24Jan

Book by its Cover

idyllwild

So last week I ventured up to the beautiful mountain retreat of Idyllwild for a film festival that our project “Something Blue” was screening at. It’s always a wonderful experience to see your film play for an audience…well at least an audience that is enjoying it!

During the festival, I was also asked to participate in a “Women in Film” panel whereby I had to talk about my experiences as a female filmmaker and what challenges I face because of it. This panel consisted of 4 other wonderful women who each had a film screening at the festival.

During the panel the most extraordinary thing happened. One of the women on the panel, when asked how she approaches the business from a female perspective, shone light upon a subject I have always struggled with. She began to describe all of the “self help” and “female empowerment” books she had read and how most of them spoke about adopting a male persona if you want to be successful. She turned directly to me and said “I’m not like Lesley, I don’t walk in a room and fill it with my presence like a man would. BUT, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have something valuable to say and that I shouldn’t have a place on the table to say it”

I didn’t take offense at this because it really turned things on their head for me. I frequently judge women around me that are meek or quiet or don’t have the outward confidence that I have. I want to shake them and say “get some flippin balls!”

I thought to myself, here is Casey who has gone out there with a passion and made her film. Her strength and talent is more internalized but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not there!

Casey – your documentary “Daddy I do” was wonderful and congratulations on winning the award!

12Jan

Jack of all trades, master of none?

Jack of all trades

Someone once told me that you can never be truly great at more than two things – and a relationship counts as one. I guess it depends on what you define greatness to be…for some it’s to be the best in the world, for others it just to overcome the hurdles they have in their lives in order to achieve their goals.

Either way, I have a wonderful husband, I am top 2 in the world at XTERRA and heck, I’m gonna win a flippin Oscar if it kills me. I really do believe that for me, having many pursuits in my life makes me better at all of them. I wouldn’t be the athlete I am if it wasn’t for my film career – I mean who else can afford the time to dream up all these creative ideas, it was the reason long runs were invented right?

I wouldn’t be the coach I am if it wasn’t for my athletic career – how many mistakes have I made that I can help my athletes not to make! And I sure as heck wouldn’t be surviving Hollywood if I hadn’t persevered through the Scottish snow and rain to get my weekly 4 hour rides in during my youth. I’m living every last drop of life to the fullest and I’m trying to fill my basket up to the brim.

When I hit a crossroads in any of my careers, I have so many experiences to draw on that I know I can overcome anything. I am a master of all my trades! Well, at least in my mind anyway :)

10Jan

Confidence

funny piccie

Living in America, or more specifically California, I have really gained confidence. I’m a Scottish lass who grew up in a traditional household and while my parents were incredibly supportive and encouraging, there’s nothing like living in America to give you confidence. The British (by the way that includes Scotland for those of you who don’t know) mentality is pretty negative. The environment you grow up in is one where you are not commended for succeeding, in fact you are often put down. Furthermore, failure is THE biggest no no if you live in the British Isles. People don’t care if you tried, all they care about is that you’ve failed. Over here on the otherhand, there is no ceiling. The world feels like your oyster…the American dream is still very much alive and kicking. Now I feel like if I am not failing on a regular basis then I’m not pushing the boundaries..I’m not living on the edge and not finding my limits. The thing is, you need to not give a shit. You can’t let your ego get in the way…I’ve learned way more from my failures than my successes so that’s the mantra I live by now.

When I moved here, I felt like everyone knew where they were going and what they were doing. Everyone always told me how they were the best and an expert in everything. I soon found out that for the most part, it was a load of old bollocks, but somehow that confidence was infectious to me. I started talking in the same way…I started embellishing on the truth or at least talking up my expertise and experience. The funny thing is, by doing this, I started to believe in it and by believing in it, it started to happen….

In Scotland, you never talk about your successes, you’re supposed to be modest. Nothing is ever good enough and there is ALWAYS someone better. So, I have grown to appreciate modesty but at the same time have gained confidence from living over here in California. This is ultimately helping me to excel way more than if I had stayed at home. I’m a Scot’s lass at heart but love living in America too :)

10Jan

Friends

One of my best friends Jess

One of my best friends Jess in glorious San Diego - in Jan!

Licking the chocolate off wrapper!

Best friends wait while licking the chocolate off wrapper!

One of the best things about our sport is the friends you make. These friends are some of the closest you’ll ever make and I have a theory about why that is…

When you’re competing or training hard with people, you all suffer together so it gives you a common bond. But more than that because when you are suffering and in pain, you become very vulnerable – you let down your guard and show your true colors as a person…warts and all. The friends I have made through triathlon are my closest – they’ve accepted me at my worse and I’ve accepted them. No barriers, no facade, no pretense…it’s a level playing field out there when you hurt together no matter who you are or who you think you are.

05Jan

A Day in the Life

A Young Hare by Albrecht Durer

You know I figured it might be a good and fun thing to note down what a day in the life of Lesley P looks like…

Here goes:

6am – Alarm goes off. Not actually that early for me as I am often known to get up at 4.30am on a really busy day. However, it still feels hard both after being on holiday AND because I’m as stiff as old boots as I crashed on my bike yesterday and can hardly flippin move.

6.45-8.15am – Masters swim session. HARD. Couldn’t really breath because my neck muscles were locked up.

8.15-9am – Answer some athlete emails while eating breakfast. I now have 15 atheletes to help me pay my way so this takes time!

9-noon – 3hrs on trainer while watching “Joe Black”. My writing partner is down from LA so we watch this together as one of the scripts we want to write next has a similar storyline. Luckily it’s 3hrs long so I can kill 2 birds with the 1 stone by getting some time in the saddle and doing film work at the same time!

12-12.30 – Wash off the sweat and field calls from athletes that are either sick, injured, tired, pissed off or don’t want to train! I’m sooo tired but need to find the energy to motivate them…however, i now consider most of them my friends so it does make the task easier!

12.30 – drive over to gym to meet my trainer. On the way I have a conference call with the 2 directors of the last movie I produced. We are in Idyllwild Film Festival next week so I have to talk through publicity strategies. Next hat please!

1-2.30pm – Gym workout – full on with trainer. At end of my workout I meet one of my clients there that is injured and has to be assessed by my PT. I participate in assessment while trying to do my own stretching – nothing like multi-tasking.

3-5.30pm – Eat lunch while working on new script with Ian my writing/producing partner. Our new script looks at an unusual relationship between a young girl and older man who has lost his memory. Trying not to fall asleep so I can write something inspiring. We get through a couple of pages and I persuade him to rub my shoulders while we type 😉

5.30pm – Drive back to gym for coaching. Field some sponsorship calls in car on way as desperately trying to get some dosh for this year!

6-7.15pm – Coach at the gym. Group of 12 tonight so get in their faces with my coaches hat on. Get bombarded by several of my athletes at the end- it’s tough to keep track of them all and what they have going on in their lives…I try hard and they know I do so that’s what matters. I want them all to feel like I am here for them no matter what! That’s the service I provide…whatever they lack, I can provide for them.

7.15pm – Drive home though have to make calls to Film Festival Director in order to sort out accommodation and arrangements for next weeks festival. Also call 2 new athletes that want to hire me so have to do the whole ‘pitch’ while eating my 4th clif bar of the day!!!

7.45pm – Make an awkward call to my potential “old” sponsor to tell them that’s what they are becoming! Do this while picking up take-out because no time to cook at home.

8pm – Eat dinner at home with one of my athletes who is a doctor. I had to call her to come over as Ian had a motorbike accident on Saturday and she needs to check his stitches so it doesn’t cost him $145 (he has no health insurance!). Manage to catch up briefly on my hubbie’s day in between bites of Chinese food!

8.45pm – Check emails and send amended schedules to some of my athletes – I have to dream up some more insane workouts to truly kill them! Ha Ha!

9.15pm – FINALLY! on the couch for 30 mins of NOTHING before going to bed…

9.45pm – BED

That my friends is a very typical day for me. 7 days a week, week in, week out…so that is why I don’t blog quite as much as I should! I shall try harder this year!

31Dec

Time

clock

As another year passes…its time to reflect how quickly it’s gone by. I reckon time passes quicker 1) as you’re getting older, and 2) if you’re an athlete.

As you’re getting older, the percent that time accounts for in your life is less and less, that’s why it passes (or seems to pass) quicker. For example, 1 min when you are 5 yrs old, is a far larger percentage of your life than 1 min when you are 50 years old…thus the perception of that time gets less and less as you get older, and therefore passes quicker.

If you’re an athlete, everything is gauged in units of time thus you’re mind breaks down every aspect of time in the way. Generally when you are training and/or racing, you want time to pass quickly because of the pain that you are in…when you spend a lot of your life breaking down time like this, it sure as hell passes quickly in every area of your life!

“how long til the next interval? How much recovery time until I begin again? When’s the next race”

Everything is focused on the future…

Hows about we try and stay with the present more?

30Dec

More Creativity in Triathlon

Jennifer Paterson

I grew up as a dancer – a contemporary dancer who did abstract, unconventional dance. I also was a very competitive rugby player and thus developed hand/eye coordination from a young age. As I develop as a coach and a professional triathlete, I am realizing that the skills of body awareness and coordination are critical to improving as an athlete. When you’re connected to your body on an emotional and physical level, you can improve far quicker. Triathlon is more than just moving forward in one plane of motion, it involves intricate movements of the smallest parts of your body.

As soon as you can visualize those parts moving and you can connect with them on a deeper level, you can make those minor adjustments to form and function and improve your efficiency. I see all the sports of triathlon like a dance – it has rhythm, a beat…when I’m going well it feels like every muscle moves seamlessly with a smooth suppleness, with an intuitive sense of creativity.

Check out the picture above of my sister who is a professional dancer – Jennifer Paterson.

08Dec

When it Rains in San Diego

Was the film any good?

Was the film any good?

Doesn’t happen often, but when it does…all mayhem breaks…

This is when I watch all my movies on the trainer 😉

08Dec

Without Hubby

Alas, my hubby is away in the UK for a funeral so I am all alone :( I tell you, it makes you appreciate the support you get from your partner when you’re a pro. My hubby cleans my bike, looks after all my shit and is my champion on the sidelines!