12 Weeks to Go: Lessons From an Age-Group Athlete Preparing for International Competition

When the Countdown Becomes Real

This week has come with both an exciting and daunting realisation: I have just 12 weeks until I stand on the start line of an international race.

Twelve weeks.

Right now, I don’t feel ready. And that’s okay.

There have been so many moments over the last six months where I’ve questioned my commitment to this race. I’ve rebelled against the enormity of what I’ve signed up for and wondered whether I should give my place to someone more deserving. It would have been so easy to walk away.

After all, who am I to call myself an international athlete?

I’m just a mum of three, living in a little house in the Cotswolds. I’m at the school gates and on the side of a running track, cheering my children on. In so many ways, society tells us this shouldn’t be our time.

But maybe that’s exactly why it matters.

The Reality of Being an Age-Group Athlete

The reality of being an age-group athlete is that we never get to “go all in” with our training. We have children to raise, jobs to do, partners to support and homes to run. We spend much of our lives playing a supporting role for everyone else, and our training has to fit into whatever time remains.

And yet, despite that, the standard of amateur sport has never been higher.

Life has never been busier, yet thousands of ordinary people continue to choose to do extraordinary things. When I stand on that start line, I’ll know I’m in good company. Every athlete there has made sacrifices. Every athlete there has chosen the process.

Choosing the Process Every Day

Although, the more I think about it, I’m not sure “sacrifice” is the right word.

To me, this journey has become a daily reminder to invest in myself.

Choose an hour on the bike instead of an hour scrolling.

Choose strength training instead of sitting still.

Choose protein when I crave sugar.

Choose water when wine feels easier.

Choose health.

Choose performance.

Choose the hard thing now, and celebrate later.

Maybe, if I’m lucky enough to reach old age, those choices will mean fewer hospital appointments and more years of strength, health and independence. But even before then, they bring something far more immediate: confidence earned through finished workouts, pride in keeping promises to myself, and the quiet satisfaction that comes from doing difficult things consistently.

And by looking after myself in this way, I’m also doing something for my children.

I’m showing them that self-care isn’t selfish; it’s non-negotiable.

I’m showing them that being in your forties doesn’t have to mean accepting a decline in strength, speed or ambition.

I’m showing them that when you put more into life, life often gives more back.

I’m showing them that the greatest adventures don’t have to be expensive. Many of the best are found on trails, in lakes, on quiet country roads and mountain paths, and cost almost nothing.

Most importantly, I’m showing them that it’s never too late to discover what you’re capable of. That success isn’t reserved for the young, the professional or the naturally gifted. It’s available to ordinary people who keep turning up, day after day, making small choices that eventually become something extraordinary.

The Next 12 Weeks

So no, I don’t feel ready yet.

But maybe that’s the point.

The next 12 weeks aren’t about proving that I belong on that start line.

They’re about becoming the athlete who believes she does.

Thank you for taking the time to read '12 Weeks to Go: Lessons From an Age-Group Athlete Preparing for International Competition'. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions about my training or anything I've covered her, please do get in touch.

Root Cores provides workshops, group coaching and online courses. To find out more, email me: pippa@rootcores.com

12 Weeks to Go: Lessons From an Age-Group Athlete Preparing for International Competition

by Pippa Marsden