Steph Corker

Swimming is Training for Life

By InnerVoice

July 21^st, 2016

Extreme power in a tenth of a second.

I’m in my 30’s now but sometimes I still feel like the awkward, chubby high school kid who grew up as a competitive swimmer. Between the ages of 6 and 20 I basically spent every spare hour at the pool; despite never being very good at swimming. However, I do think spending those precious years really pouring my heart into something for results that were not all that impressive also taught me things. A lot of things.

I learned to never take myself too seriously and that defeat is valuable. I learned that there is always (always!) room to improve, and that there is extreme power in a tenth of a second. Most of all, I learned how to really love something but never actually be that good at it.

I think the discipline you learn from swimming is training for life.

“I basically spent every spare hour at the pool.”

i fell in love with triathlon.

Growing up as a swimmer, I would gawk in awe at the triathletes in our squad. I simply could not believe their athleticism. They would tie their running shoes so fast outta the pool!

Eventually taking up triathlon as an adult, I gawked in awe at people over the age of 40 (or sometimes 50!) as they routinely beat me every time I would ride or run with them. Swimming had taught me that you never hang onto a bad practice, nor a great one, you just got ready for the next one. The ‘oldies‘ inspired me to get fit. They also helped uncover a not-so-secret competitive streak in me. So, with equal amounts of humility and hunger, I fell in love with triathlon.

Photo courtesy of Steve Laughlin and Cervelo Cycles

“I learned to never take myself too seriously.”

the less I care about the circumference of my thighs.

I’m wildly inspired by the professional women in triathlon. I think the calibre of athlete that it takes to be on the world stage is just remarkable, not to mention the ‘other stuff‘ that comes with being a female athlete.

I remember feeling like the chubbiest person at races and I dreaded putting on a triathlon suit that made me feel like a sausage. I knew that as soon as I was out of the water, which was my happy place, I’d spend the rest of my race getting passed by ‘all the skinny girls’. I felt like a baby elephant on the run.

There is something about sport and body image that I think is a real challenge that rarely gets spoken about outside of the realm of eating disorders.

Through my own battle with body image, what I’ve learned is that the more committed I am to being my best, the less I care about the circumference of my thighs.

I‘m so glad those days didn‘t last long.

Professionally, I‘ve always really craved working hard and doing work that matters. Once upon a time I thought that meant wearing nylons, pencil skirts and high heels while working in a flashy office building with fluorescent lights. I‘m so glad those days didn‘t last long.

Today, I run a thriving people consulting business with my brother, Matt. I’m insanely fortunate to be in business with my brother, who is not only my best friend; he‘s a raving Ironman cheerleader. He has been there to watch me miss out on qualifying for the Ironman World Championships 8 times over, yet he still seems to believe in me more than I will ever believe in myself. (He has also been there every time I have qualified!) There is something really special about the duality of our relationship because I feel the same sense of partnership at a race as I do when we are hustlin’ the streets of NYC together. Maybe it‘s just in my head, but that feeling of alliance matters when you‘re in the middle of an Ironman.

Matt and I set business goals together and we set sweaty goals together. We celebrate start lines of all kinds. And, best of all, I never have to wear nylons.

“He still seems to believe in me more than I will ever believe in myself.”

I struggle with people who think they have days to waste or dreams to go unfulfilled.

I’m not sure I could say I’ve experienced true tragedy. However, I did leave a relationship with the contents of my life in the back of my hatch-back. My bikes were attached to the roof. I vowed to never be with someone who didn’t love chasing goals and dreams as much as I did. I struggle with people who think they have days to waste or dreams to go unfulfilled. At the time it wasn‘t about Ironman, but funnily enough, that year I did 3 Ironman‘s in 3 months, including qualifying for IM Hawaii.

i finally believe in myself.

Through all of life‘s challenges — and there are plenty — my childhood lessons from swimming have held true. Failing and moving on has helped prepare me to grow a business. Not taking myself too seriously has kept me motivated to chase multiple Ironman start lines. And most importantly, celebrating finish lines with my beloved man makes it all worth while! Perhaps it took 32 years to finally believe in myself — one tenth of a second at a time.

Steph will be taking on Ironman Canada this weekend in Whistler, BC as well as her third Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii this coming October. Follow Steph @steph_corker