Ussher finds balance between sport and life
As I was packing up my car, waving my summer holidays and family goodbye in the deep south to leave for my Christchurch home, my mum couldn’t help but throw in one more dig, as mothers do so well.
‘‘We hardly saw you, hope the training pays off.’’
Whoops, it was only then I realised that, while I had spent two weeks loving the outdoors environment of Arrowtown, I had forgotten to appreciate those around me.
Like many of those doing the race, I am starting to fret a little about my preparation just one month out from the race. So, with Christmas over and coffee catchups with pals done, I was focused on me, myself and Ruby (my bike).
It suddenly occurred to me that at 28, I have not grasped the idea of a well-balanced lifestyle, but have any of us? And what does ‘‘balance’’ really mean?
Four-time Coast to Coast winner Elina Ussher is 40 years old and she has finally found a little balance in her life, but the self-confessed fitness addict has her own idea of balance.
The Finnish native has married her long-time love, former Coast to Coast champion Richard Ussher, created her own fashion label and in her own words, is ‘‘living the dream’’.
Although a former world champion adventure racer and still in with a chance of winning this year’s Coast to Coast, she says her biggest achievement is marrying the ‘‘love of my life’’, who she met at an adventure race in South Africa, 2005.
Fitting Scandinavia’s highly focused and hard working stereotype, Ussher grew up in Finland and had a promising junior career as a cross-country skier. She trained large.
‘‘I like racing. I like the challenge and excitement of it. I still enjoy pushing my body to its limits and seeing how hard I can go. Training is a part of the deal of being an athlete.
‘‘Without doing the hard work you can’t really expect any good results or improvements. I have good days and bad days and days when I don’t enjoy training that much. But then again, I like what I do and training for three different sports makes it more interesting, too.’’
So with all this emphasis on training, how does a woman (or man) fit in the balance of eating out, drinking, family time and all the rest?
Like myself, those doing the Coast to Coast probably took it easy on their bodies over Christmas and new year and kept their alcohol levels low and the pudding to a minimum. No one needs an extra five kilos when they’re racing the width of the country.
But a healthy, balanced lifestyle does not mean cutting out all the things you enjoy, something Ussher took 40 years to perfect.
For her it’s her fashion label, and more of the outdoors. When she retires from serious racing she still wants to be involved in multisport and the great outdoors, it’s her No 2 love.
‘‘I might do some less serious racing. I want to do things that I love like mountain biking, hiking and all sorts of outdoor activities. I also want to do some more fashion designing.’’