From Couch Potato To Endurance Athlete Book Review
At some point, each of us has gotten off the couch to pursue a dream. If you’re reading this on the Run Tri Bike website, then it was probably to participate in endurance sports, whichever one you were called to. Some of us participate in these sports because we were athletes in our ‘previous lives’ and others decided to jump from couch potato to endurance athlete because they wanted to try something new.
For Hilary Topper, author of From Couch Potato To Endurance Athlete, the journey was long but eventually she reached that finish line. In this book, Hilary takes the reader through her early years ‘in sport,’ which is to say that she nearly failed her high school gym class. As the title implies, she became an endurance athlete, but not in her 20s or 30s but in her late 40s. 49 to be exact. It was at the age of 49 that Hilary ran her first half-marathon.
Say ‘Yes!’ To New Challenges
Why? Well it seems simple, but is very hard for a lot of us to do. Hilary said, ‘Yes!” to new challenges. She wasn’t afraid of failing and kept showing up. How many times have you heard that throughout your endurance sports journey? Say yes, show up consistently, and it will all fall into place. Now, how many times have you followed that advice? In this case, Hilary heard the advice and paid attention.
Beyond the idea of saying Yes to new challenges, Hilary’s book reminds us that our childhood has a major impact on us, regardless of how good or bad it was. Often times, we only reflect on the good that happened while growing up but there are many instances where something negative happened and that impacts us more than we know. Hilary takes us through her relationship with her mother in a way that you can reflect on your relationship with your parents and the impact that it had on you.
For example, Hilary discusses her mothers cautious approach to life and would warn Hilary that she could, ‘get hurt.’ And while that is true, if it is consistently told to you over and over, then you begin to be too cautious and don’t take risks. In this case, the risks that Hilary avoided surrounded athletics. That was until she decided to say Yes! and go from couch potato to endurance athlete. This change in mindset, opened up doors that she could not she because of her cautious nature.
Why Should You Read This Book?
As I read the book, I found myself nodding along to various parts that struck me as they resembled parts of my life as well. Taking the chance on endurance sports opened up Hilary’s life. That resonates with me because it was endurance sports that allowed me to take the chance on starting Run Tri Bike. Is there a chance the business could have failed at the outset? Yes, but I knew that a DNF was not terminal and if this business were to never get off the ground then I would be OK and I would find something else to do.
From Couch Potato to Endurance Athlete will resonate with every reader because it is a book about endurance sports as a conduit for life versus being an endurance sports book. Are you almost 50 or older? This book is for you because Hilary discusses her first half-marathon being at 49. Are you a business owner? This book is for you because she discusses various situations with her firm and how she overcame them.
Our sports are hobbies, but they teach us a lot about life. We learn to celebrate the victories but not for too long. We figure out that ‘failure’ is a stepping stone to success. Life is here to be lived and as you turn the pages of Couch Potato to Endurance Athlete, you’ll remember your why and will get out there and live it.
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