Do not take your New Years resolution lightly…

By Conrad Stoltz -2005

For the first time in many years, I didn’t make any real New Years resolutions. I used to, but for some reason I put it off as one of those foofy things we like to do during the follies of the Festive season; like opening crackers at Christmas lunch.

After a long, tough 2004 with quite a few disappointments, I took my recovery season seriously and just breezed though life- lazily coming out of my off season, haphazardly starting training for the upcoming season, slowly morphing into what seems to maybe one day  become a fire breathing, ass kickin’ World champion triathlete again. Maybe, couldn’t say if or when.

New Years day came, and I started “serious” training like I always do. I trained so seriously, I even went on a “training camp” with friends near Clanwilliam for a week, and in-between these “training camps” I went crayfish diving with friends, I painted my house, and even bent my serious training beliefs to such an extent that wine, beer and bread was ok whenever it was within arms reach.

I was just going through the motions of training seriously. Logging the hours, sweating the sweat, waiting for the Christmas pudding bum to show signs of returning back to normal. I wasn’t feeling that burning hunger I get when training to be a champion. Working to become faster, stronger and more skillful everyday.

Mid January a friend called and we met for coffee. His expression looked serious, when he paused to gather courage, and took a deep breath before he started, I knew he wasn’t going to talk about the weak dollar. We had a good talk. Actually, he had a good talk. I had a good listen. The essence of the talk being: “Conrad, do-not-throw-it-away.” “It” being my God given talent to be a fast triathlete. It is a wonderful, yet fragile gift to have. Throwing such a gift away by painting my house, becoming an “uber crayfish diver” or enjoying fine wines at the wrong times is a shame. Slowly it dawned upon me: I am what my new Years resolution is: Empty.

Athletes have a very small window of opportunity, time wise. I can paint my house in the off season, but now is a time to make most of my talents.  For within a handful of years my “best before” date will be over, and financially, I would have to provide for a family, and live the rest of my life with what I had made during these few critical years. I have matric (the old one, at least) and a few other lesser talents, but more than anything else, when I am an old ballie, sitting on the stoep, sipping coffee, I would not be able to be at peace with myself knowing that I wasn’t the World Champion when I could have been.

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