Less is More

My best friend, Tim, told me that in training for the TC Marathon, he missed two days of training in his entire plan. I was very impressed by this and admired his dedication, but wondered to myself how a fellow airline pilot could subject himself to this sort of schedule.

As a pilot, my schedule can be extremely erratic. Assuming everything goes according to plan, I often get into a hotel late at night, forcing a few hours of sleep in a strange bed with strange pillows. More often then not, the area I stay in is not good to run in. Very few hotels have adequate swimming facilities or weights.

How do I deal with this, you ask?

By realizing that in triathlon training, less is more.

And dealing. (Not drugs)

I will research the hotels I'm staying in prior to leaving on my trip, figuring out if a swim/lift is possible. I'll plan on doing all my riding at home because getting a bike on the road just isn't going to happen (unless I'm in Santa Barbara). The key is, adaptation.

But what happens when a wrench is thrown into the cog? What happens if I plan on doing a run when I get to the hotel only to be massively delayed and can't get it safely in that night?

I deal.

Unless you're a professional triathlete and can dedicate 24/7 of your life to training, things happen. Hell, even for them, things probably happen! You have to be willing to adapt and sometimes, realize that a workout is not going to happen. Don't beat yourself up over this; you didn't cause the situation to happen.

I'm not saying make excuses, of course. If I don't get in a run because I'm too busy watching Netflix and ran out of time, that's on me. If I'm not willing to go run because "it's too hot", that's on me. Now I'm not saying be unsafe, but don't make convenient excuses. That's all I'm getting at.

We were at KompetitiveEdge in Denver getting T a transition bag for her b-day and chatting with the employee at the store. He said that when you can't get a workout in due to external circumstances, realize that less is more and don't beat yourself up. Look at it this way; instead of forcing the workout and risking injury, use the off day to heal up, and go hard the next time you work out.

Simple.

It's just overcoming the mental obstacle at that point.