I wanna be a pro - or do I....

Like many, I harbor dreams (delusions?) of being a pro athlete - specifically, a cyclist or triathlete.  I think of how nice it would be, how much more time I would have if that whole work thing didn't get in the way of my training.  You know, a good brick workout in the morning, a nice nap, a second workout in the afternoon, maybe a recovery massage, and a nice sleep that night.  Sounds pretty nice....

 

But look at the other side:  you have to perform; or in other words, you eat what you kill.  Your livelihood depends directly on your performance, and you're only as good as your most recent race (or season).  A few bad races, and sponsors start to question their investment.  You're always hustling to meet your contractual obligations, be they meet-and-greet at races, or placing in so many races per year. 

 

And there is an expiration date on your career - be it chronological (how long can someone compete?), or physical (injuries - be the acute or chronic).  And no one knows when an accident can happen.

 

Every job has its own set of stresses, which is good to remember when you're in the middle of a night shift in the ER...

Welcome to the Off Season

Actually, mine started about a month ago.  Plenty of ice cream, less intensity on the workoputs, bike rides with little purpose than to see what's over the next rise.  But it's getting to be about time to get back into some training.  But what training goes well with winter cold and turkey?

I read an interesting article from Coach Jorge over at E3 Training Solutions; on Base Building (http://coachjorgem.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-exactly-is-base-training.html ) and how best to approach this time of year - next races months away, working on the best plan for next year.  One thing I'll add in to what Coach Jorge syays, is efficiency.  It's a great time of year to work on technique - be it on your swim stroke, or your cyclle spin.  Maybe even test out minimalist running to see how it works for you.  Without an imminent race, it might also be time to play with your nutrition; see what agrees with you during that longer run.

And as it's time to relax, maybe time in sports other than S/B/R - paddleboarding seems big this year, and in New England, lots of snow sports get their due right now.

Don't forget some extra family time, too...

Enjoy the off-season, make good use of it.  The seasons will start back soon enough with your first build!

Be Where You Are

Part One:  Be Where You Are

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  Be where you are.  You might even ask, “Where else would I be?”  The probable answer is, “Somewhere else.”

Sure, your body is in that meeting, but where is your mind?  Thinking about the grocery shopping, your kid’s report card, your next race, your last dinner, your to-do list, your car repair bill, your....  You get the idea.  

Later, you head out for a bike ride, and where is your mind?  Thinking about that meeting you didn’t pay attention in, your work to-do list, the grocery shopping, the....  You get the idea.

And then you get home.  Instead of spending time with family, you’re sitting in the room with them, playing on your phone, answering work emails, half-listening to details of the day, thinking about that meeting or your next training session.

So:  Where are you?  To quote the musical group Rush, “Anywhere but here”.

What are we accomplishing with this pattern?  When we’re at work, we think of home; when we’re at home, we’re distracted by work.  Neither place is getting our undivided attention, and everything is suffering for it.

Think your family wants you to be ‘at work’ when you’re with them?

Think you’re boss wants you ‘at home’ when you’re in the office?

Think you’re training is going to go well if you’re not focused?

Of course, things will come up:  if the little one is sick, you’re going to be distracted at the office.  A big presentation at work will distract you at home.  And I have some of my best thinking time when I’m training SBR.  But these should be the exception.

Try it:  next meeting, be at the meeting.  Next sales call, be with the client.  Next training session, focus on your body’s response to small changes and the feedback you get.

And most importantly, when you’re with friends and family, put the smartphone away and turn the computer and TV off.  Be there with your family, chat about the day.  Sure, you can talk about work or training, but that’s a conversation, not focusing on it at the expense of the person in the room.  Twitter/Facebook will survive without you checking every 5 minutes, and I’m certain that email can wait until later.

You will find success at home, work and training if you can be where you are.  It takes a little practice, and you will find days it is harder than others.  It does pay huge dividends by being more productive at work and training, and your family will get all of you - and isn’t that what they deserve?

To Be Continued...

BAA Half Marathon 2011 Race Report

If I have ever gone into a race less prepared, I don't remember it.

My training has been less-than-usual due to work, travel and other commitments. I never bothered to set out my gear or check the course map. I think my taper started about 2 months ago when I finished the Sharon Triathlon. I managed a single 10 mile run about 10 days before the race.

I wasn't expecting much.

And my morning started off on the wrong foot - or shoe, as the case was. I tossed on my shoes and running gear, drove to a gas station to fill up, and thought, "My shoes feel funny." I realized I put on some random pair of non-running tennis shoes. Thankfully, I was close to home and could get my New Balance running shoes with little delay in getting to the race.

At the race, my warm-up consisted of running to the (disgusting) portapotty and some light stretches. Ran into some Boston Triathlon Team mates and chatted. Got into the starting pen with 5000 friends, had a Power Bar Gel, and we were off.

If you've never run the BAA Half on the new (2010 or later) course, it is beautiful. It goes along the Emerald Necklace from Franklin Park down to the Longwood area and back. Nice scenery, picturesque location, and some interesting architecture. The weather was great - sunny and warm. Couldn't have asked for a better day.

I was setting a decent pace (for me), passing folks, chatting with some, sharing jokes with others. Another Power Bar Gel at mile 6, and try to figure out where the water statios were (something else I didn't do before the race). My Garmin 405CX gave me a few issues, so I was questioning my pace through the second half of the race (it was giving me numbers, but they didn't make sense with the distance signs the race had up). Oh well, enjoy the day, and keep trotting.

Remember that 'Course Map' comment earlier? I was a little thrown by a course change (coming into the finish stadium from the left instead of the right); a little thing but could have been prevented had I actually looked at the map.

And disappointed I didn't see a zebra in the zoo this year.

Coming into the finish, I sprinted hard (or at least whatever I could muster), and managed to set a half-marathon PR by about 8 minutes! Not bad for poor training and no race strategy! Imagine what I could do if I actually worked hard at this stuff!

Top 15% overall and in my age group. I'll take it!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Race Review - BAA Half Marathon October 9, 2011

If I have ever gone into a race less prepared, I don't remember it.

My training has been less-than-usual due to work, travel and other commitments.  I never bothered to set out my gear or check the course map.  I think my taper started about 2 months ago when I finished the Sharon Triathlon.  I managed a single 10 mile run about 10 days before the race.

I wasn't expecting much.

And my morning started off on the wrong foot - or shoe, as the case was.  I tossed on my shoes and running gear, drove to a gas station to fill up, and thought, "My shoes feel funny."  I realized I put on some random pair of non-running tennis shoes.  Thankfully, I was close to home and could get my New Balance running shoes with little delay in getting to the race.

At the race, my warm-up consisted of running to the (disgusting) portapotty and some light stretches.  Ran into some Boston Triathlon Team mates and chatted.  Got into the starting pen with 5000 friends, had a Power Bar Gel, and we were off.

If you've never run the BAA Half on the new (2010 or later) course, it is beautiful.  It goes along the Emerald Necklace from Franklin Park down to the Longwood area and back.  Nice scenery, picturesque location, and some interesting architecture. The weather was great - sunny and warm.   Couldn't have asked for a better day.

I was setting a decent pace (for me), passing folks, chatting with some, sharing jokes with others.  Another Power Bar Gel at mile 6, and try to figure out where the water statios were (something else I didn't do before the race).  My Garmin 405CX gave me a few issues, so I was questioning my pace through the second half of the race (it was giving me numbers, but they didn't make sense with the distance signs the race had up).  Oh well, enjoy the day, and keep trotting.

Remember that 'Course Map' comment earlier?  I was a little thrown by a course change (coming into the finish stadium from the left instead of the right); a little thing but could have been prevented had I actually looked at the map.

And disappointed I didn't see a zebra in the zoo this year.

Coming into the finish, I sprinted hard (or at least whatever I could muster), and managed to set a half-marathon PR by about 8 minutes!  Not bad for poor training and no race strategy!  Imagine what I could do if I actually worked hard at this stuff!

Top 15% overall and in my age group.  I'll take it!

I Couldn't Do That

I Couldn't Do That

Ever tell someone that you just swam so much, or maybe how long your ride was, and their response was, 'I couldn't do that.'? Ever look at an Iron-distance race and though how you couldn't finish that distance?

Why not?

Most of the time, we set our own limits; we decide in our minds what we can or can't do, and then our bodies follow. I try to point out to folks that they CAN do it, they just need to WANT to do it. And you have to start somewhere.

Can't do an Iron - do a Half.
Can't do a Half - do an Olympic.
Can't swim - do a duathlon.
Can't bike - find a 5k.
Can't do a 5k - run 20 yards.
Can't run - get off your rump and walk to the mailbox.

It all starts from somewhere, as soon as you believe you can. Not everyone will stand on the podium in Kona, but we can all enjoy fitness and health, the accomplishment of achieving goals, and the friendship that comes from activity.

You CAN do that!

Recovery Point

Recovery Point

Had a great conversation with my Dad (avid motorcyclist) as well as my brother and sis-in-law (triathletes) this weekend. We were talking about using a recovery point.

Despite riding a motorcycle longer than I've been alive, Dad still takes his safety seriously. Every other year, he takes a safety course, always dresses appropriately, and always wears his helmet. One thing he taught me was watching your recovery point - when the bike is starting to get wobbly, or there is a road hazard, look to where you want to go, not what you want to avoid.

We've all done it - looked at the side of the road while driving, next thing we know we're veering off that way. Our minds are programmed to take us to where we focus: look right, go right. Foucs on the pothole, guess what you are going hit?

This is important for triathletes in 2 big areas:

Biking: looking at the loose pebbles or potholes when you ride - guess what you're going to hit. If you start to get unstable, look to where you want to go, and your chances of making it are better than if you focus at the ground.

Goals: Focus on where you want to go, not what failure looks like. Ever hear the business advice to dress (act) for the job you want, not the job you have? Same idea. Focus on what success looks and feels like, what your ideal splits are, and your body will take you there. Focusing on failure will get you exactly that: failure.

Look for your recovery point, focus on it, and avoid the potholes!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone