Dylan Gleeson

The Easier Option is Always Going To Be To Quit

By InnerVoice

July 25^th, 2016

I’m much happier with sport in my life.

I’ve been surprised to discover how much I can endure both mentally and physically. I don’t doubt I’m still only scratching the surface either. 5 years ago there’s no way I would’ve thought I could accomplish what I have thus far. It’s always been obvious to me that I’m much happier with sport in my life, so when my old boss gave me a sprint triathlon voucher for a Christmas present, I hardly took convincing.

I wish I knew then what I know now.

My childhood life was largely spent being shuttled from the hockey rink, to the soccer field and sometimes even the ballpark. In my teens, if I was caught skipping class it was likely because there was a foot of fresh on the local ski hill. I had big dreams to be a professional snowboarder one day and travel the world to different epic spots. It’s a bit of a case of ‘I wish I knew then what I know now.’

thoughts of quitting.

As a beginner in triathlon, I never considered quitting. At that point, everything was fresh and fun and I was making leaps and bounds in my progress. There were so many different things I wanted to accomplish.

I’ve had much more difficulty with thoughts of quitting since going pro. Everything has changed. The types of sacrifices I am making now aren’t just sleeping-in on the weekend or late night shenanigans with friends. Now, it‘s things like putting a more lucrative career as a professional accountant on hold, delaying starting a family, and missing really important occasions in order to pursue this dream.

When things don’t come together in a race and you know you and your family have poured so much into it, it’s tough! It becomes much more challenging to persevere. The easier option is always going to be to quit.

“I would love to say I have some magic mantra to turn it around but I don’t.”

Jenna is my rock

My immediate family have been very supportive of my endeavours in triathlon. They’re always there to help, but there have definitely been some hard conversations as to whether the pursuit of my athletic goals is worth what we’re sacrificing.

When I’m feeling down I go to my wife for support. Jenna is my rock. I’ve called her absolutely crushed after bad races and she helps me get my perspective back. In order to be successful in sport you require an innate ability to overcome the tough times, and I’m incredibly lucky to have such a supportive wife in my corner. I believe triathlon has actually made my relationship with my wife stronger.

“Ironman racing is insanely tough, but that’s the appeal.”

Can we overcome that struggle when things really get tough?

When times get tough on the field my mind focuses on how much I hurt. My inner voice starts to ask why I’m doing this. It becomes an ongoing struggle not to stop. I would love to say I have some magic mantra to turn it around but I don’t. Ironman racing is insanely tough, but that’s the appeal. We’re all given the same opportunity to see what we’re truly made of. Can we overcome that struggle when things really get tough?

“When my old boss gave me a sprint triathlon voucher for a Christmas present, I hardly took convincing.”

I’ve completely fallen in love with the process of turning dreams into goals and then going after them.

Through triathlon, I’ve completely fallen in love with the process of turning dreams into goals and then going after them. It’s what gets me out of bed at 4:45 in the morning for swim or out the door into the pouring rain for a long hard run session. I’m so fortunate that I was introduced to the sport and I know it was a very unconventional way to take it up. A word of advice, though — if your boss introduces you to a sport, let him win once in a while.