the voice from the GPS say “recalculating”, and after recalculating you get the next way to your destination.

In the past month I got a “recalculating” to my dream and goal. Why you might think, well I got sick, I was unable to qualify for disabled swimming team for 2015 and I have to start recalculating my plan and process to still pursue my dream. The route might have changed slightly but the DESTINATION/DREAM/GOAL is still the same, although it has taken me some time to decide is the DESTINATION/DREAM/GOAL really worth it?

“You get a goal, make some plans and start working on it, but if you’re a human living in reality with any sort of ambition, it’s not long until the situation changes and you have to start recalculating.Plans change. Situations change. Life is a constant variable. The only thing that’s constant is you.

Learn. Adapt. Recalculate. But keep going.” Joel Runyon

BUT KEEP GOING – I have had to remind myself a few times the past weeks to keep going, reconsidering my options my dream my goals. Asking the question is it really worth it? And should I change my dream?

Yes it is worth it because we get one life to live, one life to dream, one life to inspire, and one life to risk all we can for all we believe we could possibly achieve even if the dream seems impossible.

No I shouldn’t change my dream, I just need to recalculate the journey and focus on the “road” I am on at the moment to the final destination. The “road” will be many and I have realised I might actually miss a few turns and need to recalculate a few times, but working towards the destination is worth the risk even if it seems impossible.

“In other words, I’m doing the best to do what I can, where I am, with what I’ve got. Just because you missed a turn, mile marker or goal doesn’t mean the trip is over and it doesn’t mean you have to start over. You can still keep going. You don’t have to give up. You just have to recalculate a bit. Most people don’t really fail, they just give up too soon.” Joel Runyon

My focus for the next few months is just getting back into the pool and train. Swimming length after length, pushing weights after weights and building on from where we left off. Yes we don’t have to start over we just have rebuild from where we left off to get back on track to the dream.

So let me encourage you today, if you missed a turn in your dream and decided to give up, DON’T, re-look at your options, recalculate the route and pursue the dream. You have one life to live, one life to dream, one life to inspire and one life to risk all for the hope of reaching your dream.

“Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.                                                                            Proverbs 24:14

“A lot of people spend a lot of time hoping, without putting seed in the ground. Hope is the most important thing, but it can’t stand on its own.

You’ve got to be planting. You’ve got to take action” Lewis Pugh

Today a year ago, I had hoped for something and it had become a reality, yes I got to compete in my first Triathlon. Remembering this time was as though it happened yesterday, BUT IT happened a year ago.

Looking back I realise it hadn't started a year ago, it started when I was born, it came with my heart, my spirit and my soul. What was that it was a hope that would see me through whatever life threw at me.

My planting began at a young age, I planted seed after seed, dreaming of competing in sports, dreaming of running like the wind, dreaming of taking my little hope and turning it into a reality.

Over time as my legs  became weaker and weaker and my balance became worse and worse, my seeds that had been planted stopped growing, they stopped dreaming and they stopped hoping. Life can throw some mean “weeds” at us, but it’s what we decide to do with these “weeds” that make all the difference. About 2 years ago I choose to start pulling the “weeds” out that were choking my DREAMS!

I might have competed in this triathlon a year ago, but it wasn’t as though I just showed up on the day. Oh no, the training started 6 months before, and then even 6 months before that. So let’s say I went and found my fork and watering can filled it up with water and began weeding the weeds and watering my seeds again, my dreams again and my hopes again. So even though the weeds might have tried to choke my seeds and they might have won for a time, my seeds were still there to catch the water, and as they caught the water they began to breathe again, to grow again, to show signs that no matter how far I had side-lined my dreams and hopes they were still there waiting for the day I would pull out the weeds, pick up the watering can and begin HOPING again.  

You might think what on earth am I talking about weeds and seeds for, well weeds are dream killers, and seeds are our dreams. Weeds will keep trying to come and kill our seeds, and pulling them out is tough, I know all about tough weeds and I know all about hard work and determination to pull them out, but as I said above what makes all the difference is when we decide what we will do with the weeds!

So today check in on your seeds, see how they are doing and water them continually, never allow weeds to kill them, trust me seeds are more beautiful than weeds!

Today marks a special day but tomorrow is another day of watering my seeds as we continue to dream.

Dreams are the seeds of change. Nothing ever grows without a seed, and nothing ever changes without a dream. Debby Bonne

 “Life isn’t a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, latte in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ‘Woohoo WHAT A RIDE’!” Author unknown

  

Am I still swimming?  Am I still training?  Am I still working?

Am I still dreaming of crazy exploits?  Am I still drinking coffee?

Am I still eating chocolate? Is my body still being used up?

Am I still on a journey? Am I still physically disabled?

Am I still alive?

Those are easy questions to answer, and it only takes one word….YES.

I was wondering the other day about my future and what exactly it holds. Let’s say I had to write a letter to my future self what would I say.

Have you ever wondered that or ever thought what is it that you still need to do in this life and what do you dream about.

At present I am really silently training away with one goal in mind. I still have no idea if I will reach my dream of swimming at the Paralympics, but one thing I do still know, I AM STILL ALIVE, I am still swimming, I am still training, I am still working, I am still dreaming of crazy exploits, I am still drinking coffee, I am still eating chocolate, my body is still being used up and I am still on a journey, I am still disabled but I am alive.

Are you still…………………riding this journey of life full force into your future?

Are you still…………………following your own dreams?

Are you still…………………alive?

If I can say YES to my questions you can say YES to yours. Finish the race you started or begin to make the race count and finish in full force, skidding in sideways, hands held high, and thoroughly used up in every possible way

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7

"I wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it". 

Michael Phelps

PROMISE - it takes courage

⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!” Luke 1:45

     

Meeting  Promise a little girl in Goma, DRC about 3 weeks ago, was just another reason to keep on pursuing ‘promises’ over my life and realising that there is always hope no matter in what circumstances we may find ourselves in.

This being the very reason why when the day came for me to race in the ITU Triathlon this past Sunday, I decided to dedicate this race to Promise. Promise has Cerebral Palsy, can’t walk, can’t learn like a normal child her age, lives in Goma, and probably has, in the world’s eyes no future hope. I have to believe differently, why? God is bigger and what we may see as a future and a calling, God might actually have a different idea. At least this is what I have been learning the past few years as I take on new challenges and new dreams in essence.

 Who would ever have thought that having a disability could allow me to ever do what I get to do, even fulfil promises I never knew existed a few years ago…

             

“The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.” Vince Lombardi

    

I know that finding the strength, the courage the determination, the perseverance to keep going when my body doesn't want to is not always easy but believing that Gods promises are bigger then my body, gives me courage to keep going and doing what pushes me past my limits to my dreams. swimming 500meters, cycling 20km and walking about 1km, is the courage I had to do on Sunday!

“When we place our dependence in God, we are unencumbered, and we have no worry. In fact, we may even be reckless, insofar as our part in the production is concerned. This confidence, this sureness of action, is both contagious and an aid to the perfect action. The rest is in the hands of God – and this is the same God, gentlemen, who has won all His battles up to now.” Vince Lombardi

        

I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour -- his greatest fulfilment to all he holds dear -- is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."

- Coach Vincent T. Lombardi 

Nothing great in the world
 has
ever been accomplished
 without passion 
George Wilhelm Hegel

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The job of the peacemaker is to stop war, to purify the world, to get it
saved from poverty and riches, to heal the sick, to comfort the sad, to wake
up those who have not yet found God, to create joy and beauty wherever you
go, to find God in everything and in everyone.

- Muriel Lester
(1884-1968)