Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 96, July 2017 | Page 32

Ma
Feature
Making my
Heart Sing
“What makes your heart sing?” That is a line I read in a
book, and it made me ask myself many questions. Have
you ever wanted to do something completely out of your
comfort zone? Ever had the urge to try something new?
Have you ever been motivated by someone else doing
something spectacular? And have you then done any of
those things? Over the last few years I answered yes to
all of those questions. – BY CARLA FARINA
W
e grow up in an environment where we are constantly told who we
should be and what we should do. We are very often placed into
boxes and the second we deviate from those boxes, we are seen as
breaking the rules. I am a tennis player. I am a tennis coach. I am fast, agile,
light on my feet, and good at ball sports. Growing up I was told to stick to ball
sports, not to do endurance anything. “You are not built for long distance,” they
said. Meanwhile, I was in the first teams and got colours for all my respective
ball sports, and to this day I’m a high-performance tennis player and coach
competing at a relatively high level. These sports always came naturally to me.
The training was easy and I enjoyed it.
Carla at play on
the trails
I was 25 years old when I decided I was going to do my first Half Ironman. It
was something that I’d had in the back of my head for years, but it took me
another year before I bit the bullet and entered. I was signed up for the Durban
70.3, and suddenly the reality hit: I had no idea whatsoever about Ironman or
the training involved. It was something so completely different to anything I had
done before.
Suddenly I found myself waking up at 4:30am to be in the pool by 5am, and
doing hours of riding in the Cradle, and learning to run long distances. Although
it was an incredible challenge, I was really enjoying the process – I was
completely out of my comfort zone and found myself challenged in ways I never
thought possible, but it was a challenge. And oh how I do love challenges.
All of a sudden I was a week away from my first ever Half Ironman, and then
disaster – I was put on crutches for a dislocated knee! The doctors said I was
not going to be able to race. They even told me, yet again, to stop endurance
sport… but I would have none of it. I went down to Durban anyway to support
my best friend, who was also doing the race, and at registration I politely asked
whether I could maybe just do the swim. (I am, as I have been told, completely
bonkers, after all). I was told a firm no, and at race briefing I was even given a
special mention: “Please note, the girl on crutches may not do the swim!”
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ISSUE 96 JULY 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za
With hindsight, I am quite glad I didn’t do that swim, because it looked
horrifying. Instead, I had a wonderful holiday in Durban with friends, and the
second entries opened for the following year’s Durban 70.3, I sent in my entry.
Training commenced and this time around I focused far more on strengthening
my legs and being injury-free. I was going to do the 70.3 come hell or high
Plans Derailed