Liz Pluimers - A Big Decision

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Category: Elizabeth Pluimers

Well what a season it has been. The Coolangatta Gold back in September seems like such a long time ago, and with the build up to that starting 4-5 months earlier, it certainly has been a long hard stretch.

Looking back on the season it’s certainly had its highs and lows, as have the previous seasons. Highlights have obviously been winning my second Ironwoman Series and defending my Queensland Ironwoman title. But there were lots of other great races and carnivals along the way.

However after some time off to reflect in the off season I’ve made some pretty big decisions. The biggest of these is that I need to have a break from racing and training. I still love to race, but have lost some of the passion for the training side of things. Whenever nippers and young lifesavers ask me why I do surf lifesaving or how do you motivate yourself to train, I always reply because I enjoy it. I’m a big believer in doing sport to enjoy it. And, after a few long hard seasons I’ve lost some of that love. Hopefully by having a break though, I’ll regain the passion and come back ready to race and train even harder! I certainly feel I have some unfinished business in the sport and would love to achieve some more of my goals.

So what am I going to do with myself with all my new found spare time? Well my fiancée is from Wales, so the first thing we are doing is going back to visit his family and meet his new nephew! From there we intend to travel around Europe and see some sights, enjoying relaxing and seeing some amazing things. We’ve already booked a trip to the French Alps to watch some stages of the Tour De France, a trip around Ireland, and tickets to cheer on some of our friends who will be representing Australia at the Olympics. From there we plan to stay till Christmas time, enjoying a European winter (although I’m a little scared about the cold!!), and even getting to watch the Wallabies play Wales in Cardiff’s famous Millennium Stadium (my fiancée insists that Wales will win but we’ll see about that!).

I really can’t wait to get out into the world and experience as much as we can. Whilst I would never change being a professional athlete, sometimes the training and dedication needed to get to the top means you can miss out on other important things in life. This is going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and we’re really excited about it all.

So finally I would like to say thank you to all my sponsors, who have been so understanding and supportive of my big decision and for all their help over the past few years. I’d also like to say thank you to all my supporters and fans, your kind words and support has been greatly appreciated. Hopefully I’ll be back next season, better and stronger. In the meantime, keep a look out for me on the side of a mountain in France or in the crowd at the Olympics!

Thanks again and see you down the beach in the future,

Elizabeth

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