Helping others feeds my mental strength | Tim Lodge, GB Paracanoe
When we last spoke to GB Paracanoe athlete Tim Lodge he had returned to training after a serious road traffic accident in which he broke his shoulder in three places, smashed his knee, broke ribs and punctured a lung. We asked, “what’s been happening since November Tim?”
“The road to recovery was pretty slow at first. However, once I was back in the boat things started to come together more quickly. The aim for last winter was to regain my fitness and to be ready to head to my Australian training camp by the end of December”
Tim was able to use the tools and techniques that he learnt in Sri Lanka to hone his focus and determination to another level. He strongly believes that the combination of regular training, meditation, positive thought and visualization assisted him to reach the required level of fitness.
“ I was confident that I could achieve fitness quickly by using all of the traditional and complimentary techniques that I had learnt. It was exciting heading out to Australia, and I was looking forward to settling into the training camp. My training was to be alongside Dylan Littlehayles, the Australian Paracanoe Athlete and World Number 4 in my class. Dylan is an exceptional athlete and at the age of 21 his strength, speed and endurance is phenomenal. Knowing that I would have my work cut out training with him, I still saw this as a great opportunity to up my game and to assist me in my preparation for selection back home in April”
Training kicked off in January with Dylan, a team of under 23 athletes and Olympic Paddlers. We were based at the New South Wales Institute of Sport on the stunning Narrabeen Lake in Sydney. The training schedule was relentless, nothing like Tim had experienced before. He was clocking up 110km’s a week coupled with daily training sessions in the gym.
“I was so fortunate to be able to train with this group of top-class athletes, headed up by Coach Jake Michael. These were young and dedicated athletes that pushed and encouraged me daily. To even think that I could perform at this level so soon after my accident was mind blowing”
Tim’s coach Ivan Lawler comments: “Watching Tim’s full commitment to his training, and the philosophies he has adopted since his career threatening injuries last year, was genuinely inspirational. His improvement in the technical aspects and his general physical condition brought on by his sense of purpose has been phenomenal.”
His trip to Australia was supported by donations from Haydock Finance, Breal Zeta, Breal Business Certainty, Kellys Storage and Tooleys. All of which he would like to thank for their charitable donations of support. These donations have played a key part in being able to follow his dream and to gain the best in class support.
As Tim’s time in Australia was drawing to a close, the COVID19 virus hit the world. Despite the world media reports, where Tim was based it felt as though it was sheltered from the pandemic. A shadow was looming over the future of the impending season, and it was in doubt as to whether the games would take place. Talk of the Paralympics being postponed and the selection events back in the UK being cancelled where the hot topics of discussion.
“Aside to panic buying toilet roll, the impact of the virus hadn’t really hit Australia, so after my last race I headed to Byron Bay to relax for a week. It wasn’t until I got to Brisbane Airport and saw everything was closed, airport staff and some passengers wearing face masks, that’s when it started to dawn on me how serious the virus was being taken”.
The following day, the UK Government announced the lockdown. The impact to Tim’s training was that he could not venture out onto the rivers or attend the gym for his daily sessions. All of the hard work and the results of being able to refine his race plan would not be able to be put into practice back in the UK. Within a matter of days, the selection event for the games had been postponed and Tim’s future for this year was in doubt.
“Being back was confusing, not being able to train or see my daughter, family or friends seemed an impossibility. I’d been away for three months! The thought of going through lock down on my own was starting to dawn on me and I could feel the panic rising. I am also aware of my mental health issues and knew I needed to adapt quickly, set up a plan of mental and physical wellbeing that would enable me to deal with the lockdown successfully”
Knowing that the lockdown would bring its own challenges, Tim wanted to put a plan in place, with no set training routine or the comradery of his family, friends and team mates he knew that this was vital to his wellbeing.
Speaking to a local greengrocer and good friend Ross Collins about offering to help with deliveries proved to be a life saver. It allowed Tim to remain in contact with people, played to his natural strengths of being able to help others.
“I can’t tell you how much this job has helped me, to get me out of the house and break the silence. As an athlete and living alone I am used to my own company, as part of our training regime resting plays a very important part of the recovery for the body. But, it’s a very different thing when it’s enforced on you. My social interaction through my training environment had gone and I couldn’t see my family or friends both of which are important to me and my mental health”
With the competitions being cancelled and the Paralympics being postponed Tim and his coach set about planning how best to keep fit and healthy both mentally and physically.
“My sport has enabled me to see and feel the benefits of keeping fit and healthy for my mental wellbeing and now, lockdown was a great chance to put this to the test. I have found the hardest times for me have been the evenings. The mornings have proved magical, at 5am the world is just starting to wake up. My bike rides took on a whole new meaning, I was able to observe nature, and this became a form of mediation in itself. By having the balance of the early mornings meant that I now had a coping strategy in place for the evenings by getting to bed early ready for my 5am exercise”
It’s proven that being in and around nature can help people with mental health issues connect to the present moment and control anxiety and depression. I can vouch for that!
“I absolutely love being out on my bike, it makes me feel like a kid again, especially when the roads were so tranquil and calming”
I was on a roll, so I decided to turn my shed into a gym. With the support of Haydock Finance who generously donated enough funds, that I was able to buy weights and equipment. I could now undertake my strength work. Wey Kayak Club where I train regular also donated a paddling machine. I was set to go!”
Tim knew that exercise had helped in the past, so he set up a simple plan that would keep him in shape and complement his mental wellbeing, without pushing himself too hard. From previous experience he knew that he tended to over do it, which can be just as damaging. Remembering the wise words of Dr Matthew Beadman who said” you need to be clear as to why you are training and making sure it’s not to just escape from your feelings”.
“I found out very quickly that if I pushed myself too hard then I would get very tired and my state of mind would decline. This can result in me feeling anxious and with being home alone I can tend to over think life. This gentle, simple plan took the pressure off and allowed me to focus on what made me feel good. There is a fine balance for me, its not just about being quicker in a boat!”
We have all had to adapt our lives recently and change the way we have done things in the past. Tim’s ability to adapt and be aware of his wellbeing is a great example to us all. It demonstrates that we can make changes to ensure we live to the best of our abilities in difficult situations.
“Now lockdown in the UK has eased I am enjoying paddling recreationally really, long paddles with my coach having a chat and a laugh is perfect. The next few weeks will be spent doing just that, then in time I will build up to structured training. I have no doubt in my mind that I will compete again but for the short term it’s about having fun for me”.
Whilst Tim was in Australia, he was contacted by Chris McGibbon who was his mentor when he worked in Financial Software. Chris needed guidance and had seen the change and transformation that had taken place in Tim. He wanted to understand more about it. By the end of the call Chris had asked Tim to consider getting this important message out to others, and that a wellbeing business would be the perfect vehicle. Watch this space.
“Wellbeing and mental health are subjects that I am very passionate about. It is a dream come true to be setting up a business with Chris, the timing is perfect.
The company is called Zenval and it will use a collaborative approach to bringing experts in the field of wellbeing and mental health together and enable people to live a more full, rich, and meaningful life.
Tim faces the challenge of his mental health daily and although he has found the lockdown hard at times, it has been an enlightening experience and he has used this time productively and positively. He has proved that he is able to carry on and function successfully without feeling the need to go back to past destructive behaviours.
For Tim now the future brings opportunity to help people and teach them the things he has learnt, there is also the small issue of winning races again which Tim knows will come again someday in the future.
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