Yeahhhh, we know I've been a bit remiss with blogging lately. As a result, I've got some workouts to catch up on!
On Wednesday, September 17, we rode into Cherry Creek State Park ... mainly so I could test out my new helmet.
At Crescent Moon, I won a free Rudy Project item (sunglasses or helmet), so I decided I'd try out a new road helmet. The chin strap is a bit bulky, but other than that, I like it okay.
A few days later on Saturday, September 20, I went on a group ride with Richard and Carlos and a few other people from Kompetitive Edge. We rode from the store up to Dinosaur Ridge, past Red Rocks, through Morrison and back to the store. It was a fun 30 mile ride.
Almost back to the store; stopped at a light.
Stoplight selfie.
September 24 we hit up what is seemingly turning out to be our monthly track session for some 200s. We successfully managed one more this time than last outing, so yay for that.
After we finished.
Finally, on September 25, also known as our third wedding anniversary, we played a little hockey. I forked out quite a bit of money for an hour of ice time so we could skate and shoot and realize how out of hockey shape we are. It was a total blast, though.
Messing around.
Kind of looking like I know what I'm doing.
Yay, fun times, right? I know y'all missed this ...
So I was thinking about what to write for today's blog post. I think next week I'll do the next installment in the "Things I Love" series (need to do some photos for that ...), but for today?
Then I saw that the hubby blogged yesterday - "When do we become champions?" - and it made me think of my own training journey right now.
As I mentioned in last week's featured workout post, I asked myself why I was waking up so early to swim, but that I never answered the question. I think Brandon's post does. I may not specifically be training for a certain race (like IMAZ last year), but I am training. I'm training for the next time I descend into the pool, the next time I lace up my running shoes, the next time I hop on my bike. I'm training for the next race, whether it be a 5K or Ironman*.
It's the reason I don't do a pool session without my "toys"** right now. I do kick drills with my fins and am learning to love my paddles and pull buoy.
It's the reason I'm doing a lot of technique work on the bike trainer right now.
It's the reason I've slowed down my running a lot - to build up my engine more efficiently so it will be faster when I need it to be.
It's because, though I may never win a race or qualify for Kona***, I can always be better. While I may be quite lazy (seriously, it's true), this month has confirmed what I've always thought - I am a competitor.
I think it's also why I love triathlon.
When I first started playing hockey, I was bad. My first year in college, I probably shouldn't have made the club team, but I did, somehow. The summer between freshman and sophomore years, I played in a rec league, went to hockey camp and never went more than a week without skating. In fact, in all four years of college, the longest stretch I had off the ice was two weeks.
The work paid off; I was noticeably better my sophomore year (and in subsequent years as well).
Ultimately though, it didn't matter. I moved from the fourth to the third line (and eventually to defense after essentially out-stubborning my coach) ... but I never was a top player. I was steady enough on the blue line and got some decent penalty-killing time (particularly on 5-on-3s), but I was never "good." I just got to the point where I wasn't a liability when I stepped on the ice.
In triathlon, I'm definitely mediocre. I've somehow managed to get myself into the top third or quarter of running races, but I'm completely bottom-third in tris****. But that's okay. I'm not physically built to be super fast and I accept that. But if I screw up, it only screws over me. If I do well, I'm the only one who benefits. It's the beauty of individual sports, especially for us back-of-the-pack'ers.
Inside the insanity that was Ironman training, I learned that I loved the hardest weeks the most. Peak? Was my favorite time. Give me that 14, 15 hour week and I will be the happiest I can be. I thrived under the crunch of training, even as much as it wiped me out. I felt rudderless after the race without something to train for.
That may still be true, but I'm training again, and that's enough for me. I'm at three, four hour weeks right now and can't wait to jump that up to six, seven, eight hours ... even though there's no need. I'm enjoying the 6am Sunday swims. I'm enjoying running right now ... now that I've convinced my brain there's no need to go fast (running pain-free, helps, too). I'm enjoying time on the bike trainer and outside when I can get there. I'm enjoying lifting right now, each repetition reminding me, once again, why I love the iron.
I'm also enjoying not having to do any single bit of it. I don't have to train as hard as I am right now (although comparatively, it's still not that hard), but I want to, and it's fantastic.
So why am I training right now?
I'm training, to use Brandon's words, to be a champion next time I race, though for me that means a season hopefully full of PRs.
I'm training, quite simply, for the love of training.
* I really wish I had another IM on the schedule ... stupid expensive race.
** If I call them toys, that means they're fun, right? All about perception.
*** For another 35 years, at least.
**** Except in transitions. Always top-third in those.
Last week's featured workout also helps fulfill a goal - do something NOT S/B/R related:
We went ice skating. We were actually thinking of playing hockey, but we decided we'd get back on the ice first to see if we still, you know, remembered how to skate.
The answer?
Obviously, yes. Yes we did. That's not to say it wasn't a bit awkward for the first little bit, though ...
Hubby.
"Do I look like I remember how to do this??"
The first bit was a little awkward. I'm really glad the open skate we went to was DEAD - we didn't have to do the typical mindless circles and could use the whole ice ... which we did, to our advantage. To get re-used to our edges and the general movement of skating, we actually did skating drills - crossover drills on the circles, 6-12s, etc. After a few minutes of these, we started feeling comfortable again.
At some point, we realized that we were WILLINGLY doing the skating drills we were forced to do in hockey practice once upon a time in order to feel more comfortable on the ice. Instead of getting frustrated that what was once effortless felt difficult, we essentially went back to the basics to regain lost skills.
That required patience, a skill we probably should have had back in the day, but one we gained through triathlon. Triathlon, particularly long-course racing, teaches one to be patient. Ironman was one long-ass day and we had to be smart and patient if we were going to reach that finish line. We also spend a chunk of time each year going back to the simple basics in running, cycling and swimming - always going back to drills - so why not do the same here? We didn't even think about the decision to do skating drills or talk about it - it just came naturally.
While the two sports we love are VERY different - team sport vs. individual sport; fast, short sprint efforts vs. long endurance efforts - there are lessons to be learned from each sport that will carry over to the other. When we first started triathlon, I don't know if we necessarily tried to draw off our hockey background, but as we hopefully get back into hockey a little bit, we can take lessons learned from tris and apply them on the ice.
And, ideally, if we get back into hockey, we can learn new lessons to apply right back into triathlon.
