Now that the Olympics are over, Jeff Pain is travelling across Canada on a different course.
Together with his wife Aly, the skeleton athlete visited several bookstores in Edmonton over the weekend to promote their common work The Business of Marriage and Medals: A Relationship’s Journey Through Elite Performance.
In the self-published book, the Pains, married for 13 years today, speak about the ups and downs of their relationship, hoping to inspire others to make things work.
“We really would like to impact as many relationships as possible,” said Aly, who had the idea for writing the book.
“It became very apparent to me that we had obviously done something right to make it through everything that we’ve been through and still be married and speaking.”
When it comes to the struggles within marriage, the couple knows what they’re talking about.
Aly proposed divorce three times. “I didn’t know how to do it differently. I just knew it was awful,” the 38-year-old mother of two boys said. “I felt like I was the sacrifice for Jeff’s success and this wasn’t what I signed up for.”
Then something changed in the awareness of the relationship, Jeff said: “We just learned how to talk about and negotiate our roles and responsibilities and do a better job at understanding where we were going to be tomorrow and how we’re going to get there.”
Opening up to the public about the details of their struggles and successes was scary, Aly said. “I felt kind of nauseous. I felt, ‘Oh boy, we’re naked’.”
While sons Kyle, 8, and Thomas, 6, are staying with Jeff’s parents’ home in Calgary, Jeff and Aly Pain will make one more stop in Edmonton today before visiting Kamloops and Kelowna.
Their book can be purchased online at www.marriageandmedals.com.
