Parys is an age group athlete, who has won the World Championships at both the Olympic and 70.3 distances, along with European, British and English National titles. At the age of 38 she decided to turn her passion for triathlon into her profession. Parys is originally from Zimbabwe before she moved over to the UK 14 years ago.
Show notes
- Parys introduces herself and shares more of her life growing up in Africa
- Being a professional hockey player, and the frustration about never quite making it to the national team
- Handling that frustration and what she learned on the way
- Why she decided to give triathlon a try! Even though she could hardly swim, and hadn’t ridden a bike since she was a child
“Thriving on overcoming the pain and digging deep”
- How she has improved her swimming and why its a labour of love. Parys also provides top tips to help you improve your swimming.
- Borrowing a bike and a trisuit for her first race and what she remembers from the experience
- Making the decision to turn professional and why she decided to go for it
- Grey zone training and why you need to avoid it
- The benefits of getting a professional coach involved
- The mental strategies she’s uses to help her cope with the pressure of racing at a professional level
- Being on the start line and how she channels her thoughts
- How she deals with challenges while she’s out racing.
“Power, Love & Self-discipline”
- Why she wants to be tough - Why she wants to be the egg & not the potato!
- How to cope with injury and getting back to full fitness and why you need to focus on what you can do, and not what you can’t
- Advice for women who want to get into triathlon and why you need to break it down and not be afraid of it
- The bucket list races she wants to do
- Top tips for racing in hot conditions
- The role models who have inspired her throughout her life
Check out her website and blog here - www.parysedwards.com
Parys is on twitter at @parysedwardstri I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
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